2nd Annual Jewish Food Festival!
Sunday, 5/16; 11 am – 4 pm
Location: Bridgeport Marketplace, corner of Newhall Ranch Road and McBean Parkway in Valencia, CA
http://www.facebook.com/l/0fee6;www.templebethami.org/

When Ruth Met Boaz: Shavuot Dinner and Study Session
Tuesday, 5/18; 6-9 pm
Location: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
http://www.facebook.com/l/0fee6;www.skirball.org/index.php?option=com_ccevents&scope=prgm&task=detail&oid=764&ccmenu=d2hhdcdzig9u

Birthright Next: Havdalah With The Stars @ Griffith Observatory
Saturday, 5/22; 4-7 pm
Location: Griffith Observatory, 2800 East Observatory Avenue
http://www.facebook.com/l/0fee6;https://secure2.convio.net/bri/site/Ticketing?view=Tickets&id=207143

Yoga for Summer Loving II with Marcus J. Freed
Monday, 5/24; 8-9:30 pm
Location: Mimoda Studio Theatre 5774 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90019
http://www.facebook.com/l/0fee6;yogaforsummerlove.eventbrite.com

"Go This Way! You won't have to run into any other minorities," says my friend.

"Jewish organizations are always very careful with their directions when they hold events around the mud people."

By the bathroom, I run into an acquaintance.

"I've grown a beard," she says, "so people won't recognize me. No, that would be you."

"Do they have 'Healing Havdalah' ceremonies anywhere but LA? Do they do this in New York?" I wonder.

I don't think so.

"Liberals planned this," says a woman. "Conservatives would never come up with something like this."

There's spirited singing but it doesn't project. A group of us try to dance but we get bogged down and tired by the sand.

Last year, this event got 600 people, I'm told. This year it attracts about 200.

We chat with Dennis Wilen, Jewish Journal webmaster. He's standing with Danielle Berrin and Orit Arfa.

"Have you seen Danielle Berrin?" says my friend later.

"Yes."

"Wow, what a knockout. She's gorgeous. Next time, I'll have to talk to her. Is she nice?"

"Yes."

"Maybe it was just the way the fire lit up her features?"

"No, she's gorgeous."

Danielle stares into the fire, her fingers stroking her pearls while the wind whips her long blonde hair. She wears white pants. She's tall and slender. She looks quite dreamy, probably thinking about Brett Ratner and French New Wave film.

"She's quite nice," I say.

"Dennis has a lot of technical knowledge for a guy his age," says my friend.

"Yeah, and he's got a lot of sexual prowess too."

LimmudLA.org.

As we walk out, I ask my friend, "Do you feel healed?"

"Yes, my anger has been transmuted into love."

Joe:  I sent a letter to Salem Broadcasting telling them I will never listen to KRLA or any of their stations primarily because it was only because of my regard for Dennis. Since his financial panic, and now his play-nice attitude in the face of unaswered widespread voting and campaign finance fraud, I've lost my confidence in his  bravery and honesty. And you know how much I've defended him in the past. He's got a lot of explaining to do to me personally before I ever listen to him again.
Luzdedos1:  lol
Joe:  why is that funny?
Luzdedos1:  i'm sure he's crushed
Joe:  he will  be
Joe:  if i can get that angry to write what I did, i'm sure there are many more
Joe:  his ratings are going down
Joe:  I'm sure that will please you

From LimmudLA.org:

We are Democrats. We are Republicans.

But we are all Jews.

On Saturday night, November 8th at 7pm, we will come together and put politics behind us. The etiquette of the evening is that we will not cheer for the winner or lament for the loser. We will not speak publicly or even whisper between us to make anyone feel that they voted the wrong way.

We will celebrate Havdalah together on the beach and sing our hearts out. We will then break into small groups on the sand for a Torah-inspired learning session about healing community differences.

Who would plan a HEALING HAVDALAH and think about our community in this way through all its diversity? LimmudLA.

For those of you attended last year, you will remember the raucous, spiritual, celebratory parking lot Havdalah attended by 600 Jews of every persuasion as the highlight of an incredible event. Now, we are doing the HEALING HAVDALAH on November 8th to give you a taste of the even bigger and better LimmudLA that will take place again on Presidents’ Day weekend, 2009.

Be present on the evening of November 8th. Bring your instruments and drums. Inhale the blended essences of the varied Havdalah spices that represent our diversity as Jews. Leave plenty of time for travel and parking. Don’t be a minute late. Because Havdalah doesn’t wait. It will begin at 7pm sharp. All ages welcome.

When: Saturday November 8, 2008 @ 7:00pm
Where: Dockweiler Beach, where the 105/Imperial Highway meets the beach
What to bring: Sweatshirts. Blankets. Instruments. Drums.

Please forward this email to 10 Jewish friends or relatives who should be at this Healing Havdalah and know about LimmudLA.

I took in a class by Rabbi Elliot Dorff on "The Ethics of Language." He outlined Judaism's views on proper and improper speech. It's easy to see why he's inspired scores of people to enter the rabbinate.

I wish people would be more respectful of our teachers, instead of chatting all through class and interrupting a dozen times with questions and comments. Answer a couple of questions, pose a couple of questions, fine, but don't dominate. Leave that to our teachers. Oy!

Learn more about LimmudLA here.