In December 2014, "The Happiest Place on Earth," Disneyland, was plagued by a measles outbreak. In all, 131 people were infected — the majority of whom were unvaccinated. Shortly after, the University of California announced that beginning in 2017, students will need to provide proof of four additional vaccinations, plus a tuberculosis screening, to the current Hepatitis B requirement —...

On April 2, President Obama strolled triumphantly across the Rose Garden in the White House and proudly announced to the world that the United States and its allies had reached an agreement with Iran that would prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The president went on to list the nuclear concessions that Iran had made, such as reducing its...

Written by Soof Hacohen Yesterday, April 16, 2015, was Yom Ha'Shoah — Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. At around 11:00 a.m., millions of Israelis across the nation stood in silence for approximately 60 seconds to commemorate the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. Offices, schools, shopping malls, cafés, freeways, and city streets came to a stop, and the...

This week we celebrate the festival of Passover. If asked on the spot what the point of the holiday is, you would probably respond "to commemorate the redemption from Egyptian bondage." This interaction is reenacted on the Seder night: The children ask why this night is different from other nights, and we quickly respond with "We were slaves in Egypt...

On Monday afternoon, shortly after 4:30 pm, the mostly middle-aged to elderly audience members — armed with cookies, pastries and beverages — shifted in their seats as more places were set out to accommodate the large number of attendees to Shmuel Rosner's presentation about the recent Israeli elections. Audience members spoke in varying accents of Hebrew and English as they...

Although students often dread Mondays, they can turn out to be sunny and exciting if they’re filled with the right people. This past Monday, I had the pleasure of interviewing the president-elect of Bruins for Israel, Omer Hit, a third-year neuroscience major and theater minor. We met at Kerkhoff patio and, like any successful leader, Mr. President-elect was right on...

Written by David J. Chernobylsky "David, isn't this beautiful? Look at the sun, the sky. It's so clear today. The water, it's like crystal. I couldn't have ordered better weather today myself! David? David! Stop playing with your Batman cape and take a look around! We're in Venice, for goodness' sake!"I was around 10 or 11 at the time of...

Clipse, arguably the greatest coke rap duo of all time, has a Jewish problem. In their successful single “Wamp Wamp,” the pair uses an unfortunate metaphor to describe a step in the process of cooking cocaine: after they remove the coke-filled pan from the oven, “It cools to a tight wad — the Pyrex is Jewish.” The “cheap Jew” stereotype...

This is that age old When ladies light candles This is for every Jew, All the Jews: Orthodox to Reform We restin', digestin'; we keeping the Fourth Commandment Got his kippah on, turned off his phone Cuz he knows that it’s the holiest event It’s Shabbat (hooray!) Best part of the week, my favorite day It’s Shabbat (hooray!) Going to...

Resistance does not have to mean rejecting the system, or even aiming to change the system. Resistance means not letting the system change you. In case someone has not caught up yet, money is the name of the game and the overwhelming majority of us are not winning. Even those with houses, cars or a guaranteed retirement plan are getting...