TheHappenings Week In News
DECEMBER 6, 2018 | The Jewish Home
Be that as it may, in addition to the sometimes slow service and lack of true indoor seating, “Coffee Bean” became beloved in the eyes of many, who were dismayed at its closing—which seemed to happen way too fast. (Both of my school-age children knew about the closure before me, of course. But I did know before one friend, who happened to stop by with her husband that night. I mentioned the shop’s closing, and she said an incredulous, “What?! What happened?” “It’s closing,” I said sadly. “Can you believe it?”
After letting this sink in a moment, she said, “Oh, my! So, I have to go call my client and tell her we can’t meet there tomorrow.”) That afternoon, with the Friday closing looming, my husband and I headed out to pick up our daughter from school. We decided we’d go one last time, even though—given our budget and recent eating habits—I hadn’t had a Coffee Bean with all the trimmings in a very long time. We placed our mobile order on the app; I ordered my (humungous) Chai Tea Latte; for my daughter, a large Pure Vanilla; for my husband, a cappuccino; and we or-
dered an iced tea for our son, who was still in school. Then we headed to an errand. Twenty minutes later, we circled back to Coffee Bean. When we got there, a good third of all the local students were there, either waiting in line, sitting outside, or milling around. Behind the counter, the baristas were furiously blending, foaming, and mixing. Off to the side, I spied two drinks: a Swedish Berries Iced Tea and a small hot cup. After waiting several minutes, when the baristas had no time to look my direction, I said, “Excuse me?” The young man with the ponytail
The Children of The Laniado NICU Request the pleasure of your presence at the NICU Honorary Dinner
Honoring the Board Members of the West Coast Friends of Laniado Dr. Ernest & Suzanne Agatstein
Michael & Eva Neuman
Michael & Michele Boldt
Michael & Nora Rafi
Ilan & Linda Gorodezki
Dr. Rami & Sophia Sadeghi
Victor & Mazal Hadad
Sam & Robbie Swarz
Dr. Irving & Shirley Lebovics
Stanley & Barbara Treitel
Featuring Special Guest Speaker
Tomer Israeli
Former Shin Bet Member CEO, Israeli Tactical School
Israeli Musical Interludes Cantor Netanel Baram
Fine Art Auction Solomon Fima Fine Art
Wednesday, the Nineteenth of December Two thousand and Eighteen Six o’clock Reception • Seven o’clock Dinner Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel 10500 Wilshire Boulevard • Los Angeles, California 90024 Co-chairmen: Sol Goldner, Joe Kornwasser, Victor Hadad
looked up, “Yeah?” “We had a mobile order?” I pointed to the drinks. “Oh, right. But two we couldn’t make. We’re all out of vanilla powder.” Of course, I thought, taking the two drinks he’d made and my refund, then squeezing past the other customers to get outside. So, I wouldn’t get my final Chai Tea Latte. My daughter wouldn’t get her Pure Vanilla. My husband took one sip of his cappuccino and said, “It doesn’t taste good. And it’s cold.” And, by the time said son got home, the iced tea was watery. Anticlimactic, to say the least. We drove down Beverly, into the quiet, darkening night, for greener pastures. Perhaps, as I’d heard rumor, one day soon a new-and-improved chalav Yisrael location would open. Or perhaps not. I’m not holding my breath and, honestly, I’m happy with my Keurig. But I still feel the loss. It wasn’t the drinks, nor the chalav Yisroel offerings, or the amazing location—although those were nice things. It was a place for us locals to stop on a busy Monday morning or on a subdued summer evening. There’s one less place to run into a friend or see that teacher from five years ago who said just the right thing when your kid was struggling. Maybe it is just nostalgia. After all, I have a lot of memories in this community, where I’ve lived (for the most part) for over two decades. Coffee Bean is part of those memories, and as I pass by the boarded-up building and the For Lease sign, I feel a pang of sadness for the end of an era.
The Heart of the People COMMUNICATED Laniado hospital was founded in 1976 by the Sanz Klausenberger Rebbe as a living memorial, a testament to the strength and endurance to the Jewish people, and as a tribute to the Jewish spirit—unrelenting and unwavering, even after trials, tribulations, the atrocities of the Holocaust, and almost 2000 years in exile. The Rebbe, during the war, saw the pain and suffering of the Jewish people and realized that there would come a time when all the pain would come to an end. Life would go on, and the Jewish nation would need to learn to move on, to rebuild, and to re-establish itself as the light upon the nations. Regular life would be difficult and even things as simple as visiting a hospital would bring back horrible memories of death marches and dark times. So, the Rebbe made a deal with Hashem that if he survived the war, he would open a hospital, a place where Jews would not be afraid to visit. After over 20 years of efforts in the U.S. and Israel, the hospital was finally established and opened its doors in 1976 with a single birthing department. This birth followed another: the idea of rebuilding the Continued on page 12
11