The big scare from October has died down: only one confirmed case of MERS-CoV has been reported in connection to the Muslim hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca and no pandemic has developed from infection-bearing pilgrims returning home and contaminating thousands of others. However, that is not reason to let the virus fall by the wayside of journalism. Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome...

Christmahanukwanzukah. Christmukah. Kwanzukah. You will not hear any of these terms this year because Chanukah does not fall on Christmas or Kwanza, but on an entirely different holiday. For the first time in many years, the second night of Chanukah coincides with Thanksgiving, creating a new celebration many have dubbed Thanksgivukah, a portmanteau of the two holiday names. Thanksgivukah is...

As I have mentioned, I absolutely refuse to throw out my Halloween decorations and am always looking to find new ways to incorporate pumpkin into my meals. One of my favorite fall dishes is a kind of squash ravioli with sage and browned butter. However, the confines of my small kitchen cannot accommodate such an endeavor. In order to satiate...

Controversy is quickly brewing over purportedly skewed media coverage of the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Israeli soldier Eden Atias on a bus en route to Tel Aviv. The suspect is a Palestinian teenager, residing in Israel illegally. The main catalyst of the debate is a New York Times article published online on Nov. 13 depicting the attacker’s mother as the...

“Rabinovich [the recurring butt of Russian-Jewish jokes] is taken into custody by the KGB. ‘Why do you want to leave the best country in the world?’ the KGB agent asks him. Rabinovich responds, ‘Well, I only have two reasons. My neighbor keeps knocking on my door in the middle of the night, yelling ‘Just wait, the Soviet Union will deal...

Judaism is a religion rich in celebrations and holidays. As the old Jewish joke goes, a formula unifies the many disparate Jewish holidays: our enemies wanted to kill us, we prevailed, we celebrate. And while most Jewish communities revert to the basics of meals and gatherings to commemorate Jewish holidays, on campus we add a dimension by massacring the English...

While Students for Justice in Palestine occupied Bruin Walk, busy practicing moral relativism (constructing a wall perpetuating a one-sided account while supporting Hamas [a terrorist organization]) and actively refusing dialogue with any students who might not share their worldview, Bruins for Israel brought together Bruin Republicans and Bruin Democrats for a constructive debate on Middle East foreign policy. The debate...

Rising tuition has long been a favorite gripe of college students, as those of us not blessed with the resources to get through education attempt to reconcile the harsh reality of paying many thousands of dollars per year and possibly going into debt with the harsher reality of mind-breaking work and GPA-breaking stress. For some, joining the United States military...

Every year, Students for Justice in Palestine reserve Bruin Plaza for their Palestine Awareness Week — a week when they erect a temporary, six-paneled wall complete with drawings and multicolor, bulletpoint displays in order to inform passersby about the Palestinian plight. This Palestine Awareness Week spans Nov. 4-7. SJP students and supporters crowd Bruin Plaza from 8 a.m. to 5...

Hello everyone. Ha’Am has established a new column called "Ask Yente," where YOU can ask questions about anything troubling you. I, your wise Yente, will try my best to answer your questions in a timely manner. All I ask is that the questions be appropriate for publication on this website and that they have some Jewish relevance to them. Please...