At this writing in June of 2022, there is breaking news that a bipartisan agreement has been made among Leaders of the United States Senate bringing some hope of meaningful gun legislation.  

Dr. Tony Beliz is returning to the COMMENTARIES FROM THE EDGE podcast program for the third time, responding to what seems like an epidemic of gun violence and school shootings moving across the U. S. ,with his emphasis on the importance of specialized training and preparation.  Dr. Beliz brings decades of experience in developing how to asses persons on a path to violence and has worked as an independent consultant with mental health staff, law enforcement and educators nationally and internationally.  Previously, he worked for 14 years as a Deputy Director at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health in California, organizing a team approach to threat assessments and innovative training protocols.  

Dr. Beliz asks us to question what each of us can do on a local level, how we can become an advocate for increased training and collaboration in our communities as a way to stem this horrific surge of gun violence and deaths in the U. S.  He urges us to realize it is time for us not to wait for the politicians to act but for each of us to become involved at least by voting for leaders who will work to protect all of us. 

TO CONTACT Dr. Tony Beliz, email, [email protected].

This is the final episode of a three-part series asking three distinguished Rabbis of Los Angeles, California, to answer the same question - What is a Jew? According to Rabbi Missaghieh, showing three very different opinions on the same subject, each with valid points, is the essence of answering the question of what it means to be a Jew. The question is more important than the answer. The Jew, in this Rabbi’s answer, is someone living with ambiguity. The search itself for answers is the cornerstone of the identity.

Rabbi Missaghieh is an innovative clergy person, enriching her congregation at Temple Israel of Hollywood with creative programming. She has created Women’s Retreats and a series called TIOH Speaks - where she interviews Temple members on a variety of different topics. In addition, she has trained over 50 men and women to be part of the Temple’s Chevrah Kadisha, a group that prepares deceased for burial according to traditional practices. For the annual Jewish High Holidays, she conducts services that are participatory and standing room only.

Listen to this third Rabbinic answer that ends the series and ponder the complex question - What is a Jew?

Into the 21st century we are struggling, challenges all around us, locally and globally. Award winning Journalist Howard Rosenberg helps us confront and understand where we are in the constantly changing world of media. How have the developments in the last years blurred our way of knowing the truth from the lies and driven us into a world of divisiveness and hostility. Rosenberg, as a 25 year veteran of television criticism writing for the Los Angeles Times, and a Professor at the University of Southern California (USC) teaching critical writing and news ethics retiring in 2019, can only offer us awareness and warnings for the path we are on in the Information Age.

Howard Rosenberg, with Charles Feldman, is the author of NO TIME TO THINK: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24 Hour News Cycle. The Pulitzer prize was won for 10 columns in The Los Angeles Times. HERE IS A QUOTE FROM THE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT, 1/31/2022

“ Mindlessly sharing information can be harmful to others and our society. Remember to check your sources and verify facts before sharing information online."

Sexual harassment and assault often in the work place has been headlines in our society in the last years.   Many prominent men have lost their jobs and their standing in the community after being immune from any accountability.  At the same time, issues of blaming the female victim and protecting the male predator are still common in the lives of teen young women. 

Listen to the voices of three teens who  made this topic a research project as Fellows of an organization called MOVING TRADITIONS.  Alex Nelson, Mayah Windt and Mia Vorkoper, all describe themselves as Feminists advocating for a change of attitude and the need for supportive responses in the high school’s culture and in their communities.  They also explain the importance of publicizing resource information so that teens in need can know where to go for help.  

Thanks to Dr. Robin Kay for coordinating the opportunity to hear from these outstanding young women who are speaking up to make all of us aware that female teens need protection and support and places to turn when necessary for healing.

Over a span of decades, Tracy Newman has used her creativity in folk song writing and singing, and in her pioneering work as a comedy writer for live performances and television audiences.  The origins of much of the comedy we enjoy today in the United States, came from a blossoming of talent that arrived on the scene 50 years ago now.  One of the places that became a hotbed of developing future comedic stars was a place called the GROUNDLINGS IMPROV THEATRE in Los Angeles, California, and Tracy was a founding member.   It was there, like a farm team in sports, that future Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast members honed their talent and their performance styles in front of an audience.  The likes of Melissa McCarthy, Will Farrell, Kristen Wiig, Phil Hartman and Lorraine Newman, to name a few, were plucked from the West Coast to arrive on the New York TV stage of SNL.  

Tracy Newman takes us down the path from her folksinging days, to her trail of television sitcom writing with her partner John Stark, for popular shows like, Cheers, The Drew Carey Show, and her Emmy Award for the Ellen episode where Ellen announces to the world that she is Gay.  After leaving television writing she returned to song writing and has produced CDs with her band TRACY NEWMAN AND THE REINFORCEMENTS.  She also has created CDs for kids through her company, RUN ALONG HOME. 

To hear her music, see her videos and purchase CDs, go to the website,

www.tracynewman.com

You can watch her Youtube videos and learn more about Tracy Newman and her career in entertainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew6DS2bXYmk

This topic is part of a series asking three Rabbis of Los Angeles, California, to answer the question, What is a Jew?   In this episode you will hear from Rabbi Chaim, Director Emeritus of the UCLA Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center for Jewish Life.   He recently celebrated his fortieth year of working with students and faculty making Hillel a place where thousands would come for learning and personal growth.  One of his greatest joys has been his Rabbinic work with students who would come to study with him.  Rabbi Chaim is a frequent lecturer in various academic departments at UCLA and other universities.  In 2014, he initiated a fact finding mission for non-Jewish student leaders to Israel and the Palestine Authority which is now offered on ninety campuses.  Here he honors this podcast program by departing with his spiritual wisdoms in coming to grips with an enduring and complex question. 

To contact Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, email, [email protected]

By clicking SUBSCRIBE, you will be notified of all future episodes.  Please join Commentaries From the Edge as we explore new understandings on a variety of subjects.  Thank you.

The Kurds are a people who lay claim to a land always under threat.

In this episode, Barry Fisher, a return guest, talks about his link to the Kurds and their long suffering goal to create a Kurdistan, not dissimilar to the current struggle of the Ukrainians with their endless fight to carve out and maintain a separate country. The Kurds continue to be a people whose dream of having a peaceful, geographic space is a distant goal. They often become caught in historic struggles and swept into times when the world is full of refugees fleeing for their very lives. Fisher, as a well known humanitarian Lawyer, has no lack of work that calls him to all corners of the globe in defense of the vulnerable. He gives us a picture of the Kurds and their role on the global stage as they sit on the border of four Middle Eastern countries, lands that gave birth to Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

In March of 2021, one year ago, Dr. Tony Beliz, drew upon his expertise to discuss assessing persons on a pathway to violence. In this episode he returns to describe the long list of traumatic changes caused by the pandemic that has affected all of us. Dr. Beliz not only details prevention strategies but what families and friends need to look for in young people who fall into a state of isolation and hopelessness. He continues to be a Consultant to mental health staff, law enforcement personnel and educators, teaching how to respond to those individuals who become prone to hurt themselves or others. In conclusion, the costs of the pandemic, particularly on young people requires an expansion of training and mental health services.

To contact Dr.Beliz, email, [email protected]

Rabbi David Wolpe is a renown spiritual leader and scholar in the Jewish community and beyond. He is based in Los Angeles, California and holds the position of the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple, a large and historic place of worship and learning. He has taught at various significant universities, appeared in multiple television series and appeared in a myriad of public debates with the likes of Christopher Hitchens. Rabbi Wolpe is in demand as a keynote speaker, lecturer and spiritual teacher in the United States and around the world, from Israel to India. He is the author of eight books including a best seller, Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times (Riverhead) and his latest, David, The Divided Heart(Yale U Press). He is a Rabbinic innovator bringing a deeper understanding to what it means to be a human being and in enhancing Jewish spirituality. In this podcast episode Rabbi Wolpe has a unique answer to the topic question - What is a Jew? - a question that persists through the ages.

Mental health has become a wider concern as the pandemic way of life has restricted human contact and promoted feelings of depression and despair.  For some time now, research has shown that turning to one’s sense of spirituality can be a powerful tool for increasing and maintaining mental health.  In certain agencies and organizations mental health services have incorporated a client’s spirituality into an effective plan for their recovery from emotional distress.  

Dr. Chris Miller discusses how this search for the benefits of spirituality at a time of stress can come from a formal religious practice or from a place where meaning, purpose and uplift can be found.  For some finding spirituality may mean regular meditation, visits to nature, or involvement in an artistic endeavor, as examples.  In recognizing the important role of spirituality in healing, the American Psychiatric Association has formed the Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership.  

Dr. Miller can be contacted by email - [email protected]