Seraphic Secret | Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Religious Zionist. Republican. Movie fanatic. Gun owner. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.

Why Does America Spend So Much on Israel?

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: December 10, 2018

With so much that must be done at home in the United States, why does America send so much of its resources to Israel? It’s a fair question, but according to U.S. Gen Chuck Wald, America doesn’t spend enough on Israel. Watch to understand why.

Posted in America, Hamas, Hizbullah, IslamoNazis, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Politics, Prager University | Tagged America, America's Security, General Chuck Wald, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Prager University, Venture Capital, Weapons Technology | Leave a comment

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: December 7, 2018

“There are worse things in life than being called a lady… I always demanded respect. I came prepared and expected others to do the same.”
—Irene Dunne

Posted in Art, Design, Gary Cooper, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Irene Dunne, Marilyn Monroe, Movie Posters, Movies, Myrna Loy, Painting, Quotes, Rock Hudson, Screenwriting, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Alfred Eisenstadt, Bauhaus, Cartier, Clyfford Still, Emil Otto Hoppe, Erwin Blumenfeld, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gary Cooper, Hiroshi Sugitomo, Irene Dunne, Joseph Hartwig, Marilyn Monroe, Mildred Pierce, Myrna Loy, Rock Hudson, Walter Sanders, William McGregor Paxton, Wrist Watches | 6 Responses

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on Chanukah, The Triumph of Monotheism

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: December 5, 2018

Families on Hanukkah gather together and celebrate around dreidels, chocolate coins, and presents. Yet the holiday’s most profound meaning is in its core symbol and ritual: the lighting of the menorah. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik takes us through Hanukkah’s two pivotal historical stages, the age of the Temple and the age of Diaspora, teaching us about the triumph of monotheism and Judaism, and the lessons Hanukkah’s miracles hold for anyone who cares about Jewish survival.

Posted in Chanukah, Judaism, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, Torah | Tagged Chanukah, Judaism, Meir Soloveichik, Monotheism, Torah | 1 Response

Chanukah 2018: Same Enemies, Same Conflicts

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: December 3, 2018

Today is the first day of Chanukah.

And here is a timeless message from Simon the Maccabee:

“We have not taken a foreign land, nor did we take the property of others — for this is the inheritance of our fathers, which was for some time unjustly possessed by our enemies. But we, having the opportunity, returned to us the inheritance of our fathers.”

— First Book of the Maccabees, 15:33-34.

“לא ארץ נוכריה לקחנו ולא ברכוש זרים משלנו, כי אם נחלת אבותינו, אשר בידי אויבינו בעת מן העיתים בלא משפט נכבשה. ואנחנו כאשר הייתה לנו עת, הושיבונו נחלת אבותינו” (ספר מקבים א, טו’ לג-לד) Read More »

Posted in America, Chanukah, Donald Trump, Holidays, Israel, Jerusalem, Jew-hatred, Jewish Holidays | Tagged Antiochus IV, Chanukah, Israel, Jewish History, Maccabees, Menorah, Torah | 2 Responses

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 30, 2018

“Hollywood sold its stars on good looks and personality build-ups. We weren’t really actresses in the true sense. We were just big names–the products of a good publicity department.”
—Ann Sothern

Posted in Ann Sothern, Anne Baxter, Art, Design, Gene Tierney, Gloria Swanson, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Judaica, Judaism, Loretta Young, Louise Brooks, Photography, Quotes, Screenwriting, True Hollywood Confessions, Wrist Watches | Tagged Alfred Eisenstaedt, Ann Sothern, Anne Baxter, Chanukah, Constantine Manos, Eva Gonzales, Ezra Stoller, Fred Herzog, George Hoyningen-Huene, Gloria Swanson, Hiroshi Sugitomo, James Abbe, Jiyong Lee, Joseph Cornell, Loretta Young, Louise Brooks, Mark Rothko, Movie Poster, Ray K. Metzker, Robert Doisneau, Vertigo, Wrist Watches | 7 Responses

Relief from Migraine?

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 28, 2018

Those who suffer from migraine headaches are struck with pain that is off the charts.

Some get migraines just a few times a year, others suffer debilitating attacks a few times a week. I’ve had pretty serious migraines since I was a child. Over the years I’ve learned to identify certain triggers that will almost certainly bring on a killer headache: lack of sleep, fasting, spicy food, liquor, perfume, cigarette smoke, flashing lights (I avoided the disco 80’s), loud music, air travel, are the most prominent.

I’ve also learned that the best way to avoid migraines is by keeping to a steady routine.

Posted in Migraine | Tagged Aimovig, Migraine | 1 Response

Who Needs Feminism?

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 26, 2018

There’s no easier way for a public figure to evoke the media’s fury than to announce he’s not a feminist. But in this video Andrew Klavan, best-selling author and host of The Andrew Klavan Show announces he’s proudly anti-feminist. No, Klavan doesn’t “hate women,” he just hates that modern feminism has bullied us all into accepting the obvious and harmful lie that men and women are more or less the same.

Posted in Feminism, Liberal Fascism, Politics, Prager University, Progressive Democrats, Propaganda War | Tagged Andrew Klavan, Feminism, Prager University, Rosie the Riveter, Toxic Feminism | Leave a comment

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 23, 2018

“Nobody knows anything.”
—William Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade

Posted in Alfred Hitchcock, Art, Dovima, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Judaica, Judaism, Movie Posters, Movies, Painting, RIP, Screenwriting, Spencer Tracy, True Hollywood Confessions, William Goldman | Tagged Alessi, Alexey Titarenko, Alphonse Mucha, Ancient Judaica, Art Nouveau, David Hockney, Double Indemnity, Dovima, Duane Michals, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Harry S. Truman, Ina Balke, Jeanloup Sieff, Judaica, Lauren Bacall, Lielle Meital, Martin Munkacsi, Richard Avedon, Spencer Tracy, The Princess Bride, Timex, Tina Louise, Vintage Cars, Walde Huth, William Goldman, Wrist Watches | 3 Responses

Thanksgiving 2018: The Children of the Children of Israel

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 21, 2018

Studio photographers shot millions of still photos of their actors, often with holiday themes. This is the one of the few religiously inclined Thanksgiving stills I have come across. The actress is Barbara Kent, a minor star in the silent ear best known for starring opposite Harold Lloyd in “Welcome Danger” 1929. But her very best role was in a little known but quite wonderful silent film “Lonesome,” 1928.

Studio photographers shot mountains of photographs of contract actors, often with holiday themes. This is a charming Thanksgiving photo. The actress is Barbara Kent, (b. Barbara Cloutman, 1907- 2011) a popular star in the silent era best known for twice starring opposite Harold Lloyd, “Welcome Danger” (1929), and then “Feet First,” (1930). But her very best role was in a little known but quite wonderful silent film “Lonesome,” (1928). Seraphic Secret wrote a memoriam for this lovely actress when she passed away. You can find it here.

As far as I know, there are only two countries in the world that were founded on the idea of hope.

America and Israel.

And what was the hope?

Posted in Actors, Alfred Hitchcock, America, Ann Miller, Audrey Hepburn, Barbara Kent, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Doris Day, Holidays, Hollywood, Shirley Temple, Thanksgiving | Tagged Alice White, America, Ann Miller, Audrey Hepburn, Barbara Kent, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Celia Singer, Clark Gable, Doris Day, Dorothy Sebastian, Hollywood, Jeanne Crain, Judy garland, Lowell, Marilyn Monroe, Marsha Hunt, Mass., MIckey Rooney, Paula Corday, Shirley Temple, Thanksgiving, Vera Allen | 1 Response

Lincolna and Thanksgiving: The Origin of an American Holiday

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 19, 2018

The very first Thanksgiving happened almost 400 years ago – long before the nation was born. How did it evolve into America’s quintessential national holiday? Credit largely goes to two people – one, a name you know; the other, you’ve probably never heard – but should. Melanie Kirkpatrick, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, gives us the run-down on how a harvest party between Pilgrims and Indians became our oldest national tradition

Posted in Abraham Lincoln, America, Dennis Prager, Holidays, Prager University, Thanksgiving | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Melanie Kirkpatrick, Prager University, Thanksgiving | 1 Response

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 16, 2018

“People think that if you look fairly reasonable, you can’t possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap.”
—Vivien Leigh

Posted in Art, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Israel, Joanne Woodward, Judaism, Movie Posters, Movies, Myrna Loy, Painting, Paul Newman, Photography, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions, Vintage Cars, Vivien Leigh | Tagged Andrea Mantegna, David Seymour, Elizabeth Montgomery, Errol Flynn, Joanne Woodward, Lauren Bacall, Motorcycles, Myrna Loy, Nickolas Murray, Pantages Theater, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Vintage Cars, Vivien Leigh | 3 Responses

Building Resilience: 5 Ways to a Better Life

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 14, 2018

In case you hadn’t noticed, life is difficult and unpredictable. So, how do you move forward in such a complex and confusing world? UCLA Medical School psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Marmer offers 5 tips for coping with life’s unwelcome surprises.

Posted in Prager University | Tagged Prager University, Stephen Marmer | Leave a comment

Veteran’s Day 2018: My Favorite Veteran Rabbi Chaplain Abraham Avrech, z’l

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 13, 2018

My father, Rabbi Abraham Avrech. An Army Chaplain in the 42nd Rainbow Division, my father served this great nation through World War II, The Korean War and Vietnam. Retired as a full Colonel, my father often spoke of his Chaplaincy as the most important and fulfilling of his long and distinguished Rabbinic career.

My father, Rabbi Chaplain Abraham Avrech passed away on March 15, 2014. This is the fifth Veteran’s Day without my father’s physical presence in this world.

He is gone, but like all veteran’s certainly not forgotten.

Take a moment to ponder the enormous sacrifices made by our nation’s heroes and their families.

Posted in Abraham Avrech, America, Veterans Day, War, World War II | Tagged Chaplain Abraham Avrech, Veteran's Day | 1 Response

God and Guns in Synagogue

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 12, 2018

That’s me, a Jew with a gun.

There is a problem in American Judaism. It is a problem of basic theology. Those of us who believe in Torah Judaism recognize that evil exists, and to combat evil requires common sense and weapons.

Secular American Jews—Democrats almost exclusively—believe in utopian solutions to, well, everything. Which means they advocate for gun free zones, an invitation to Jew-hating mass murderers.

My good friend Daniel Greenfield’s article which analyzes this theological split is both timely and accurate.

Posted in Gun Control, Jew-haters, Jew-hatred, Jews & Guns, Judaism, Second Amendment | Tagged Daniel Greenfield, Guns, synagogue | 2 Responses

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 9, 2018

“If there’s anything I hate it’s a goddamned phony, and Hollywood’s filled with them, pretending to be what they are not and some of them never were.”
—Barbara Stanwyck

Posted in Barbara Stanwyck, Baseball, Design, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Joan Crawford, Judaica, Judaism, María Félix, Movie Posters, Movies | Tagged Barbara Stanwyck, Ed Ruscha, Edward Weston, Erwin Blumenfeld, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gilmore Drive-In Theater, Henry Clarke, Jean Renoir, John Singer Sargent, Marc Chagall, María Félix, Merle Oberon, Norma Shearer, Pasquale de Antonis, Paul Strand, Pierre-August Renoir, R.B. Kitaj, Waldemar Swierzy, William Morris | 4 Responses

Books On My Night Table

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 7, 2018

I still remember the day when I heard that Sandy Koufax refused to pitch a World Series opening game because it was Yom Kippur.

It was, to say the least, something of a shock. We, baseball mad yeshiva kids, knew that the great Southpaw was a Jew from Bensonhurst, but we also knew that he was not observant. In fact, Koufax never even had a Bar Mitzvah. Shock was quickly replaced by pride as this assimilated Jewish superstar made a very public stand for, what we saw as, Torah values.

Posted in Baseball, Book Reviews, Books, Books On My Night Table | Tagged Anne Applebaum, Babe Ruth, Baseball, Brooklyn, Gulag, Helen Dunmore, Jane Leavy, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, The Siege | 2 Responses

Hamilton: The Man Who Invented America

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 5, 2018

Alexander Hamilton: You know the name, but what do you know about the man? Joseph Tartakovsky, senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, details how Hamilton took a country with no past and envisioned its future.

Posted in Alexander Hamilton, America, History, Politics, Prager University | Tagged Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, America, Founding Fathers, George Washington, Joseph Tartakovsky, Prager University | 1 Response

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: November 2, 2018

“I loathe acting. I loathe what it does to my life. It cancels it out; you cannot live while you are working. You are a person completely surrounded by unbreachable walls.”
—Margaret Sullavan, via Haywire, one of the finest, if most depressing Hollywood memoirs I have ever read

Posted in Art, Art Deco, Edward Hopper, Fashion, Friday Fotos, Judaica, Judaism, Lana Turner, Margaret Sullavan, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Movie Posters, Movies, Painting, Photography, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Adolph Menzel, Art Deco, Berenice Abbott, Brooke Hayward, Edward Hopper, Harry Callahan, Haywire, Henry Clarke, Horst P. Horst, Jerzy Flisak, Lana Turner, Margaret Sullavan, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, movie posters, Nico Jesse, Norma Jean, Norman Parkinson, Paul Huf, Piergiorgio Branzi, Vivian Maier, Wristwatches | 7 Responses

Illegal Immigration: It’s About Power

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: October 31, 2018

Historically, Democrats supported strong borders because they knew American workers could never compete with illegal immigrants. Now, they regularly support “open borders.” So why the drastic change? Tucker Carlson, host of Tucker Carlson Tonight, explains.

Posted in Illegal Immigration, Immigration, Prager University | Tagged Illegal Immigration, Tucker Carlson | Leave a comment

Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: October 29, 2018

Unfortunately, the massacre in a Pittsburgh synagogue was not surprising. Jew-Hatred is a constant in this world and until the arrival of the Messiah, will always be with us.

Posted in IslamoNazis, Israel, Jew-haters, Jew-hatred, Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre | Tagged Bookworm Room, David Simon, Jewish Jew Hatred, Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre | 6 Responses

How I Married Karen

The new book
by Robert J. Avrech

Available in All Major Book Stores

Adobe Digital Edition's version is available through the Lulu store!
About Me
Robert J. Avrech
Los Angeles, California
I'm an Emmy Award winning screenwriter. I'm also an observant Jew, a religious Zionist, a conservative Republican, and a member of the NRA. I've been writing and producing in Hollywood for over twenty-five years. But the focus of my life is my family: my radiant wife, Karen—with whom I have been in love with since I was nine years-old—and my two daughters, who, thankfully, look like Karen. Not too long ago, we had three children. But our son, Ariel, died at the age of twenty-two from cancer. We miss him terribly. We think about him practically every minute of every day. People tell us that time heals, but Karen and I know this is not true. Time grinds away doing its terrible work. Ariel is gone. Yet absence becomes presence.

Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
Search
Annual Ariel Avrech
Memorial Lectures
Young Israel of Century City
NOTE: Click on video titles inside the thumbnail images, below, to open that video in YouTube

Fifteenth: June 10, 2018
Jackie Danicki: “Confessions of a Convert: A Humbling, Joyful Journey to Judaism.”

Blog Post | Audio: (94 MB)

Fourteenth: June 11, 2017
Daniel Greenfield: “Fighting Anti-Semitism and Defending Israel in the Age of BDS.”

Blog Post | Audio: (100 MB)

Thirteenth: May 22, 2016Ben Shapiro: “How You Can Save Israel”

Blog Post | Audio: (70 MB)

Twelfth: June 7, 2015
Larry Elder: “The New Black Anti-Semitism”

Blog Post | Audio: (100 MB)

Eleventh: June 8, 2014
Michael Medved: “Shifting Alliances: Why Liberals No Longer Reliably Support Israel — And Conservatives Do.”

Blog Post | Audio: (97MB)

Tenth: June 9, 2013
David Horowitz: “The War Against Judaism on the University Campus.”

Blog Post | Audio: (16MB)

Ninth: June 3, 2012
Joel B. Pollak: “The Mainstream Media’s Betrayal of Israel.”

Blog Post | Audio: (15MB)

Eighth: June 5, 2011
Yossi Klein Halevi: “What is Expected of a Survivor People: Lessons My Father Taught Me.”

Blog Post | Audio: (18MB)

Seventh: June 13, 2010
Dennis Prager: “Happiness is a Mitzvah, Not an Emotion.”

Blog Post | Audio: (80MB)

Sixth: June 21, 2009
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky: “Conformity in Jewish Life: Vice, Virtue or Affectation?”

Blog Post | Audio: (64MB)

Fifth: June 15, 2008
Rabbi Dr. Gil S. Perl: “What Was the Rosh Yeshiva Reading: Intellectual Openness in 19th Century Lithuania.”

Blog Post | Audio: (70MB)
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