Louis Keene is a reporter for the Forward. His work has also been published in The New York Times, New York Magazine and VICE. He is based in Los Angeles and can be followed on Twitter @thislouis.
Louis Keene
By Louis Keene
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News Defying the governor but heeding the President, a Los Angeles synagogue opens its doors
Mere hours after President Donald Trump called on governors to open places of worship, calling the institutions “essential,” one Los Angeles congregation pounced on the opportunity. In defiance of a California state ban on religious gatherings due to the potential spread of coronavirus, it opened for Friday night services. Members of Congregation Etz Chaim, an…
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News Los Angeles Orthodox leaders pump brakes on synagogue reopening
Orthodox synagogues in Los Angeles present a united front against spread of COVID-19
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News As L.A.-based Coffee Bean drops kosher status, Orthodox customers fight back
A few years ago, Sarah Blitzstein and a few close friends mapped out an unconventional 5K route. Instead of passing through local parks or looping around prominent Los Angeles landmarks, they chose branches of an institution that had been central to their friendship dating back to their youth: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. “It…
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News How LA’s Orthodox Jews averted the worst of the pandemic
Pandemic life in the Orthodox neighborhoods of Los Angeles for the most part resembles that of observant Jewish enclaves across the country. The shuls and schools are closed indefinitely, with Torah study and social programming held on Zoom. Synagogues post lists tracking the sick for misheberach blessings on Google spreadsheets and share them through WhatsApp….
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News Layoffs force JCC leaders to ponder post-pandemic future and leave employees in the lurch
In a tidal wave of pandemic-related layoffs, hundreds of employees at Jewish community centers across the United States have been let go as the institutions, central organizing forces of Jewish life, have had to close their doors due to the coronavirus. The early numbers are staggering: Bay Area JCCs have furloughed some 700 people. Philadelphia’s…
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News Ahead of Super Tuesday, Southern California’s oldest temple is politically diverse, yet spiritually united
The weekend before Super Tuesday was Climate Change Shabbat at Congregation Emanu El, a Reform synagogue located just outside of San Bernardino in Redlands, Calif. The congregation’s Sisterhood created a special Shabbat service for the occasion, during which the women took turns at the lectern describing the sacrifices they were making for the sake of…
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