A history of symbolic violence It does not appear coincidental that a recent rise in rhetoric leveled against Jews across the world has coincided with a devaluation of the term anti-Semitism. Jews often use the term not only to describe violent action motivated by extreme prejudice against Jews, but also symbolically damaging actions for which negative feelings toward the Jews...

This past Thursday evening, Bruins for Israel and GlobeMed at UCLA partnered up for their fourth annual Achy Breaky Heart fundraiser, a Valentine's Day themed event to raise money for two health organizations — Save a Child's Heart and the Mpoma Community HIV/AIDS Initiative. The night of food, raffles, student performances and date auctioning was held in Club Pauley. The...

On Tuesday night, the Undergraduate Students Association Council evaluated the qualifications of Rachel Beyda, a second-year economics major, as a potential justice for its Judicial Board. Appointed by USAC President Avinoam Baral, she proved herself to be extremely qualified for the position at every step of the interview process. All USAC council members present agreed that she was a perfect...

This past Sunday morning, students from across the UC campuses gathered at UCLA's Tom Bradley International Hall for the University of California Student Association's divestment hearing. Two resolutions called for the UC Regents to divest from American companies which some argue profit from alleged human rights violations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, as well as from several governments...

Week No.5 Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Week No. 5. One, two, three, four, five Everybody’s in Powell, so you know it’s time To renounce all the fun and joy we once had Eating food at the Hill cafés to save time Can’t believe this is the life for undergrads “I’ll start studying,” I said last week But YouTube binging,...

Last November, I had the pleasure of attending the 28th Israeli Film Festival LA premiere of Above and Beyond, a documentary produced by Nancy Spiegelberg about the foreign airmen of Israel's 1948 War of Independence. That eventful Thursday night was a loaded one for me — not only was I attending my very first movie premiere, but I also happened...

With the recent panic over the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks in Paris and its implications for the future of free speech in the Western world — in addition to the safety of Jews in Europe — UCLA students have done little to discuss other atrocities in the world. Among these number the 2000 Nigerians killed in a recent Boko Haram...

One of our richest cultural inheritances is the Talmud. Its roughly 6,200 pages consists of rabbinic folklore, customs, history, ethics, philosophy and law, oftentimes moving between these topics in the span of a sentence. Since I went to private Jewish day schools my entire life before coming to UCLA, I spent many hours poring over the cryptic texts written in...

This past Sunday afternoon, current students and alumni of UCLA, USC, CSUN, and SMC gathered to ask questions about American Jewry and the State of Israel to Rabbi David Baruch Lau, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, during his first trip to the West Coast. Chabad at USC hosted the event, modeled as a town hall meeting, during which students...

This past weekend, the Jewish nation celebrated Lag Ba’Omer. For the average American Jew, Lag Ba’Omer may be a bit of a mystery — there is no Christian equivalent, it is not commercialized in any way, and pop culture has not poked fun at it, yet. In my quest to understand the holiday, it became obvious why Lag Ba’Omer shies...