The Rabbi on the Beach at the Shul on The Beach
Last year I spoke from the pulpit about the recent economic melt-down, its connection to Miketz and the coinciding holiday of Chanukah.
It was posted last year and you can read Yosef and the Light of (Economic) Wisdom and Kindness – Drasha Miketz, by clicking here.
It is worth a read and I would love to hear your thoughts.
The economic crisis has hit many families and individuals in different ways. This anecdote really hit me hard. Perhaps you will feel the same way.
We all know that money is tight for Americans all across the country. Los Angeles is no exception and even in the middle to upper class neighborhood where we live there are some disturbing signs of desperation. Sure, there are for rent signs all over the place and people are conscious about saving and reducing their expenses, but the most painful demonstration of the economic crisis that I have heard is so much worse. (more…)
While the blog was down a very interesting Op-Ed appeared in the New York Times.
A journalist had a discussion with a man who could explain how the financial industry collapsed last year in one sentence.
Intrigued, the journalist pressed the man to explain. The answer? Wall Street got too smart.
In the old days, the Wall Street guys were not the top of their class, they were the jocks and slackers.
But now, all the MIT brainiacs are going to Wall Street.
Huh? If they were so smart how did they mess the whole thing up?
They were too smart. (more…)
Last week Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. In the early days of my blog I wrote a couple of Madoff posts (check them out if you have not seen them).
His recent sentencing reminded me about something that I did not post in the fallout from the scandal. This post is not “news” but its message is timeless. (more…)
I blogged a little while back about the pinch being felt in Jewish Day School and Yeshivas.
The LA Times must be reading my blog because they finally caught on to this growing problem. Today I read about the familiar names in our Los Angeles Jewish community who are suffering budget crises.
Is there hope for our schools? Is it possible to sustain a system that requires such tremendous financial commitment from its families? (more…)
We are all aware of the economic uncertainty in our country right now. A little while back, I wrote about how the Yeshivas and Day Schools for Jewish children and teens are being pinched.
Things are looking slightly improved since then. Unfortunately, the situation has not yet completely reversed course.
I have criticized the media in the past. It bothers me when the news that is reported is all negative and virtually ignores all the good in our world.
Once in a while there will be some “feel good” news story to push back the critics of negative media.
Today I saw a negative news item that was presented so well that I feel it is necessary to share. The point was made so well, with such class, professionalism and sensitivity that it was moving.
Today was closing day at Santa Anita Park. That means the season of horse racing has come to a close at Santa Anita Park and I was there.
Today, we took the boys to see the ponies run.
Previously, we lived in Baltimore MD, home of The Preakness at Pimlico Race Track. The Preakness is one leg in the Triple Crown. In fact we lived right around the corner from Pimlico and we always thought about going to the track for a day at the races. For some reason, we never actually made the 2 minute trip to Pimlico and never saw a race in person.
Today we drove 35 minutes to Santa Anita Park and we experienced our first day at the races. It was amazing. I learned a lot about a lot of things.
First of all, I saw a dad with his 3 sons, ranging from the ages of 9-14. Incredibly, he was teaching them how to bet on the races. (more…)
Today I read about the declining standard of living in our country. Salaries are coming down, more and more people are getting laid off and credit is harder to find.
“Rampant consumerism” will be a necessary casualty of the current economy. That is a good thing. (more…)
This article hit me in a very interesting way today.
I am not that old. I am 27 years young. I slowly began to notice becoming older when certain milestones occurred. First, I noticed athletes whom I can remember their debuts, retiring. I am not talking about those athletes who are only around for a year or two. I am talking about those guys who have loooooong careers and are part of the very fabric of the game for a generation. (more…)
My father is the Dean of a Jewish girls private school in New York. It is a girls Yeshiva called Ateres Bais Yaakov. The government provides no funding to run the school however there is grant money as well as some other federal and state programs which contribute to the school’s bottom line. The bulk of the budget is set off by tuition and donations. Last week my father told me about the recent economic situation’s effect on his school.
It has been on my mind since then. Today the Wall Street Journal has an article detailing the current pinch for private schools and their parents.
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