TheSkribe - Issue#1

LEAN INpg. 10

SEPARATION by TIME pg. 30

LAWYERS & LAW SCHOOL pg. 15

MY STUDENT LIFE in PARIS pg. 16

ISSUE#1 MAGAZINE

ABOUT THE SKRIBE

CONTENT

The Skribe’s mission is to be the preeminent re-source for the quality reporting and analysis of the contemporary issues and trends that impact Jewish young professionals of Southern California and be-yond.

We seek to distill information, synthesize solu-tions and provide a holistic vision of issues that af-fect the community, as well as report on community events and happenings.

Fundamental to our vision are the following principles that guide our direction:

• Promote awareness and knowledge of Israel, Jewish thought and culture

• Create a professional and positive impact in the broader community

• Celebrate creativity, balance, humor, and con-nectedness

• Empower the voice of community membersThe Skribe is a completely not-for-profitpublica-

tion that is run by an independent group of like-mind-ed volunteers. We are not supervised or controlled by any organization or synagogue. CONT. ON PG. 35

WWW.THESKRIBE.COM/1/

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SELFISH PG.14

By Raymond Nourmand, Ph.D.

EVOLUTION OF PLASTIC SURGERY & WEDDING ATTIRE PG.13

By Eyal Aharonov

Honorable Mensch’n:

JACOB HANAIEBy Farah Shamolian

07 10

20

LAWYERS & LAW SCHOOL

By Jonathan Delshad

LEAN IN: A PERSIAN JEWISH PERSPECTIVE

By Jackie Rafii

THE SKRIBE MAGAZINE2

ELUL 5774

AUGUST 2014

Adam Bakhash and Rachelle Yadegar. By Judith Ilolilian

What you should know before choosing a career in law. By Jonathan Delshad

A cutting-edge Google campus opens in Tel-Aviv. By Abigail Klein Leichman

The dirty truth about it. By Farah D. Shamolian, MPH

Contact THE SKRIBE and share your thoughts with us! We would love to hear from you!

Our obsession with these delicious dumplings. By Karmel Melamed

...Clarifying opportunities for growth. By Dorsa Beroukhim Kay

By Rebecca Aframian, who shares her “Living Student Life in Paris.”

THE CONTRIBUTORS PG.40 A brief description of every writer who contributed in the completion of our very firstissue.Youcanbeoneofthem!

GIVE TEN PERCENT OF YOURSELF: “30 YEARS AFTER” PG.32

By Tabby Davoodi 36

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04 22

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SPOTTED FASHION FAVORITESLAYWERS & LAW SCHOOL

GOOGLE EXPANDS TO ISRAEL YOUR SWEET TOOTH

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY....GONDI!!

THE TESTS OF TIMEMY STUDENT LIFE IN PARIS

LOVE & MARRIAGE: To be the ideal Marriage Candidate

By Rodney Rabbani

SHABBATMISUNDERSTOOD

By Eman Esmailzadeh

NEUROSCIENCE OF MEDITATIONBy Dorsa Beroukhim Kay

ISSUE# 1 3

Israel To

day


BY AbigAil Klein leichmAn

Startup spaces in Tel Aviv are getting to be a dime a dozen, but the prime minis-ter doesn’t attend the opening of every single one.The Israeli premier was, however, on

hand at the December 2012 ribbon-cutting for Google’s Campus Tel Aviv, a one-floor sharedwork environment available to Israeli startups, developers and entrepreneurs at no charge.

Campus TLV, like Campus London opened nine months previously, is a part of the Goog-le for Entrepreneurs program to foster global entrepreneurship and innovation. It offers ac-cess to Google’s devices and experts, as well as workshops and events for the local tech com-munity.

This is the newest pin on the map of Goog-le facilities in Israel, according to Google Israel Communications Director Paul Solomon.

A community-minded ventureGoogle opened its Tel Aviv offices in 2006.

Currently, 270 developers work in this creatively designedeight-floorheadquartersinthe45-sto-ry Electra Tower.

Another 80 employees churn out new prod-ucts and technologies at Google’s Haifa R&D lab. “We also have a business operation here work-ing with advertisers in Israel, Europe and Africa to build online businesses,” says Solomon.

Google Israel personnel have taken the lead in cultural preservation projects, such as digitiz-ing historical archives of yad vashem holocaust memorial and the dead Sea Scrolls.

Campus TLV is another community-minded move for the California-based multinational cor-poration.

“We’re not looking for acquisitions or talent,” Solomon tells ISRAEL21c. “If it were simply about

GOOGLE OPENS CAMPUS IN TEL AVIV

ISSUE# 1 5

“Google began as a startup in a garage.” “

...and in many ways remains a startup at

heart.”

acquisitions, we wouldn’t need to build Campus Tel Aviv. It’s about contributing toward future Is-raeli tech innovation and helping Israel maintain its reputation as a startup nation, and in doing so, making web and mobile space even better.”

Google began as a startup in a garage, Solo-mon adds, and in many ways remains a startup at heart.

“Entrepreneurship is very much in our DNA and we want to help the next generation to be successful. There is tremendous expertise here inIsrael.Ourgoalisfillinggapsinknowledgeina number of places.”

huge tAlentTo distinguish the new venture from neigh-

boring projects such as techloft, hub tlv, the library and the Junction Solomon is unequivo-cal about what Campus TLV is not.

“There are many incubator and accelerator programs here, and it’s not another one,” he says, “though we do work with existing ones.”

In fact, part of the program is a two-week Launchpad pre-accelerator program for very early-stage startups that come through Campus TLV partner incubators, developer hubs and aca-demic institutions.

In boot-camp style, Launchpad covers user interface, product strategy and technology, mar-keting, business development and analytic tools. ThefirstparticipantsaresupportedbyUpWestLabs, The Junction and the Tel Aviv Angel Group. Upto100startupsperyearareexpectedtopassthrough.

“We recognize the huge talent that has made Israel the world’s second-largest center of tech startups after Silicon Valley,” said Yossi Matias, managing director of Google’s R&D Center.


“Entrepreneurship is very much in our DNA

and we want to help the next generation to be

successful.”

“Our continuing investment and expansion in Israel are a testimony to the unique talent here, and we’re committed to helping increase even more the contribution of the Internet to the Is-raeli economy and society,” added Meir Brand, managing director for Google Israel, Africa and Greece.

As for Prime Minister Netanyahu, he termed the opening of Campus TLV “pure joy.”

“Theworldisflyingfastandwe’releadingtheway,” he said.

By the way, Google’s physical facility is also leading the way, ecologically speaking. The

eight-floorofficehasappliedforLEEDPlatinumcertification for its cutting-edge sustainabilitypractices including energy conservation.■

Care

er C

orn

er

There is a story about a fancy attor-ney who sent his only son to UCLAfor college and promised him a gift of $100,000 if hemade it into UCLA lawschool. After four years of undergradu-

ate studies, the student took his LSATs and called his father and told him that he had wonderful news for him. “Dad – I’m saving you $100,000!”

The truth is, going to law school these days can cost you well over $100,000 in tuition,

books, expenses and other costs. And just like any other large investment, you need to do your homework before jumping into it. I graduated from law school with over 300 other students and I would guess that approximately 50% of them are not practicing law at this time. What happened?

Many of us are big believers in higher edu-cation. We were taught from an early age that the more education we have, the more success-

BY JonAthAn delShAd, eSQ

THE TRUTH ABOUTLAWYERS & LAW SCHOOL

ISSUE# 1 7

ful and respected we will be. To a certain extent, there is a lot of truth in this. Knowledge gained from an education, unlike other assets, is some-thing nobody can take away from you. The long-er you work on growing your knowledge and skill set, the more valuable they become, leading to greaterbenefitsinthelong-run.Forexample,adoctor who spent years just learning about the function of the eyes, and has spent his whole career treating eye ailments, will eventually be-come a great resource for any person with an eye ailment due to the doctor’s experience and extensive knowledge regarding this organ. The truth of this logic leads us to emphasize an in-vestment in higher education.

However, law school is a bit of an anoma-ly. Those who decide to go to law school have probably spent a very limited amount of time, if any, really understanding what a lawyer does. Conversely, someone who is going into higher education for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or any other health care related industry, has had at least a few hundred interactions with health care professionals over their life. We visit doc-tors when we get sick, and we see our dentist at least 2 times a year (unfortunately, I always seem to visit them more often). However, if you ask students in law school how many lawsuits they have been involved in, chances are most of them would reply “zero.”

Furthermore, there are also no pre-requi-sites needed for law school. To go to medical school, or almost any other professional school-ing, you’ll need to take pre-requisites. These pre-requisites, such as biology, chemistry, and physiology, serve to provide some sort of fa-miliarity with the subject matter. Therefore, law students are entering law school without having taken one class that would give them a feel of what practicing law would be like.

Inmyfirst year of law school, I had friendwho said he didn’t want to be a lawyer, but just wanted to be in law school because he didn’t know what else to do with his life. It seemed to me to be the worst way to spend time and mon-ey. Not only were these people miserable in law

school, they also wasted 3 years of their life and $100,000 to no end.

The big question now becomes, how do you make sure going to law school and being a law-yer is for you? Here are some tips:

1. If you don’t like reading and writing, law school is not for you.

Lawyers read and write a ton. If you like your English classes, writing persuasive essays, or if you read books for fun, you might like law school and being a lawyer. I can’t tell you how many thousands of pages I had to read each semester in law school. If this isn’t a skill you are good at, you can do one of two things, (a) work on it by reading books that interest you or, (b) don’t go to law school.

2. If you don’t like confrontation, practicing law might not be for you.

There are, generally speaking, two types of lawyers: one that works on business transac-tions (writing contracts, advising on tax and corporate structures, etc.) and one that litigates (sues people, goes to court, filesmotions, andgoes to trial). While being a transactional attor-ney is less confrontational than a litigator, both require some level of confrontation, and you will need to be comfortable with that. Someone who gets angry easily or has a bad temper will usually burn out after practicing law for a little while.

3. If you don’t want to work hard and long hours, being a lawyer might not be for you.

While I have heard the myth of a “part time” lawyer, I have not seen it work in practice. Most of the lawyers I know work very hard and very many hours. The practice of law is a service in-dustry. You are providing a service to your cli-ents and, therefore, you need to be available when they need you. You also need to be ac-commodating to other lawyer’s schedules and the court’s schedules. Essentially, you can’t real-ly practice law on your own time, and you’ll have tobeflexiblewithyourhours.Beingalawyerisnottypicallyaninetofivejob.


Despite all the things mentioned above, prac-ticing law is very rewarding. You will be dealing with complicated and intellectually challeng-ing moments numerous times throughout your day. You will deal with a variety of personality types and will have to sharpen your negotiating, menhat, tahrof, and tadig eating skills. Just like any other business, practicing law has its ups and downs, investments, and risks. You’ll need to work hard for a few years with someone who can show you the ropes before you really strug-gle for a few years on your own to make your practice successful. Therefore, if you are really consideringlawschool,trytofindaninternshiporotherjobinthelegalfieldthatwillgiveyouasense of what practicing law would be like be-

fore making that $100,000 investment. If it’s not for you, call your dad and give him the “good news.”■

Jonathan J. Delshad is a Lawyer in Los Ange-les who practices in all areas of employment law.

I’LL LEAVE YOU WITH A LAWYER JOKE:

Alawyerwasbriefinghisclient,whowasabout to testify in his defense. “You must swear to tell the complete truth. Do you understand?” The client replied that he did. The lawyer then asked, “Do you know what will happen if you don’t tell the truth?” The client looked back and said, “I imagine that our side will win.”

ISSUE# 1 9


It’s hard to believe that today, in 2014, gen-der inequality still exists in the workplace. At least, that was my reaction as I began turning the pages of Sheryl Sandberg’s pop-ular and controversial hit, Lean In.

In her intriguing book, Sandberg, currently the COO and second-in-command at Facebook, pours out study after study showing the dis-advantages that women face in the workplace. The most striking example was her recap of the famous Heidi/Howard study. In this study, professors split their students into two groups. Group 1 read a case study about a successful entrepreneur, Heidi. Group 2 read a case study about the exact same person, except the name “Heidi” was swapped out for “Howard.” Stu-dents were asked to rate this person in terms of likeability.

The result? Students in the Howard group found him to be likeable, and students in the Heidigroupperceivedherasselfishandnot“thetype of person you want to hire or work for.” This study suggests that society may look with disdain upon a woman who is ambitious, assertive, and accomplished in the workplace – while such be-havior is praised in a man. Indeed, many studies show that girls and women are often discour-aged from displaying the very behavior that fuels career progression – namely, taking risks and ad-vocating for oneself.

So what does this mean?

In her book, Sandberg argues that this means both women and men should work together to break down obstacles that prevent ambitious, career-minded women from reaching their full potential in the workplace. She points out that women make tremendous leaders, and argues that society as a whole will benefit with morewomen in leadership positions. She then of-fers solid advice for career-minded women that I would like emphasize to our own community, and especially to the Persian-Jewish community.

Sit at the table. Sandberg paints a picture of a corporate conference room, with chairs around the table,filledbymenonly.Shearguesthatduringim-portant meetings, conferences, and lectures, wom-en often sit in chairs at the back of the room – not at the table. Why? Because, according to Sandberg, women in the workplace are still limited by the be-lief that they shouldn’t speak up; that they are mere guests at high-level meetings. And no wonder: in her own experience, Sandberg has been chastised for interrupting a speaker at a meeting, while her male colleagues who did the very same thing were praised. Sandberg encourages women to throw out these perceptions and take a seat at the main ta-ble. She dares us to be brave and give voice to our views in meetings, lectures, conferences, etc.

Don’t leave before you leave. Perhaps the most powerful message in my mind, Sandberg cautions women against checking out of the workplace before they actually have to, because

Lean In:A PERsiAn

JEwisH PERsPEcTivE

BY JACKIE RAFII

Wo

men’s V

oICes

ISSUE# 1 11

of their potential future family obligations. She points out that many women make certain career choices – for example, refraining from striving for a higher position at their company – so that they won’t be stuck in a demanding, time-sucking job when they have children at home.

There are serious dangers to this approach – things I had never thought about. First, if you don’t invest in your job or career, you probably won’t grow to be that passionate about it. Sec-ond, you likely won’t make big strides at work, which would get you noticed by your colleagues and allow you to advance to bigger and better positions. So what ends up happening? You’re stuck at a mediocre job that you don’t care much about, and when you have a child, the choice to stay at home (and never return to work) is an easy one. You left before you left.

Now consider the alternative. Before you have a family, you dive into your career whole-heartedly, give it your all, and don’t hold back. You’re rewarded, both personally and profes-sionally – you have built something for yourself. Further, when the time comes to have a child, you’re more likely to have made yourself a valu-able asset to your company. They want you to stay. You might be able to negotiate better terms for your time off – and, should you want to re-turn (which many women eventually do), your company is more likely to keep the job open to you, on favorable terms (part-time, for example).

So I want to ask a challenging question to the young, ambitious, talented women in our com-munity: are you choosing, or sticking with, a me-diocre job – because eventually you know you want to have a family? This is a question I have to face as well. I urge you to consider diving into your professional pursuits with an open mind, so that you may pave the way for better and more choices when the time comes to have a family.

Another tough question to consider. Are you – are we – refraining from speaking up, sit-ting at the table, or reaching for leadership posi-tions because society (especially, I will venture, the Persian-Jewish community) tends to applaud modest and only-speak-when-you’re-spoken-to women, while viewing assertive and out-spoken women with raised eyebrows?

I want to echo Sandberg’s message to any woman in our community who can relate: if you want to speak up and take a leadership role, don’t worry about appearing less desirable, more suspect, and being less liked. It’s a real loss to the community if you don’t step up and contribute your talents. Further, don’t worry now about a possible future where you might spend less time with your kids because of a demanding job. Set yourself up for success, so that when you get there, you have a meaningful choice to make.

But this message is not just for the women. We also need the rest of our community to open their minds and erase outdated stigmas, so that

“LET’SSTrIPOUrmInDSFrOmCONVENTIONAL WISDOM ONCE IN

A WHILE. LADIES, DON’T ACCEPT THE LImITInGTHOUGHTSTHATSOCIETY

PLACESOnYOU.”


we can help the ambitious, career-minded wom-en in our society feel comfortable about shining and reaching their full potential.

To respond to some of the criticism of this book, Lean In is not a manifesto that places ca-reer-oriented women above stay-at-home moms. On the contrary, Sandberg repeatedly empha-sizes her respect for the immensely difficult,rewarding, and crucial role of the stay-at-home parent. She points out that an intense, full-time career is not for everyone. Rather, she wants to break down barriers for those women who want to immerse themselves professionally, but feel societal or psychological pressure not to.

One final, and perhaps controversial, note.Some traditional views in our community want to pigeonhole men and women into their respec-tive roles by quoting the oft-repeated argument that “men and women are different. It’s biology.” They believe that the laws of nature will be irrep-arably broken, with horrible consequences for marriage and society, if women are more career-

focused (and as a result, men take on domestic duties).

Of course men and women are different. Of course they have different strengths. But any indi-vidual has different strengths from the next person, male or female. The point here is that biological differences should not make a women feel like she has to stick to a predetermined role if she doesn’t want to. And in any case, many studies challenge our notions of rigid roles. For example, data sug-gests that having both parents work outside the home can be better for a child’s development.

Let’s strip our minds from conventional wis-dom once in a while. Ladies, don’t accept the limiting thoughts that society places on you. As Sandberg says: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Don’t be afraid to be a leader. You might just be the leader that our community needs.■

Jackie Rafii is a native of Los Angeles with a background in music and law. She is studying to be a cantor, and leads services in synagogues across LA.

opI

nIo

n

BY eyAl AhAronov

ISSUE# 1 13

To no one’s surprise, the men of this generation are delaying marriage, and as you would imagine, it has a ripple effect in the dating scene. The days of “suggested” marriages from just a gen-

eration ago are largely behind us and the rep-utations we depend on for insight on potential suitors are largely based in markedly different indicators than our parents’ considerations when they were dating for marriage. Social status and beauty dominate the landscape by which singles quickly survey the adequacy of suitors.

At some point, likely when the ratio of eligible women eclipsed that of marriage-minded men, desperation set in.

Theproblem?Theever-increasingdifficultyoffindingamate,theriseinassimilationandaccept-ance of intermarriage, as well as the sobering real-ity that some men may just never choose marriage.

The solution? Relatively innocent and com-monplace nose jobs have evolved into extensive facial and body work, including, but not limited to, lip and breast augmentation as well as facial fillers, inorder tohelpwomenstandout toat-tract the maximum attention of males.

Compounding the phenomenon is the in-creasing shamelessness of the wardrobe choic-es which leave little to the imagination. Subtle cleavage has evolved into barely-there backless gowns that would make debutantes blush.

But wait, there’s more...this is happening at weddings and bar mitzvahs...with elderly people and children...and, much to the dismay of those ladies strutting their stuff...it’s as if it is going un-noticed.

With the hope of making their suitors’ hearts race, these ladies are really just starting an arms race - that of an insatiable and line-blurring cul-ture of superficial, skin-deep beauty. Despitetheir resistance to fall into the trap, these women findthemselvesboldlyencouragedbytheirpar-ents to do whatever it takes to be noticed. One thing is for sure: every girl in that skin-tight, scan-dalous dress will quickly note that it’s a cold war - no one can afford to lose the battle, no one is surrendering, and no one is comfortable with the positiontheyfindthemselvesin.

As a community, we condone the investment in,andpublicparadingof,themostfleetingandone-dimensional qualities of our women. Let’s hope that, someday soon, it will be as trendy to parade their ever-increasing brilliance, sophisti-cation and success.■

The evoluTion of PlasTic surgery & Wedding aTTire: ATTENTION

SEEKINg IN THE ULTRA-COMPETITIVE DATINg SCENE

Fo

od Fo

r Th

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T


Oftenwe’re told being selfish is bad.It’s disrespectful, shameful, and wrong.Butweareallselfish. Everyone of us. We act to serve ourselves. We eat what tastes good to us, be-

friend those who understand us, and do what brings happiness to us.

However,trueselfishnesstakescourage.Be-ing honest about who you are, what you want, and what you are willing to do to get it are impor-tantaspectsof selfishness.Selfishness isaboutknowing yourself, getting in touch with yourself, and realizing that you are worth it.

You deserve a shot. You are good enough. Andthat’swhybeingtrulyselfishcanbescary.

It’s about taking risks. The risk of stepping into the unknown, the risk of seeing something anew, the risk of trying something new. There’s also the risk of being different, the risk of standing out, the risk that people might not accept you. Many of us live according to the expectations of others, so much so that over time we forget who we real-lyare.Beingtrulyselfishisaboutunderstandingyourself, understanding others, and being able to distinguish between the two.

Society constantly tells us what we “should” want. We should want the latest phones, clothes, and cars. We should want fame, fortune, and

power. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting any of these, the truth is many of us pursue these things not because we want them, but because we think that by having themotherswill likeandacceptusmore. Un-fortunately, in a culture replete with such dis-tractions, the line between “I” and “other” can get easily blurred. Thus, the quest for true self-ishness not only takes diligence, but bravery in being able to separate what I want, versus what they want.

It’s only after you have given to yourself wholly and completely, that you can truly give to another person. You can only give as much as youhave. To truly give selflessly, youmustbecoming from a solid, self-loving place. You have to love yourself, care for yourself, and be happy with who you are. To get there, you have to care enough about yourself to go for what you truly want, to get your needs met. You must be self-ish. Otherwise, what you call “giving” is not so much giving as much as it might be more a way to get approval. When giving, the less their reac-tionaffectsyou,themoreselflessaplaceyouaregiving from. Therefore, youmustfirstbe trulyselfishtobetrulyselfless.

So why do people sometimes accuse one an-otherofbeingselfish,asifbeingselfishisbad?

THE IMPORTANCE OF

Being SelfiSh

BY RAYMOND NOURMAND, Ph.D.

ISSUE# 1 15

Well, it seems as though when we accuse others of being selfish,we reallymean arrogant, con-ceited, or self-absorbed. Ironically, people who come off as arrogant, conceited, or self-absorbed actually have very low opinions of themselves; they have little self-worth. Contrary to popular belief,theyarenotselfishatall.Theyhavenotcared for themselves to get their core needs met. They compensate for their lack of self-worth by pretending to be something they are not; they are only presenting a facade to cover up how bad they feel inside. Conversely, people who are self-ish do have self-worth, they do value themselves, and they do care for themselves in doing what is importanttothem.Selfishpeoplearelesslikelyto become arrogant, conceited, or self-absorbed because they are focused on getting their needs met in a meaningful way.

In addition, we tend to forget that when peo-ple make such vehement claims, they are really making a statement about themselves. They are unsettled, uncomfortable by the sight of a per-son being different. They probably feel threat-ened. Deep down, they are likely thinking, “By

seeing you act in your own individual way, I’m feeling uneasy about myself. This difference in opinion, stance, point of view makes me feel insecure and unsure of myself. I’m afraid your position might have some validity that I have not considered. I’m afraid to entertain this thought because it may mean that I’m wrong or my un-derstanding is incomplete. I’m too scared to ad-mit this because it’s too overwhelming. Instead of seeing this for what it is, I’m going to focus my attention on you, blame you, and put you down. It’s so much easier to point at you than to look at my own vulnerability and fallibility, to admit I might be wrong or missing something.”

Being selfish means caring for yourself. Itmeans loving yourself, and valuing yourself enough to be the person you want to be. Self-ish people are aware, they are real, and they are honest. They muster up the courage to be who they want to be, and respect others for who they want to be.■

Raymond Nourmand, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. He aims to help people better understand themselves.

“When giving, the less their reaction affectsyou,themoreselflessa

place you are giving from.”

“Beingselfishmeanscaringforyourself. It means loving yourself, and valuing yourself enough to be

the person you want to be.”

arTs an

d Cu

lTure

Baguettes, bérets, Le Tour Eiffel, mais oui! Paris, the City of Light and love. Adored for its extraordinary architecture, charm-ing cobblestoned streets, and mysterious

romantic allure lying under its grey skies. Many of its treasures, however, remain undiscovered by the common visitor. Having the opportunity to spend six months living in Paris, I was not only able to uncover the many facets of the city, but of myself as well. Living so far away from home, I soon realized, was the greatest catalyst in reunit-ing me with my Jewish identity. Sometimes life will get you completely lost in order to unexpect-edlyfindyourself.

As a student, I have always been intrigued by learning new languages and cultures. Attend-

ing my daily French class, my reveries of pass-ing delightful sidewalk cafés and uncovering the endless rich history of Paris would linger in my thoughts. My innate love for adventure told me this was something I had to explore. As I re-searched various opportunities of going abroad, I could not help but contemplate the questions that constantly swirled my mind; could I live so far away from home? Would I be able to assimi-late into a completely new environment? How would I be able to keep my Jewish values intact?

Yet, despite all my doubts and uncertainties, I felt this was a path that could not be left undis-covered; that inexplicable feeling was urging me to look beyond my fears and simply trust in the outcome.

LA VIE PARISIENNE - PARISIAN LIFEBY rebeccA AfrAmiAn


As the applications went out, the responses poured in. Several anxious weeks later, I sat at my desk withmy acceptance letter tomy firstchoice interior design school starring back at me. Despite my apprehension, I allowed my emunah to conquer my fears, as sometimes life’s greatest passage is just a leap of faith.

Living amongst the largest Jewish population in Europe, I immediately felt right at home within the effortlessly chic Parisian community -- a large melting pot of Moroccans, Tunisians and Algeri-ans. As acquaintances soon became friends, I re-alized that no matter where I am in the world, as a Jew, we are all intrinsically connected to one another. Although so far away from home, I couldn’t help but feel that I was exactly where I was meant to be. I didnt know if it was gravity, or simple attraction keeping me there.

Descending le métro, walking to school each morning with my pain au chocolat in hand to the breathtaking sight of Le Jardin du Luxem-bourg covered in freshly fallen snow. Or a taking a stroll along La Seine at dusk passing the ac-cordion players and local artists was something Ithoughtonlyexistedinthefilms.Butno,thiswas Paris.

Yet, as I soon realized my thirst for all things beautiful and scenic had been quenched, my desire for Torah learning laid yearning. I hastily sought out shiurim of local Rabbanit who were more than welcoming to l’américaine. Learning Torah in French? Formidable!

Listening to the Meghilla read during Purim in the oldest synagogue in the city was indescrib-able. The Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue, built by famed 18th century Art Nouveau architect Héctor Guimard is rested in the quaint, but never quiet, Jewish quarter, Le Marais. As I strolled down one of the most aged districts of Paris, each step served as a reminder of the indentation the Jew-ish community has made throughout history.

Walking along the Rue des Rosiers on the eve of Shabbat, the excitement in the air is palpable; the smell of fresh baked challah and pastries from Le Korcarz boulangerie, listening to the mothers rushing to pick up their children from

the corner Hebrew school and wishing one an-other a ‘Chabbat Chalom’, or the endless line at the exceptionally popular L’as du Falafel. Being constantly surrounded by my fellow Jews, I felt secure knowing that no matter where I came from or where I was going, I always had a strong sense community I could embrace.

As a lone traveler, I appreciated the opportu-nity to immerse myself in an entirely novel cul-ture. Being completely detached from my a com-fort zone, to a place where I felt truly inspired, yet completely misplaced at times, it challenged me to stay faithful to my belief system. I rev-eled at the prospect of living in an entirely new setting, as it confronted me to introspect and sincerely see how “Jewish” I would stay when absent from all other outside forces: my fam-ily, my friends, and my home community. It fur-ther pushed me to stray beyond my boundaries, meet new people, and try something new each day that made me a little nervous, even. As it is often stated, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

The past several months have been one of the most rewarding experiences both academi-cally and personally. I have been so fortunate to live inaflourishingcity I love,andwheresomany of my passions intertwine one another; the breathtaking architecture and scenery, as well as a richness of Jewish life and culture. Living in Par-is has not only inspired me professionally, but has created a large spark in reviving my spiritual connection. By removing myself from my place of comfort to a pool of uncertainty, yet striving as my heart told me to never object to my fears, the sentiment of emunah is now truly engrained in who I am.

It is only now that I unreservedly understand the storybook lesson Le Petit Prince taught me as a child, “On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur.” One only sees clearly with the heart.

Oui, c’est sûr.■Rebecca Aframian is currently completing

her master’s degree in interior architecture and design at L’École des Beaux-Arts Paris American Academy in Paris, France.

ISSUE# 1 17

FlaVo

r


“What are those delicious dump-lings that look like matzah-balls?” an American rabbi in-quired of me recently. “You’ve

gottofindmesomeonewhohastherecipeforthis food, it’s one of the best I’ve ever had in my life!” The rabbi could not stop asking me ques-tions about some mouth-watering “dumplings” he had recently eaten at the home an Iranian Jewish family. I immediately knew he was talking about the famous “Gondi” dumplings. He never had this special dish before because it is exclu-sively prepared by Iranian Jews in the home and rarely if ever offered in Persian restaurants.

Gondi, (pronounced go-n-dee) is perhaps the single most unique food to the Jews of Iran and is on the dinner table of most Iranian Jewish fami-

lies for their Shabbat dinners. Prepared as dump-lings that are cooked and served in chicken soup, Gondi is the traditional side dish or appetizer Ira-nian Jews enjoy along with Middle Eastern bread as well as raw green vegetables including mint, watercress, and basil. It is typically served in a hot bowl of chicken soup with some families also adding in potatoes and a turkey leg. I’ve come to realize that the preparation of Gondi is not only a labor of love for Iranian Jewish mothers, but enjoying the dish is always a time for families to gather and in a way reconnect with their past. Over the years, the vast majority of Iranian Amer-icanJewshaveinformedmethatGondifirstorig-inated in the Jewish ghetto in Tehran many years ago—exactly when, no one knows. Now, before any Jews coming from a city either than Tehran

GONDI:pronounced go-n-dee

OUR OBSESSIONWITH GONDI!

Delicious dumplings traditionally served as a side dish in the Iranian

Jewish culture. BY KARMEL MELAMED

ISSUE# 1 19

get upset with me, I must mention the fact that Jews from the other Iranian cities also claim to bethefirstinventorsofGondi.Inanycase,itwasa special food prepared only for Shabbat dinner because its main ingredient of ground lamb or chicken was expensive. While Iranian Jews over the centuries have eaten the same types of foods as other Iranians, Gondi has been one of their few culinary innovations that they can claim as their own.

If you ask older Iranian Jewish women what the ingredients of Gondi are, they will give you al-most 100 different variations of the same ingre-dients. To the best of my research the following is a recipe for a serving of eight Gondi dumplings:

4 medium onions, peeled and quartered; 1½ pound skinless, boneless chicken breast 8 ounc-es or about 2¼ cups of ground chickpeas; 1 ta-blespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper & 1½ teaspoon car-damom.

The preparation of Gondi can be tricky. First, the onions are very finely minced by hand orthoroughly blended in a food processor. Then, groundchickpeasor chickpeaflour isadded tothe mixture and hand mixed with the onions. Next, chicken breasts or turkey breasts are blended or ground, to have the same texture as ground beef. Now some folks who prefer the taste of veal will use a combination of ground veal and ground chicken breasts. In any case, the ground chicken is added to the onions and oil, salt, pepper, and cardamom are added to the mixture. Some individuals will also add turmeric and cumin to the mixture.

All these ingredients should be hand mixed very well, then water should be added to make a dough-like mixture. The mixture should then be refrigerate until well-chilled for about two to three hours. When the chilled mixture is removed, the chef preparing the dish should dip their hands in cold water and divide the mixture into small por-tions. Each portion is then fashioned into balls about two inches in diameter. Finally the dump-lings should be gently added one by one to a chicken soup that has been brought to a boil. The

pot cooking the dish should be covered and left to simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Preparing Gondi is no easy task and more often thannot, amateur cooks fail in theirfirstseveral attempts. Nevertheless, practice makes perfect and overtime anyone who is able to pre-pare a delicious tasting Gondi dish is typically given high praise in any Iranian Jewish family. My only hope is that younger Iranian Jews living out-side of Iran will continue cooking this amazing dish not only because it’s delicious, but because it’s a part of our heritage that needs to be kept alive. Unfortunately, since Gondi is not widelyavailable to the general public and not cooked in restaurants, the older generations of parents and grandparents have a responsibility to pass on the recipes and techniques of cooking Gondi.

I bid you happy eating and encourage you to ask your Iranian Jewish friends to indulge you with Gondi the next you visit them for Friday night dinner!■

Karmel Melamed is a published freelance journalist. He’s received several journalism awards and works as an independent public rela-tions consultant.

“Gondi (pronounced go-n-dee) is perhaps

the single most unique food to the Jews of Iran and is on the

dinner table of most Iranian Jewish families

for their Shabbat dinners”


BY fArAh d. ShAmoliAn, mPh

“With any good deed that is done in life, the reward is not imme-diate. One might do a small act of kindness, not thinking twice

about doing it, and never know the effect it might have on someone’s life.”

These are the words of Mr. Jacob Hanaie, 34, who has been a “Big Brother” to Ben, 16, for over five years. For 90 years, The Jewish Big Broth-ers Big Sisters program has been empowering young kids by providing mentorships to those in need of guidance and simply a friend. After com-pleting graduate school, Jacob knew he wanted to get involved in a mentorship program. Once he found the Big Brother opportunity, he was thrilled to start immediately and share his wis-dom with a young teen. However, the process was more challenging than he thought. After a

months of the undergoing screening process, hewasfinallymatchedwithhis“brother”,Ben,whoisaPersianJewlikeJacob.Upontheirfirstfew meetings together, they were both shy and didn’t know what to expect from their newfound relationship.Littledidtheyknow,fiveyearslaterthey would develop a deep relationship rooted in fun and meaningful experiences and conver-sations. Over the past few years, they have en-gaged in activities, such as playing basketball, going out to sporting events, and volunteering together.

Jacob describes Ben as an important person in his life, “He is beyond just being my “Little Bro” now. I consider him a friend, or even family, I can talk about and discuss anything with not only him, but his mom as well”. One major highlight of this experience for Jacob was when Ben pre-

THE HONORABLE MENSCH’N

JACOB HANAIET

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sented a speech at his school graduation men-tioning Jacob as his mentor. Jacob has not only befriended this young boy, but he hopes he has been a part of helping him grow into the young man that he has become. “He’s even taller than me now!” The teenage years are a sensitive time where guidance and counseling are vital to over-all personal, mental, and emotional well being. Parental influence and guidance is important,however, Jacob feels he was able to connect with his “brother” on another level. “I hope I had the ability to bridge the gap between his generation and his parents’.”

Not only has this been an educational ride for Ben, but for Jacob as well. “As much as I thought I was teaching him, there were many instances where I was learning from the situation as well.” For both Jacob and Ben, this has been a learn-

ing experience that has taught them things they could have never imagined. Ben has not only been able to express his emotions to someone he could trust, but he has also gained a lifelong mentor and friend. Additionally, Jacob has had the opportunity to learn about the subtleties of dealing with teens, which allows him to be able to apply these lessons to his own future. Over-all, this experience highlights the importance of sharing time with others that might be in need. The process and time commitment may seem challenging, but the results are invaluable.

To learn more about JBBBS and information about volunteering visit: www.jbbbs.org.

Farah D. Shamolian has a Masters in Public Health. Her special interest is in global develop-ment, maternal/child health, and obesity preven-tion.

BY fArAh d. ShAmoliAn, mPh


Food. It is arguably the most integral com-ponent of our daily life. It supplies us with sustenance and nourishment, and provides love and comfort.

Unfortunately, in themodern day, food haspresented a plethora of problems, including an unprecedented amount of both physical and mentaldisease.namely,nearly51%of theU.S.population is sick with metabolic dysfunction: 30% of Americans are obese, and up to 40% of average-weight individuals have the same meta-bolic dysfunction as those who are obese. It is crucial to grasp why this is happening and how we can help prevent this horrible, ever-growing epidemic. I will introduce a perspective that may justchangethewayyouseeanddefinefood.

Now more than ever, we have the resources and knowledge to tackle this issue head on, such as educating the public through government nu-tritionlabelingandnationwidenutritionandfit-ness promotion campaigns. Startlingly enough, not only have these resources failed to make an impact, but they have made matters worse. For example, between 1980 and 2000, fitness clubmemberships more than doubled across Ameri-ca, yet at the same time the obesity rate also dou-bled. In 1980 the number of documented TypeII diabetes cases among American adolescents (ages 8-19) was zero. Whereas in 2010, therewere57,638U.S.adolescentsdiagnosedwiththislife-threatening (but preventable) disease.

Let’s be real. Sweet and salty indulgences such as Oreos, Cheetos, Chips Ahoy Cookies, Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, etc…. just taste so darn good! As humans we naturally want food that tastes good. We deserve to spoil our palate and take part in one of the greatest pleasures life can offer us – eating. However, within the past 30 years, American culture has been bombarded with food products that rate 10 on the taste scale and 0 on health. The taste may be gratifying for that second, but once you look at the ingredient list with all the processed chemicals, additives, and hidden sugars, it is clear that what was just consumed was far from what food really is or should be. In fact, food nutrition labels contain recommended daily percentages for fat, choles-terol, sodium and carbohydrates — but not for sugar. There is a secret the sugar lobbyists don’t want you to know and they have successfully kept this off the label, making it harder for us to dis-tinguish how much sugar we’ve consumed. You might ask yourself: why would a food company do such a thing? The problem is that healthier unadulterated foods such as unprocessed veg-etables, fruits, and grains are not as lucrative as processedandrefinedfoods.

You might be familiar with the “low-fat” craze, which pressured food manufacturers to reduce fat intake. Seems like a great thing, right? Wrong! On the contrary, the “low-fat” craze has caused food manufacturers to decrease the fat in foods

Your Sweet ToothHealthy Living: The

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and quietly double up on sweeteners, which has undeniably contributed to the stunning rise in re-cent yearsof obesity-related illness. From1977to 2000, Americans doubled their dietary sugar intake. As if this weren’t disturbing enough, since 1995,corn-basedsweetenercompanieshavere-ceivedover$8billioninsubsidies.Between1970and1990,theconsumptionofhighfructosecornsyrup in America increased by 1000 percent. Did you know that a typical 20-ounce bottle of soda contains sixteen teaspoons of sugars from high fructose corn syrup?

With billions of dollars spent on the strategic marketing of food products, we have been pro-grammed at a young age to believe that any food product with a famous character on it, along with the pounds of sugar added, is deemed as gratifying delicious food. This makes me think… whatever happened to whole, natural, untainted food?

Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past thirty years is completely wrong. Big food conglomerates have been al-lowed to feed our nation tons of sugar. So much

so that Type II diabetes, which historically occurs in middle to later life, is now becoming common-place in children coast-to-coast across America. The everyday processed foods that we think are healthy are not in reality. Most sugary cereals ad-vertise the glorious fact that it contains 8 grams offiber,buttheydonotsayawordaboutthe40grams of sugar! If we don’t take control of this is-sue now, not only are we ourselves doomed, but our future generations will have to worry about doctors’ office visits rather thanwhich sport orinstrument to start playing.

We as a nation are getting sicker and sicker and fatter and fatter and the food industry is ly-ing to our faces. The only real solution relies on you. Be a conscious shopper. Just because the word “health” is on the package of a food product it does not necessarily mean that it is healthier. Finding healthy options that taste good is not easy, however it is your role to be in charge of your health.Ultimately, if a foodneeds to con-vince you that it’s healthy, it’s probably not. “Eve-ry time you spend money, you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” - Anna Lappe■


Have you ever meditated? You know that feeling you get of a silent yet awake state of mind? Well if you haven’t, here is a popular experiment that highlights how meditation can impact our mind.

Try to think of a pink elephant. You’re pic-turing it in your mind? Alright, now for the next 10 seconds, try to think of anything but a pink elephant. Go.

If you’re like most people, you probably thought of a pink elephant at least a few times in those 10 seconds. This simple experiment illustrates the challenge of controlling our thoughts, which is at the core of meditation.

Meditation, as described by Aryeh Kaplan, may be achieved through various practices, such as meditating on a sentence (“Life is good”), a piece of music, or an image. What

neuroscience of

MeditationBY DORSA BEROUKHIM KAY

ISSUE# 1 25

each of these forms of meditation have in common, according to Kaplan, is “thinking in a controlled manner, directing our mind how we wish for a period of time”. This form of con-trolled thinking was used by our prophets to reach their state of heightened consciousness.

modern scientific researchhas revealed atremendous amount of support for how medi-tation actually changes the human brain.

researcherrichardDavidsonfromtheUni-versity of Wisconsin has studied the brains of Buddhist monks who have more than 10,000 hours of meditation practice. These studies have demonstrated greater activity in the lim-bic system, which is the brain’s emotional net-work, as well as reduced reactivity in response to distractions during meditation.

Howcanweutilize thefindingspresentedabove to improve our daily lives? Well, the next time we are engaged in a task and a random, unrelated worry pops into our head about business or dinner plans, regular meditation would enable us to stay focused on our pre-sent task and would help prevent that random thought from turning into a stressor.

Another research group, led by Andrew newbergfromtheUniversityofPennsylvania,showed that meditators have greater activity in the frontal cortex, an area of the brain that is involved with voluntary control of attention and concentration. This is also the same area that’s active during executive functions like

when we are making decisions, planning goals, solving problems and making judgments like deciding what to eat, whether or not to go to the gym, and sticking to our career goals.

Recent work in neuroscience has also looked at how a short practice in meditation can physically change the brain. In 2011, Dr. Christopher Moore from MIT found that peo-ple who meditated for 2 weeks were better able to control a specific typeof brainwave,called alpha rhythms, in response to a cue/stimulus. Alpha waves are active during selec-tive attention, which are thought to reduce af-fects of distractions and help control focus & attention.

More research is being done to examine how meditation changes the connections with-in our brain and how different areas of our brain communicate with each other. For ex-ample, the Parietal lobe, a key region involved with processing our place in space and time, shows greater activity in meditators, which may explain the feeling of transcendence of-ten connected to the meditation experience.

In sum, just like we exercise our muscles to gain better strength and control, we medi-tate to strengthen our brain and our control over our thoughts and emotions. In our daily life, meditation may allow us to become more aware of our mind and enable us to better deal with everyday stress.

A dose of meditation may do us all good.■

“modernscientificresearchhasrevealed a tremendous amount of

support for how meditation actually changes the human brain.”


Spotted Fashion Favorites By Judith Iloulian/Fashion Designer

GET THE LOOK

PRIVATE CLIENT BANKER AT J.P. MORGAN CHASE

BLAZER: Tom Ford

SHIRT: Rag & Bone

SHOES: Del Toro / BELT: Hermes

The Noah’s Ark Initiative is the product of a special collaborative leadership project produced by the new community group MOJO--misfitsofJewishOutreach.OnJune15,2014mOJOhost-ed an unforgettable evening aboard a 4-decker yacht. It was an all inclusive evening complete

withthefinestonboardentertainment,koshergourmetcuisine,specialtydrinksandlivemusictoenjoy alongside 300 Jewish Young Professionals.

Both Rachelle Yadegar and Adam Bakhash were stunners at the MOJO event. In midst of all the guests,theysurelystoodoutintheirflawless,classy,andsophisticatedensembles.

Adam Bakhash

If MOJO had an award for best-dressed male it would have gone to Adam Bakhash. He looked styl-ish in a green velvet blazer, crisp white shirt, and black pants. We couldn’t miss the shoes -- black leather slipper-style loafers em-bellished with gold studs. Adam’s bold green velvet blazer portrays refinementandelegance.Itssofttexture and luxurious material de-mands all the right attention be-cause he styled it to perfection. To achieve a trendy, cohesive look, velvet blazers should be paired with different textiles, just like the way Adam paired his blazer with black pants.■

“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” —Rachel Zoe

Fash

Ion

ISSUE# 1 27

GET THE LOOK

FASHION DESIGNER/STYLIST

DRESS: Cameo

SHOES: ZARA

CARDIGAN & ACCESORIES: BCBG

As a personal friend of Rachelle Yadegar, I knew that she would show upwith a perfect outfit forthe MOJO event. I mean, when can you wear a long white dress... be-sides to your own wedding?! Ra-chelle had the perfect outfit thatwas fancy and sophisticated with-out being over the top. The dress itself can be worn in the daytime, but paired with a cardigan and some gold accessories, it’s the perfect attire for a yatch party. A cardigan is a specialty piece that can be essentially thrown over al-mostanything.Itcantakeanoutfitto another level, especially when you pair it with classic accessories like Rachelle did. Not only did the cardiganmaketheoutfitlookchic,but thanks to its versatile “climate control” functionality, the cardigan provided Rachelle with the ability to deal with the weather’s unpre-dictability.■

“Simplicity is the key note of all true elegance.” —Coco Chanel

achelle Yadegar

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It is often said that a good man or good womanishardtofind.Howmanyofustru-lywantthis?Wheredowefindtheseelu-sive soul mates? Better yet, if you were to findthem,wouldyoubeabletomaintaina

long lasting relationship with them?Do your morals, ethics, and values parallel

the qualities of this person? Is he or she actively learning and growing? Are you?

We are all looking for that perfect person, but where are you looking?

My friends…The answer is simple. Before looking outwards

to find this person, you must start by lookingfrom within yourself. You see, we are constantly searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right, but we must also look at ourselves. What makes you deserve this person? What makes you a worthy candidate?

FINDINGMR. RIGHT!

BY rodney rAbbAni

WANT TO BE ABETTER Marriage

Candidate?Advice from a Family Therapist

ISSUE# 1 29

In this life we do not at-tract what we want, but what we are.

What does this mean?To figure out who you

are, ask yourself the follow-ing questions: What have you done today? Yesterday? What do you look forward to accom-plishing emotionally and pro-fessionally in the future? What qualities do you admire about yourself that will potentially attract your wife or husband or partner?

Are you gossiping or speak-ing lashon hara? Think about it, would you want to attract

someone who maintains the same type of behavior?

We are all looking for the ideal candidate, but are you an ideal candidate?

Licenses and credentials are handed out for virtually every goal and profession out there. Everyone in almost every field is required toprove their expertise. But for the bigger areas in life, the ones that matter the most and determine our ultimate state of happiness, there is no licensing—-no way for us to measure what we know. No degrees in self-esteem,

no credentials for resilience, and no schools for relation-ships.

So how can we build and thrive in our relationships with-out any direction?

I invite you to start becom-ing mindful of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Be-come aware of everything around you, and work hard. Work hard towards grow-ing emotionally,intellectually,

spiritually. Don’t be afraid to consult those around you who know how to deal with life’s tri-als and tests. We are not om-niscient. It is okay not to know how to cope with the situa-tions we face on a daily or even weekly basis.

Dr. Nathaniel Branden, one of America’s leading experts in self esteem, writes “A concern with morality or ethics arises naturally, in the early stages of our development… inherent in our existence in humanity is the question: what kind of be-ing should I seek to become? By what principles should I

guide my life? What values are worth pursuing?”

Many of us have not delved deep into these questions, or thought about them compre-hensively. But when we do, wewillfind itmucheasier toidentify what we are looking for in others, as well as our-selves.■

Rodney Rabbani is an MFT Trainee and Group Counselor in the Los Angeles area.

“We are all looking for the ideal

candidate, but are you an ideal

candidate?”

HOW TO BECOME MRS. RIGHT!

SEPA

RATI

ON

BY T

iME

BY dorSA berouKim KAy

dorsa beroukim Kay is a PhD student in the Neuroscience Graduate ProgramattheUniversityofSouthern California.

“...clArifying oPPortunitieS for

growth.”

THE sKRiBE MAGAZINE30

We’re faced with all sorts of opportunities throughout our day that stimulate us to grow and develop into our wiser selves. Many times, these opportunities present themselves in the form of a test. These

tests can show up within a decision that needs to be made, in attaining understanding of a circumstance we’re placed in or trying to make sense of the cause of a situ-ation we’re faced with. In our daily experiences, we are expectedtofindclaritywithineachoftheseexamples.

Often enough however, it’s precisely the lack of clarity that can transform this test into an overwhelming strug-gle. But, how can we take hold of life’s tests and prevent them from becoming the source of stress and anxiety?

Lets examine the mechanism underlying such tests and unpack the components that define clarity withinthem. Lets consider a simple scenario we’ve all faced. We learn as young children that tasting a hot drink too quickly hurts our tongue. So after only a few of these experiences, we learn that to avoid the burning effect

ISSUE# 1 31

we need to double check that it has cooled down before drinking. We’ve connected the action to the consequence. And we’ve used this relationship to modify our actions and take control of the conse-quence.

While this a simple example to relate to, this circumstance possesses the same elements as the deeper tests we’re exposed to in our own lives. But, what’s the principal difference that distinguishes the complex tests we face compared to this one? The extended separation in time. As we grow and develop, so do our tests. The presence of time in-serted between our actions and their consequence compel us to become more conscious of our actions and more aware of their possible consequences.

While it is precisely this disconnection by time that has the potential to create the illusion of con-fusion when we are faced by a test, it is the effort we make to see beyond this segregation that gener-ates clarity.

Our obligation as Jews is to seek this clarity in every situation; to aspire to live on a conscious plane where we acknowledge the connection be-tween action and consequence and aim to recog-nize this link unceasingly, so that we may transform all of life’s tests into clarifying opportunities for growth.■

“In our daily experiences, we areexpectedtofindclarity

within each of these examples.”“...It’s precisely the lack of

clarity that can transform this test into an overwhelming

struggle.”

BY tAbby dAvoodi

On Sunday, January 19th, four young professionalsfrom 30 YEARS AFTER, an Iranian-American Jewish civ-ic action organization, sat around a large board room table in Beverly Hills and interviewed over 30 fellow

young Iranian Jews from that had applied for a new leadership training program. To an outsider, it looked innocuous enough meetings in a Board room, a water cooler, papers spread out over a table. However, to those of us that were involved more intimately in the deeply rewarding process that has become this program, we understood that in our own small way, we were making history.

30 YEARS AFTER was founded by and is run by young Ira-nian American Jews, students and professionals alike, in 2007. Ournamesignifiesamomentintimewheneverythingchanged

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for our community back in Iran--a Revolution, a devastating war with Iraq, an entire shift in the trajectory of our very lives as the children of Jews that were themselves born in Iran and had planned to live the rest of their lives in that country, never having had a moment of doubt as to whether their children or grandchildren (us) would be raised anywhere else other than Iran, as they and their ancestors had been for 2,700 years.

Over 30 years later, here we sat, in the Board room of a legal office of a colleague that hadhimself escaped Iran as a child, interviewing what we increasingly came to observe as the cream of the crop of young Iranian Jewry in Los Angeles. They had given their time on a Sunday toapply forThemaherFellowship: thefirst-of-its-kind young leadership training program run by young Iranian-American Jews for Iranian-American Jewish community.

We asked the applicants everything from their professional background and education to their civic and Jewish life activity and experience. Each candidate blew us away. There was the 22-year old that just graduated from Stanford (he was the commencement speaker) and had for-merly interned at the State Department, having managed contacts with Syrian opposition rebels for use in intelligence gathering; the 22-year old that was the Founding Executive Director for the non-profitSwipes for theHomeless,whichcol-lects and donates unused student meal vouch-ers to the homeless community - recently recog-nizedbyPresidentObamaasthemostinfluentialcollege organization in America. Her greatest passion is encourage fellow Iranian Jews to get their hands dirty and give back to those less privi-leged; there was even the 28-year old CEO of two start-up companies who holds the record as the youngest-ever elected Board member of Nessah Israel Cultural and Educational Center’s Board of Directors. There is not nearly enough space here to describe how each candidate that walked thru the doors of that boardroom elevated both our pride and our hopes for the next generation of Iranian-American Jews.

At the center of it all were two inspiring young men-- the Fellowship’s founder and coordinator, Jason Youdeem, and its primary supporter, Oron Maher, after whom the program is named. Both serve tirelessly on 30 YEARS AFTER’s Executive Committee. When asked why he had decided to support this program with such generosity, Oron’s response blew us away. “I felt that the time had come to give 10% of myself to some-thing,” he said casually during a recent session of the program. Not merely 10% of his income, but 10% of himself. There is a vast difference be-tween the two.

“I felt that the time had come to give 10% of myself to

something.”

“Not merely 10% of his income,

but 10% of himself. There is a vast difference

between the two.”

ISSUE# 1 33


Perhaps if readers take away any single mes-sage from this article, it will be the unbearably simple yet intense wisdom of how to give. To say that our community has been blessed with access to education and financial success inAmerica would be an understatement. To write checks and attend glamorous gala fundraisers might seem as innocuous as conducting day-long meetings in a board room in Beverly Hills. To give the Jewish tithing of 10% by committing to give 10% of yourself means that you allow the cause which you are helping to help you back byremindingYOUwhatvaluesandactionstheworld needs from you.

Overthecourseofthenextfivemonths,our18 Maher Fellows will be trained in everything from public speaking to mapping the Los Ange-les Jewish community from philanthropy to how to truly be an effective Jewish leader. They will all embark upon Washington, D.C. as Los Angeles delegates to the AIPAC Policy Conference, where they, along with both Jason and Oron, will repre-sent beyond themselves to their community back home in LA, especially their parents that most likely never imagined that their sons or daugh-ters would be convening in America’s capitol to lobby American leaders to support Israel.

A seed was planted several Sundays ago in a board room in Beverly Hills. We look forward to updating you as it blooms and thrives and culmi-nates by giving these remarkable fellows back to their community. If each commits to giving 10% of himself/herself in terms of time, action, and values, our community would always be reminded that As the leader, so the generation; as the generation, so the leader (Talmud Yerushalmi) Arachim 17a.

30 YEARS AFTER is also grateful to the sup-port of the Jewish Values Partnership (JVP) and the guidance of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the PresenTense Fellowship. To learn more about the Maher Fellowship, please visit http://30yearsafter.org/.■

Tabby Davoodi is the Executive Director of 30 YEARS AFTER. He was born in Iran and im-migrated to theU.S. towards theheightof theIran-Iraq War.

“To say that our community has been blessed with access to education and financialsuccess

in America would be an

understatement. “

“...10% by committing

to give 10% of yourself means

that you allow the cause.”

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Historically speaking, scribes were our only vehicle to pass on our beautiful heritage and legacy to Jews that were not in our immediate vicinity. Being

the “People of The Book” is a testament to our emphasis on reading and writing to tell our nar-rative to everyone who would like to listen.

In our modern world, a group of passionate young professionals have gotten together to be “The Skribe” of our community; a place to voice

our ideas, opinions and anything else we feel worthy of sharing. Please join us!

Here’s how you can get involved:• Write an original article. This can include

anything from an opinion piece to a unique recipe.

• Love taking pictures? Contribute original photographs to be used in the magazineFor requirements on writing an article for

The Skribe email [email protected].■

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

the

skribe

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In an age where everything is questioned, we cannot help but sometimes question the fundamental truths that are found in our Torah. Long before our skeptical gener-ation, our Sages told us that this question-

ing is not only permissible but people should be praised for such questioning. They realized that it is only through questioning that one can truly understand a subject and delve deeper into the true understanding and knowledge of the To-rah. Thus, when it comes to our practical obser-vance of Judaism, it is our obligation to pinpoint

our doubts and confront the critical questions we have regarding our ancient traditions. One must, however, take caution and not allow these profound questions to become pretexts of non-observance or even worse, of belittling of our re-ligious practice. The true ‘truth seeker’ must ad-dress existing doubts, and accurate explanations must be sought.

two QueStionS About ShAbbAt When it comes to Shabbat we all may have

our own personal grievances about the many

BY emAn eSmAilzAdehMISUNDERSTOODSHABBAT


prohibitions of the special day. While trying to make sense of it all, we sometimes assume that these prohibitions were put forth for a civiliza-tion long past; a civilization without the tech-nological advances of our day, where so many previouslydifficultprocessescannowbecom-pletedwithasnapofafingerorflipofaswitch.Forexample,startingafireinthemiddleofthedessert with two sticks was not the easiest thing 2000 years ago – one would be totally exhausted andsweatyafterstartingsuchafire.Thatiswhythe casual observer might erroneously think that the Torah forbids it on Shabbat. But in our time, where, in half a second, one can light a cigarette with a lighter, one may not think that lighting suchaflamewouldbeconsideredbreakingtheconcept of resting on Shabbat. After all, this ac-tivity requires virtually no exertion of energy. So the question arises: if Shabbat is about rest-ing, why do we have to abstain from lighting a

flame,oranyoftheotherprohibitionsonShab-bat when they require such little physical effort?

Interestingly enough, we find that the firsttime that Shabbat was kept, it was kept by God himself, as if to say, He “got tired” from creat-ing the universe. But wait a minute! How can Hashem,theAlmightyKingofKings,theInfiniteBeing, need rest, and how can He get tired? Isn’t He supposed to be the All-powerful limitless be-ing that rules the world?

To provide answers to these two perfectly valid questions, one must understand the un-derlying concepts of Shabbat and its connection to the observance of it. With this we will see that both questions can immediately be answered.

loSt in trAnSlAtionThere are two concepts of Shabbat that are

commonly used when relating to the prohibi-tions of the day; rest and work. The English word,

ISSUE# 1 37

rest, is usually understood as something desired after some sort of intensive activity, something required in order to further continue that activi-ty. The Hebrew word used for ‘Shabbat-type’ rest is shav, meaning to hold back or return; there is nothing actually lacking in the subject, but rather he chooses to refrain from an activity. So in es-sence, when the Torah says that God “rested”, it does not, heaven-forbid, mean that He was tired and needed rest, for that would be heretical to put a limit on The Infinite, but rather that Hechose to refrain from His ‘work’.

As God completed the creation of heavens and earth, the final creation was Shabbat, astheTorahtellsus“OntheseventhdayGodfin-ished the work which He had been doing, and He ceased [rested] on the seventh day from all the work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased [rested] from all the work of creation which He had done.”

So exactly what type of work does the To-rah say that God rested from on the seventh

day? The English word for work is understood as the physical energy exerted during an act (Work=Force*Distance for you science buffs). By a simple reading of the verses one understands that He abstained from creating the universe. So it is easy to see that melachah, Hebrew for work, refers to the kind of work that is creative, or that exercises control, domination or manipulation over the physical realm. From an analysis of many of the types of “work” prohibited on Shab-bat, it becomes clear that the overlying principle is to abstain from creative acts. Take our previous exampleoflightingaflame,regardlessofifyoucreatedaflamewithwoodensticks2000yearsago or with a stainless steel Zippo lighter today; aflameisstillbeingcreated.Itcannowbeseenthat it is not heretical to say that God “rested” on the seventh day. The Torah is not saying that God physically got tired, but rather He held him-self back from further creative activities.

We must realize that in order for Shabbat to be the spiritual bliss described by our sages as “a taste of heaven”, its precepts must surpass the physical realm and touch the spiritual realm. It would be illogical to think the true essence of Shabbat could be felt by simply focusing on the physically strenuous activities done by our bodies and ignoring the mental and spiritual se-renity obtained from abstaining from creative acts. Without this understanding, Shabbat can mistakenly become something mundane and physical where the self and the body become the prime focus, neglecting the mind and soul. Al-though we should all appreciate that physical rest is part of the spirit of Shabbat, we must un-derstand that it is the psychological and spiritual rests that are its true essence. With this, we can comprehend that by mimicking our Creator and abstaining from creative acts on the seventh day we can elevate ourselves and break through the barrier of physicality that we are so accustomed to being stuck in.

So who’S reAlly in control? During the week we act as if we control the

world — creating, building, destroying and main-

“We must realize that in order for Shabbat

to be the spritual bliss described by our sages as “a taste of heaven,”

its precepts must surpass the physical realm and touch the

spiritual realm”


taining our surroundings. By holding back our creative efforts once a week, we acknowledge that we do not own our world. For one day out of the week, we openly testify that our world is God’s domain. With this understanding, Shabbat goes from being a mundane ritual to a different state-of-mind, where we free ourselves from all the energies that usually hold us back from con-necting to our source. Regardless of whether

spending the time in services or at home, Shab-bat becomes a day where all distractions are cast aside, allowing for a connection to our families, ourselves and ultimately our Creator. May we all be fortunate enough to use the Shabbat experi-ence to its fullest potential.■

Eman Esmailzadeh is the Brand Director at Coloronix, a manufacturer of themed lighting products.

ISSUE# 1 39


THE

cOnTRiBUTORs

EmanEsmailzadeh isagraduateofUCIrvinewherehestudiedmechani-cal Engineering and Business Management. After college, he advanced his Judaic studies at various seminaries in New York and Jerusalem. He cur-rently is the Brand Director at Coloronix, a manufacturer of themed lighting products.■

Eyal Aharonov was born in Israel to Persian and Bukharian parents, raised in Los Angeles and is the youngest of three boys. Eyal was raised with a deep connectiontoJudaismandtoZionism.ThroughhiseducationintheUnitedStates, he has developed a sense of awareness and responsibility for Juda-ism in the Diaspora. As a result, he joined the Skribe team to help create and facilitate a dialogue among his generation of Jews in Los Angeles.■

Farah D. Shamolian recently graduated with her Master’s in Public Health fromTheUCLAFieldingSchoolofPublicHealth.Shehasaspecialinterestinglobal development, maternal/child health, and obesity prevention.■

Jacqueline Rafii is a native of Los Angeles with a background in music and law.AprouddoubleBruin,shegraduatedfromUCLALawlastyearandisnow working in the entertainment industry. She is also studying to be a can-tor, and leads services in synagogues across LA. Jackie enjoys studying voice and composition, and is currently recording an album of original music.■

Dorsa Beroukim Kay is a PhD student in the Neuroscience Graduate Pro-gramattheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia.Herresearchfocusesonde-veloping clinical interventions that enhance cognitive and motor function in patients affected by brain damage, such as from stroke.■

ISSUE# 1 41

Karmel Melamed is an internationally-published freelance journalist based in Southern California. Since 2000, Melamed has specialized in covering the growing influential Iranian American community in Southern California and New York—particularly Iranian American Jewry. Melamed is the recipient of a number of journalism awards and works as an independent public rela-tions consultant in the legal and corporate fields.■

Judith Iloulian is a fashion designer/stylist. She is currently working on start-ing her fashion line, Oravee Couture. Judith aims to create pieces for women who desire a classy, sophisticated, and modest look. In her designs she uti-lizes high quality lace fabrics, silks, and vibrant colors for couture, evening and everyday wear.■

Raymond Nourmand, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. He aims to help people better understand themselves so they can take the steps to live the lives they want to live. [email protected].■

Jonathan J. Delshad is a Lawyer in Los Angeles who practices in all areas of employment law, including representing employees who were involved in discrimination, harassment, and retaliation and certain real estate transac-tions.■

Rebecca Aframian is currently completing her master’s degree in interior archi-tecture and design at Paris American Academy in Paris, France.■


WRITE FOR THE SKRIBE AND “YOUCAnBEHErETOO!”

Be part of THE SKRIBE by submitting your article. Submissionsaredueby09/2014forourIssue#2.■

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the skribeOur community. Our voice.

Sara Kahen Kashani is a First- Generation Jewish Iranian American. She earned herdegreeinPhilosophyfromUCLA,hermBAfromUSCandisintheprocessofobtaining a Masters in Management Studies. Sara believes that contributing to her local and global communities is a responsibility everyone should take on. She strives to apply her entrepreneurial spirit to making the world a better place.■

Tabby Davoodi is the Executive Director of 30 YEARS AFTER, a non-profit or-ganization whose mission is to promote the participation and leadership of Iranian-American Jews in American civic, political, and Jewish life. Tabby was borninIranaftertheIranianrevolutionandimmigratedtotheU.S.towardsthe height of the Iran-Iraq War.■

Rodney Rabbani, MFT Trainee and Group Counselor, specializing in addic-tion, practices in the greater Los Angeles area. Rodney looks forward to assisting clients who want to improve themselves through life-coaching, a byproduct of which will include a greater chance of attracting and maintain-ing healthy relationships. To contact him, e-mail [email protected].■

“we would like to thank the JvP (Jewish values Partnership) for providing seed funding for the Skribe”

ISSUE# 1 43

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