Sandy says:
Yup, Rabbi Elias has “retired”, and was given a warm welcome upon returning to Beth Jacob, the shul where he grew up. I heard that the cantor of the Ashkenazi minyan was also let go. But the Mogen David website http://www.mogen-david.org/ has not been updated.
They [Mogen David] never really have distinguished themselves from YICC or Beth Jacob, the two shuls most similar in practice to MD’s Ashkenazi minyan. A lot of the regulars are guys who used to go to YICC or BJ, and either live closer to MD or are old buddies with Rabbi Elias (or their wives are).
One unsung hero of Mogen David’s Ashkenazi minyan is their Torah reader, Aaron Breitbart. Aaron is about as self-deprecating a fellow as you’d ever meet, with a great sense of humor backed up by an academic’s intellect.
About Luke Ford
Raised a Seventh-Day Adventist at Avondale College in Australia, Luke Ford moved to California in 1977.
He graduated from Placer High School in 1984, reported the news at KAHI/KHYL radio for three years, attended Sierra College and UCLA, was largely bedridden by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for six years, and converted to Judaism in 1993. From 1997-2007, Luke made his living from blogging.
Living by Beverly Hills (Alexander90210.com), he now teaches the Alexander Technique (moving the way the body likes to move). Lessons cost $100 each and last about 45 minutes.
In 2011, Luke completed a three-year teaching course at the Alexander Training Institute of Los Angeles.
His personal Alexander Technique website is Alexander90210.com.
Luke is the author of five books, including:
» The Producers: Profiles in Frustration
» Yesterday’s News Tomorrow: Inside American Jewish Journalism