Photo by Elinor Samuel ____________Hughlin Boyd, a UCLA PhD candidate, frequenter of Hillel, and successful lawyer and politician, shares his story about how he crossed countries and cultures to reach his goals despite the challenges he has faced. Boyd, who identifies as “Orthodox with a caveat” was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He grew up knowing his mother was Jewish...

Photo by Rebecca Zaghi __________George Idzhyan is a third-year History and Middle Eastern Studies major who transferred to UCLA this past fall. But he is not your average Bruin. What many do not know about Idzhyan is that he is “on the brink of conversion” to Judaism. I had the great pleasure of meeting with this jovial character to discuss...

Sponsored and funded by the Pamela and Randol Schoenberg Foundation, the Fine Art Show located at Hillel on May 21 drew dozens of applicants and 150 viewers, and left the winner with $1,000 and the Philliss and Lou Mann Prize for Excellence in the Arts award. Rachel Berkowitz, an art major, acted as curator and organized the Fine Art Show...

Written by Sharona Kaplan, Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at UCLA “So, what are you doing next year?!” A simple, yet potentially dreaded question for so many graduates who have yet to concretize their future plans. Silently detracting from the joy of graduation is the anxiety of the unknown, a path that has yet to be determined. Surrounded by those...

Pope Francis's first couple of years as pontiff have been remarkably successful. His commitment to ending child abuse in the church, his dedication to 'radical equality' between men and women, and his rejection of the overwrought vestments of the papacy have endeared him to Western audiences. In addition, the Pope's commitment to a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict is...

I wear this dot on my head because I exist in an ever-elapsing ellipsis which began on the head of that mountain Sinai when we heard Moses sigh n’ I cried ‘I will do and I will listen’ and we heard ‘Do this and Don’t do that’ and dot dot dot when God’s voice trailed off and we trailed through...

Written by Rebbetzin Elisa Gurevitch, Chabad at UCLA The holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah, is always preceded by the Torah portion of Bamidbar (the first chapters of Numbers) — “In the desert.” The reason for this is manifold. Just as the desert is a barren, ownerless place, so too the Torah and its values do...

“Every German deserves to die ... their hands are covered with Jewish blood ... Therefore, there is neither absolution nor forgiveness, and no normal relations will ever be possible between us.” These were not the rantings of a madman. This quote is an excerpt from a speech given by opposition member of the Knesset Menachem Begin in early 1965, when...

Despite its increasing presence and impact on college campuses, anti-Semitism’s definition has become inexplicably blurred and political. The Senate Concurrent Resolution 35 was proposed this March urging University of California campuses to condemn anti-Semitism and racism. Responses have varied; however, most backlash has come from those who have disputed the definition of anti-Semitism rather than the purpose of the resolution...

My Mother’s Day was spent visiting the mother of all lands, Eretz Israel. After a short drive to the California Science Center in downtown, my family and I were graced with a long line for the sold out screening of Jerusalem 3D. I walked in assuming the line was for suckers who didn’t get their tickets ahead of time, and...