Judaism

Torah Dedication in Memory of Ariel Chaim, Z’L

September 12, 2019 by Robert J. Avrech 7 Comments

Karen and I dedicated a Torah to our synagogue in memory of our son Ariel Chaim, Z’L. On the evening of August 22, at our home, there was a ceremony where the last hundred letters of the Torah were filled in by our friend, a scribe, with a few dozen honored family and friends present.
*All Photos: Steve Cohn Photography www.stevecohnphotography.com (310) 277-2054 © 2019*

In his 1899 Harper’s Monthly essay, “Concerning the Jews”, Mark Twain concludes his reflection on the Jewish people with a question.

All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?

There is no secret.

At least not to those of us who understand Jewish history and our eternal covenant with HaShem.

The Jewish people are immortal because of their adherence to the Torah.

Memorial Day: 2019

May 27, 2019 by Robert J. Avrech Leave a Comment

My father, Rabbi Abraham Avrech, 42nd Div. U.S. Army, Colonel, Ret., conducts services during the Korean War. — My father, Chaplain Rabbi Abraham Avrech, z’l (1919-2014) U.S. Army, 42nd Div., Colonel, Ret., conducts services during the Korean War.

On Memorial Day, we remember all the members of our armed services who paid the ultimate price in service to this great country.

Our eternal gratitude.

[Read more…] about Memorial Day: 2019

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

April 25, 2019 by Robert J. Avrech 3 Comments

“It’s the good girls who keep diaries; the bad girls never have the time.”
—Tallulah Bankhead

Purim: The Anti-Progressive Jewish Holiday

March 21, 2019 by Robert J. Avrech Leave a Comment

“The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus” by Jan Victors, 1640s.

Today is the holiday of Purim.

It is no accident that in 2015, Benjamin Netanyahu referenced Purim when delivering his powerful address to the U.S. Senate in an unsuccessful bid to curb Obama’s legitimization of a nuclear Iran.

Purim is an old ( 5th century B.C.E.) but painfully familiar story: A Jew-hater named Haman hatches a plan to annihilate the Jewish people in the ancient kingdom of Persia.

In a speech that Jews recognize all too well, Haman tells King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people’s, and they do not observe the king’s laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them.” (Esther 3:8.)

If you pay attention to the Jew-hating ravings of Democrat Ilhan Omar, you hear the echoes of Haman.

Hidden Hollywood: David O. Selznick, American or Jew?

January 23, 2019 by Robert J. Avrech 1 Comment

Producer David O. Selznick lived a large Hollywood life.

Most famously, he produced Gone With the Wind. His memos to directors are legendary for their exhausting length and minutely detailed analysis of scripts and dailies. He was married to Irene Mayer, L.B. Mayer’s brilliant and accomplished daughter. But he blew up that splendid relationship with multiple affairs and finally a sad marriage to the fragile actress Jennifer Jones.

Selznick gobbled amphetamine and was constantly short of money even as he spent vast sums on a luxurious life style.