I am sickened to hear the recent reports from Israel concerning eight-year-old Naama Margolese who is afraid to go to school because “orthodox” extremists spat on her and called her a whore for dressing “immodestly.” In addition to violating the biblical commandment of Ahavas Israel, and Maimonides warning against extremism, this fanatical behavior can have [...]

August 28, 2003 By Rabbi Ben-Tzion Kravitz It was Sunday afternoon, July 6, 2003, and I was approaching the end of a successful three-week mission to Israel dedicated to responding to a new wave of missionary activity. In addition to lectures, news interviews and meetings with government officials, my colleagues and I distributed thousands of [...]

December 20, 2001 Agoura’s Chai Center gives Jewish kids a place to connect. By Wendy J. Madnick Share   Kimia Ghiam turns to the Chai Center for a quiet space to do homework.  They’re celebrating the fourth night of Chanukah at the Chai Teen and Youth Center, and, to put it mildly, this joint is [...]

By Gaby Wenig Share   Members of Chabad of Greater Los Feliz sing and clap as they parade in Torah celebration.  “What on earth is that?” asks Jordan, a 27-year-old actor in Los Feliz. He is staring at a dancing rabbi on a flatbed truck that is inching its way down Vermont Avenue, one of [...]

November 4, 1999 By Curt Schleier By Curt Schleier Share I’m not surprised that Southern Baptists are praying for the conversion of the Jews. I’m praying for Southern Baptists. I pray that they see how hypocritical and offensive it is for them to say they love Jews and in the same breath trash our religion. [...]

July 31, 1997 Up Front Share   The Play’s Not the Thing According to reviews, “Mendel and Moses,” a musical playing at the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills, isn’t much of a play. But it is provoking — at least in some corners of the Jewish community — significant controversy. Rabbi Benzion Kravitz, founder and [...]

April 27, 2010 By Danielle Berrin Share   From left: Barak Raviv and Jews for Judaism’s Rabbi Zalman Kravitz and other guests.  Inspired by Israel’s response to the earthquake disaster in Haiti, Jews for Judaism Young Professionals and the Barak Raviv Foundation partnered for a Feb. 17 fundraiser at h.wood in Hollywood. More than 200 [...]

November 30, 2000 Thousands of Jews flock to an ecumenical church in Culver City. What does that tell us about Judaism? By Julie G Fax Share   Rev. Michael Beckwith’s blend of high-flying rhetoric and life-affirming blessing has made fans out of thousands of spiritual seekers, including many Jews who find at Agape what they [...]

July 11, 2002 Rabbis on Duty Pair responds within an hour of LAX shooting. By Tom Tugend Rabbi Dan Shevitz was one of the first on the scene to comfort those at LAX.  The July 4 attack at the El Al check-in counter, in which a gunman killed two people, occurred at 11:32 a.m., and [...]

Missionary Groups Target Jews Christian missionary groups have been planting literature targeting Jews at unsuspecting Jewish venues in the Los Angeles area recently, according to an alert sent out by Jews for Judaism, an anti-missionary group. Rabbi Benzion Kravitz, director of Jews for Judaism, says that a 75-page booklet containing the “Gospel According to Luke” [...]