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1 day ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
Shortly after her father Barry Langford passed away, Caroline Langford visited a psychic who told her, “Your father is here, and he keeps telling me how good-looking he was.”Until that moment, Langford had been somewhat skeptical of fortune tellers and the like — but this sounded exactly like something her father would say. “And then she asked me, ‘Are you a writer? Because your father is saying, ‘Write my story.
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1 day ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
An engaging panel discussion on the involvement of Persian Jews in Jewish activism was held at Sephardic Temple on April 22. The event, organized by StandWithUs and Kol Israel, drew dozens of Persian Jews from both the older and younger generations. Moderated by Roz Rothstein, CEO and co-founder of StandWithUs, the panel featured three activists running for the World Zionist Congress who urged the Jewish community to vote for Kol Israel, Slate 4.
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1 day ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
Eli Tsives went to UCLA to study and earn a degree. However, since Oct. 7, he has become more than just a student — he’s now also an activist and influencer. It wasn’t a role he planned to take on, but one that was sort of thrust upon him. A few days ago, he posted a video on his Instagram account taken by a fellow Jewish student.
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1 day ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
American Jewish University (AJU) hosted its annual gala on Sunday, April 27 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The evening honored Harold J. Masor, outgoing chair of the board of directors, in recognition of his visionary leadership and enduring contributions to Jewish education and communal life.
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1 week ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
Five hundred years after his ancestors were expelled from Spain, comedian Daniel Lobell returned — this time with his new bride and a camera crew. It wasn’t your typical honeymoon, but it was certainly an entertaining and educational one, resulting in the documentary “Reconquistador,” produced by Stand Up! Records and available for streaming on Amazon. It’s true that Lobell’s ancestors were kicked out of Spain a long time ago, but the stand-up comedian doesn’t forget things like that so easily.
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1 week ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
Four decades after her mother left the family in New York to pursue a career as an architect in Israel, Yael Melamede, 57, decided to make a documentary about her. “Ada: My Mother the Architect” is not what you might expect from that premise.
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1 week ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
Fifty years ago, Richard Walter wrote a novel about a somewhat antisemitic West Virginia Buick dealer who wakes up one day to find himself transformed into the world’s most popular Jewish comedian, Richie Ritchie. It was a brilliantly humorous book, full of surprising twists — a real page-turner. But Walter couldn’t find a publisher for it, so he let it go. Then one day, during the COVID pandemic, he received a phone call from someone who had read it.
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2 weeks ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
The LAPD is investigating the homicides of two Israeli men found dead in their residences on Saturday in what appear to be unrelated incidents. Police were called to a home on the 22200 block of De La Osa Street in Woodland Hills just before 1 a.m. on Saturday, April 26. There, they discovered the body of 47-year-old Alexander Modebadze. The Israeli businessman moved to the U.S. 15 years ago and, according to neighbors, had been living in the house for the past couple of years.
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3 weeks ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
Actor, host and filmmaker Yuval David is planning to attend the Dyke March in New York City on June 28 waving both the Israeli and Pride flags. Some would call it brave; others, stupid and dangerous. However, David, isn’t going to let fear stop him. He’s done this before — and he was attacked, both verbally and physically.
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3 weeks ago | 
jewishjournal.com | Ayala Or-El |Ayala Or-el
The Jewish tradition overflows with stories — and great storytellers. This month, just before Passover, award-winning storyteller Arnon Z. Shorr and illustrator Joshua M. Edelglass published their latest comic book, “The Tomb of the Broken Amulet.” The story follows the Azaria siblings — Reuven, Sol, Benny and Dinah — whose Passover break turns extraordinary when they stumble upon an ancient tomb hidden in the Judean desert.
