Author Archives: Robert J. Avrech

God and Guns in Synagogue

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

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 […]

Posted in Gun Control, Jew-haters, Jew-hatred, Jews & Guns, Judaism, Second Amendment | Tagged Daniel Greenfield, Guns, synagogue | 1 Response

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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

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 […]

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

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 | 12 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 | 9 Responses

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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

Posted in Actors, Alfred Hitchcock, Art, Art Deco, Automobiles, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Hollywood, Irene Dunne, Marie Windsor, Movie Posters, Painting, Photography, Photography, Signs, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Barnard College, Barnett Newman, Bill Brandt, Bugatti, David "Chim" Seymour, Fred Astaire, Fred Stein, Georgia O'Keeffe, Horst P. Horst, Irene Dunne, Jean Patchett, Joan Miro, Marie Windsor, Marilyn Monroe, Pablo Picasso, Peter Keetman, Rules of the Game, Walter Sanders, Wrist Watches | 11 Responses

David O. Selznick Pitches a Movie in Israel

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: October 24, 2018

In 1958, producer David O. Selznick had an idea for a Biblical epic. He explained to screenwriter Edward Anhalt, “I want to combine Mary the sister of Lazarus, the adulteress Jesus saved from the stoning, the whore who washed His feet, and the Mary Magdalene who was the first to see Him resurrected, into one […]

Posted in David O. Selznick, Edward Anhalt, Hollywood, Israel, Jennifer Jones, Jerusalem, Screenwriting | Tagged David Ben Gurion, David O. Selznick, Edward Anhalt, Israel, Jennifer Jones, Mary Magdalene, Moshe Dayan, Screenplays | 1 Response

The American Trinity: The Three Values That Make America Great

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: October 22, 2018

Nearly every country on Earth is defined by race or ethnicity. Not America. What makes the United States different? Dennis Prager outlines the values that have allowed the American people to flourish and, unlike immigrants almost everywhere else, transformed those who arrived from across the globe into full Americans—regardless of where they were born.

Posted in America, Big Government, Dennis Prager, Prager University | Tagged 1776, America, Dennis Prager, Equality, Ethnic Origins, European Values, In God We Trust, Liberty, Moral Values, Out of Many One, Prager University, Racial Identity, Values | Leave a comment

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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

Posted in Ansel Adams, Art, Art Deco, Automobiles, Design, Dovima, Elvis Presley, Fashion, Friday Fotos, Gary Cooper, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Judaica, Judaism, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Photography, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Albrecht Durer, Alfred Wertheimer, Art Deco, Ben Hur, Berthe Morisot, Clyfford Still, Dovima, Elvis Presley, Gary Cooper, George Hoyningen-Huene, German-Jewish Soldiers, Horst P. Horst, Jerzy Flisak, Jessica Tandy, Judy garland, Karen Singer Avrech, Marlene Dietrich, Norman Parkinson, Richard Avedon, Rick McGinnis, Vintage Cars, World War I | 5 Responses

Hidden Hollywood: Jorjett Strumme, Ten Years With Elizabeth Taylor

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: October 17, 2018

Jorjett Strumme had a fascinating life and career in Hollywood. I first met Jorjett when I discovered that she worked as an assistant to the great costume designer Helen Rose from 1981-1985, which I wrote about here. Jorjett went on to work with costume designer Nolan Miller from 1982-1985. And then, Jorjett was Personal Assistant […]

Posted in Costume Design, Elizabeth Taylor, Glamour, Helen Rose, Hidden Hollywood, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Jorjett Strumme | Tagged Aaron Spelling, Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood, Jorjett Strumme, Jose Eber, Nolan Miller, Seaside Oregon, Sydney Guilaroff | 3 Responses

What’s Wrong with Government-Run Healthcare?

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: October 15, 2018

If you get sick or suffer a serious injury, you not only want medical care, you want quality medical care. What’s the best way to get it? Through a government-run program like Medicare for All or through our current free market system? Stanford policy expert Lanhee Chen has the answer in this video from Prager […]

Posted in America, Big Government, Health Care | Tagged Big Government, Biomedical Research, Bureacrats, Canada, Emergency Rooms, Freedom, health care, Illness, Innovation, Medicare, National Health Care, National Health Service, Prager University, Private Sector, Quality Health Care, Single Payer, taxes, United Kingdom, Utopia | 2 Responses

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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

Posted in Agnes Moorehead, Anna May Wong, Art, Art Deco, Brigitte Bardot, Constance Bennett, Costume Design, Dorothy McGuire, Edith Head, Edward Steichen, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Ingrid Bergman, Irving Penn, Israel, Jerusalem, Kees Van Dongen, Movie Posters, Movies, Norman Parkinson, Photography, Picasso, Quotes, Richard Avedon, Rick McGinnis, Shirley MacLaine | Tagged Agnes Moorehead, Anna May Wong, Brice Marden, Brigitte Bardot, Constance Bennett, Dorothy McGuire, Edith Head, Elmer Fryer, Irving Penn, Kees Van Dongen, Myrna Loy, Norman Parkinson, Pablo Picasso, Reckless, Richard Avedon, Rick McGinnis, Shirley MacLaine | 3 Responses

Barack Obama Flashback

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

It seems that the Democrat Socialists need a reality check from their Dear Leader. “Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.” – President Obama to House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, January 23, 2009.

Posted in America, Donald Trump | Tagged Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Elections, Eric Cantor | Leave a comment

Goodbye, Columbus Day

By Robert J. Avrech | Published: October 8, 2018

Even though it remains a national holiday, many cities no longer celebrate Columbus Day. They celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead. What’s behind the switch? Contrary to what you might think, it’s not about paying homage to America’s original inhabitants. Steven Crowder, host of Louder with Crowder, explains.

Posted in America, Columbus Day, Prager University | Tagged 1492, America, Columbus Day, Prager University, Steven Crowder, Western Civilization | Leave a comment

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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

Posted in Art, Greta Garbo, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Lauren Bacall, Movie Posters, Movies, Myrna Loy, Olivia De Havilland, Painting, Photography, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions | Tagged Adrienne Ames, Agnes Martin, Charles Boyer, Erwin Blumenfeld, Fashion Photography, Frederic Brenner, George Shaw, Greta Garbo, Irving Penn, Jews of Yemen, King Vidor, Lauren Bacall, Marvin Sokolsky, Myrna Loy, Navajo Blankets, Olivia de Havilland, Ralph Richardson, Robert Donat, Ronald Coleman, Winslow Homer, Wristwatches | 4 Responses

Why Do Wages Rise?

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

Many people believe the only path to higher wages is to put in more work hours, but there are actually many economic factors that go into deciding the number on each worker’s paycheck. Watch this short video to learn more!

Posted in Economy, Free Market, Prager University | Tagged Business, Competition, Economics, Free Market, GDP, Labor Market, Money, Prager University, Wage Growth, Wages | 1 Response

Succot 2018: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

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

…On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Sukkot, seven days for the L-RD… on the eighth day, there shall be a holy convocation for you. -Leviticus 23:34 Tonight begins the last days of the Succot holiday, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. We will be offline until Wednesday. We wish all […]

Posted in Art, Jewish Holidays, Judaism, Painting, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, Succos, Torah | Tagged Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, Succot, Torah | Leave a comment

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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

Posted in Alfred Hitchcock, Art, Automobiles, Brigitte Bardot, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, Hollywood, Hollywood Stars, Hollywood Still Photography, Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Movie Posters, Movies, Myrna Loy, Painting, Photography, Quotes, True Hollywood Confessions, Tuesday Weld, Vintage Cars | Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, art, Brice Marden, Brigitte Bardot, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, Humphrey Bogart, Kirk Dou, Lana Turner, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Myrna Loy, Ormond Gigli, Raphaelle Peale, Tuesday Weld, Vintage Cars, William Powell, Winslow Homer | 9 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.
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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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