Rebecca Spence
By Rebecca Spence
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News Wiesenthal Center Facing Opposition on Two Continents
Over more than three decades, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has cultivated a reputation for tracking down Nazi war criminals, speaking out against antisemitism and teaching tolerance. Now, its plans to move forward with two massive building projects, in Los Angeles and Jerusalem, are sparking a barrage of criticism that the center is acting insensitively —…
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News Staple of Campus Life Now Comes at a Price
Los Angeles — On a rainy Friday night, nearly 100 Jewish students — and a handful of non-Jewish ones — gathered at the University of Southern California’s Chabad house to get their weekly dose of Jewish nourishment. And while the nourishment came in the form of a free meal, including homemade chicken soup, it was,…
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News The Remaking of L.A.’s Jewish Federation
Los Angeles — When Stanley Gold, the powerhouse steward of Disney’s financial investments, took over last year as board chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, he made it known that business would not be done as usual. And it hasn’t. Over the past year, Gold, 66, has steered L.A.’s central Jewish charity —…
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News New Chief for West Coast Activist Group
Los Angeles — The West Coast’s leading Jewish social justice organization has named a former corporate litigator turned legal activist for the poor as its new executive director. Elissa Barrett, a 38-year-old attorney, will take the helm of the Progressive Jewish Alliance, the group announced February 2. Barrett, a University of Michigan Law School graduate,…
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News Why Does Hollywood Love the Holocaust?
Los Angeles — With “The Reader” garnering five Oscar nominations, and just as many Holocaust-related films playing this winter, Hollywood’s long-simmering romance with one of the greatest tragedies in human history is reaching a fever pitch. Even a former official of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has a certain fatigue. “I find myself wanting…
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News Iranian Jews Hurt by One of Their Own
Los Angeles — A little more than a year ago, George Haroonian, an Iranian-Jewish rug dealer, invested his family’s savings — totaling more than $400,000 — with Ezri Namvar, a trusted member of Los Angeles’s tight-knit Iranian-Jewish community, who for years has taken loans from community members and given them high returns in exchange. Today, Haroonian…
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News L.A. Federation Chief Out Amid Big Changes
Los Angeles — In the midst of sweeping changes at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the charity’s long-serving president, John Fishel, is resigning. Fishel, 60, announced January 26 that he would step down as president of this city’s central Jewish charity when his contract expires at the end of December. He has served as…
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News New Wave of Pro-Israel Action Hits the Streets
Los Angeles — Within days of Israel’s initial air strikes on Gaza, the grass-roots pro-Israel group StandWithUs had set up a “Web Situation Room” to counter online criticism of the Jewish state. In Israel, The Israel Project, which works to bolster Israel’s image in the media, had created a temporary office in Ashkelon, where foreign…
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