Judy Gruen

For the first time ever, I left the Hollywood Bowl's annual, spectacular 4th of July concert and fireworks show feeling disappointed. So many in the audience seemed apathetic toward the “Star-Spangled Banner” and other patriotic music. They only got excited and cheered for "Le Freak" and other disco standards.

I fell for a tech support scam. And so could you. With scammers becoming more and more sophisticated, even savvy consumers can get taken. Here is my cautionary tale.

Moe Berg became a major league ball player and a major league spy. He was a Renaissance man, a combination of brain and brawn, the ultimate Jewish athlete. Yet he notched his most memorable plays not on the baseball diamond but in the high-stakes arena of intelligence gathering, before and during WWII.

Harvard rescinds the acceptance of young man who survived the Parkland shootings for racist statements he made as a teen and has since regretted.

The hit film delves into some meaty philosophical issues, including: is my life meaningful if I was made of "junk?"

In his unexpected, second career, Gregg Philipson has become one of the nation's leading collectors of historically relevent Jewish memorabilia, speaking about anti-Semitism and bigotry to audiences nationwide, and sometimes, internationally.

As a kid, I wanted to be Erma Bombeck when I grew up. Bombeck poked fun at herself and at life’s foibles and frustrations with comic genius, and laughter proved a lifeline for me during our family's darkest hours.

Orthodox Jews like me often must try to explain our beliefs and practices to those who hold many misconceptions about Judaism. Unfortunately, it's not an easy task.

I had come to Israel mainly for professional opportunities, but I left with so much more. I was nourished with the reassuring bond of a cherished and longstanding friendship, and discovered an unexpected channel for a brand-new and special friendship
to blossom.

The ouster of trash-talking Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci from the Trump White House underscores the problem that the free-flying and promiscuous use of foul language is only making our uncivil society less civil than ever.

A fictional story about a Jewish family in conflict over levels of religious observance.

My atheist grandfather's outburst at one family Passover seder made me wonder if I could ever find a balance between respect for religious tradition and a healthy sense of fun and skepticism.

Too many of us worry as we approach the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, “Is God really listening to me? Do I really matter to him as an individual in a world of more than 7 billion people? The answer is yes.

Now that almost every purchasing decision fraught with environmental, social and politically correct decisions, grocery shopping is stressing me out.