Rebecca Spence
By Rebecca Spence
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News Rehab Programs Counter Substance Abuse With an Infusion of Judaism
Los Angeles — Four recovering addicts celebrated their sobriety “birthdays” on a recent Friday, in keeping with an Alcoholics Anonymous tradition. But the celebration occurred during a Sabbath service, and the prayer expressing gratitude for recovery from addiction was recited alongside the Shema. The venue was Beit T’Shuvah, so far the country’s only Jewish residential…
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News Berkeley JCC Cuts Staff by Half, Amid Money Woes
Los Angeles — With financial woes having already decimated the ranks of Southern California’s Jewish community centers, the crisis has moved northward. The JCC of the East Bay, located in Berkeley, Calif., is in the midst of crippling financial woes that in recent weeks have forced layoffs of half its staff. While the JCC —…
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News A New ‘90210’ Offers Truer Picture of Beverly Hills
Los Angeles — When the hit television series “Beverly Hills, 90210” premiered on the Fox network nearly two decades ago, many viewers pointed out that the show did not reflect the reality of Beverly Hills High School. The real Beverly Hills High is both predominantly Jewish and heavily Iranian. While the original cast included two…
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News McCain and Obama Warm Up for High Holy Days
Los Angeles — As Barack Obama and John McCain prepare for their first joint appearance at a Southern California mega-church August 16, both candidates will make a joint appearance of a different kind before the Jews of Southern California. Obama and McCain are both contributing to “Jewels of Elul,” a collection of 29 short essays…
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News Storied L.A. Shul Thinks Big, Seeks $100 Million
Los Angeles — Wilshire Boulevard Temple is no penny-ante shul. L.A.’s oldest Reform congregation, the synagogue has long served as a spiritual home to Tinseltown’s titans and loomed large on Southern California’s Jewish landscape. Today, it boasts 2,500 member families, and three separate campuses spread across the metropolitan area — including a 200-acre summer camp…
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News Phoenix Mayor Challenges Popular Sheriff’s Anti-Immigration Tactics
Phoenix — At first glance, Mayor Phil Gordon’s office in downtown Phoenix looks like that of any other mayor, replete with photos of his kids and a sweeping view of the city. In the case of Arizona’s capital, that means rolling desert hills. But in an otherwise sparsely decorated workspace, one detail stands out: a…
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News As Camp Sale Falls Through, Alums Remain Hopeful
Los Angeles — In a surprise turnabout, troubles in the real-estate market have scuttled a controversial plan to sell a beloved Jewish summer camp in Northern California to a Christian group, reviving the possibility that the camp might remain in Jewish hands. The facility, Camp Swig, is one of the oldest summer camps of Reform…
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News Seattle Federation Finds Shooting Wounds Hard To Heal
Seattle – Walking through Seattle’s bustling downtown area, it’s easy to miss the port city’s Jewish federation building. With no street level signage to hint at what type of business is conducted inside its walls, the facade looks more like that of an anonymous condominium complex than a nexus of Jewish life. There’s a reason…
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