Jewish Calendar 2008

The Education of LAUSD's Steve Zimmer

It’s been dark for almost five hours, the city has slowed, and even the 101 Freeway is sparse and quiet. Steve Zimmer has just wrapped his last appointment, but rushing home seems foolish when a rare sit-down dinner is an option. Most days Zimmer hardly notices how alone he is, because he never stops working.

On this wintry night earlier this year, the then-18-month veteran of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education is coming off a 14-hour day, a zigzag tour of schools from West Hollywood to the Elysian Valley, from parent meetings on the Westside to policy meetings downtown, home to Hollywood to walk his blind Chihuahua-pug mix and is about to wind down — finally — with dinner and a very necessary nightcap in Echo Park. By this point, Zimmer is hungry, tired and melancholy, so once he’s decided upon the kitschy French bistro Taix on Sunset Boulvard, he pops in a Leonard Cohen CD and sinks into the driver’s seat of his LAUSD-owned Prius.

Hallelujah…

“So you know that everybody covers ‘Hallelujah,’ but this version, this live version is just … unbelievable,” he says. “The instrumentation is very different than his studio albums. I didn’t realize how Jewish-influenced his music was until I heard this. It almost has a klezmer-y feel.”

Zimmer moves to another favorite, Beck, whose album “Sea Change” he calls “the breakup album.” “It rips your heart out,” he says, explaining that he listened to it on loop for months after a six-year relationship ended recently. At 41, he has never married, but he says his last breakup felt like a divorce.

“I’ve been good — or at least passable — at a lot of things in my life,” Zimmer tells me. “I haven’t been as good at relationships. An artist can’t help being an artist — in the same sense that I can’t help what I do. It’s a focus thing.

“I don’t know how to do things any other way. It’s a complicated balancing act to have two passions. It takes a very, very special person to be willing to be part of a balancing act.”  

But if Zimmer thinks his schedule reflects any sort of work/life balance whatsoever, he’s either incredibly un-self-aware or in denial. Most days he’s so entrenched — between developing and arguing policy downtown and visiting with parents, students and administrators at any of the 99 school sites in his district, which runs from East Hollywood to the ocean, north to the Valley and south to Westchester (“It’s f—-ing enormous!”) — there really is no distinction between Zimmer’s work life and personal life. Given the constant state of crisis in today’s public schools, every school board member must take the job seriously, but, for Zimmer, it is an up-all-night, high-octane, high-stress, the-world-rests-on-your-shoulders kind of job. He gives it everything, with a self-sacrifice that borders on masochism.

The Jewish Calendar 2009-2010 Engagement | 2009 Engagement Calendar

Amazon Sales Rank: #836335 in Books Published on: 2009-05-19 Original language: English Number of items: 1 Binding: Calendar 116 pages

Most helpful customer reviews April 3 people found the following review helpful. The Jewish calendar engagement set by Gregorio Billikopf went to the Jewish calendar now since 2008. I can not wait until September or October of each year for my order. I love my oldest copies for the pretty pictures. This is not a wall calendar, a calendar appointment. The photos are of the B'nai B'rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum. It is published by Universe. Each month in English and in Hebrew. Every weekday, the date of the regular schedule on the left and the Jewish date on the right. Each page has a calendar week and on the facing page a photograph. Indeed, there is a photograph of two pages on each calendar. Each photo has a description on the opposite side. Jewish holidays are carefully recorded, including Torah readings and Haphtarah. candle lighting times for Shabbat is part of the year to Jerusalem, along with ten other sites carefully observed Jewish holidays. While it is true that some of the pictures is the most modern devices (I do not care much), others are great beauties. I am a big fan of the series schedule commitment. I had not planned to write this review until it was surprised to see that someone had given the time of the participation of a star. I give it five. 0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Jewish Calendar for G. Van Steen This calendar has beautiful pictures, statues and artwork, and comes with a small piece of written history. I like how your calendar so allow me to take notes. This is my second year on the purchase of this product. 0 of 0 people found this review helpful. my favorite desktop calendar ever! By D. Enck It is the third year I bought this desk calendar. It was the only one who can come up with a week beginning on Sunday, and it is quite important to me, I'm not jew, if I have a deep appreciation for the Jewish faith. But I love the beautiful images of various works of Jewish art - from antiques to modern art through painting. The photos are - like the rest of the program - high quality. These devices hold up well, have plenty of space for writing daily activities, and such a joy to browse through art, too. I call on the Jewish calendar (calendar appointment)! See 7 reviews ...

Encyclopedia Britannica almanac 2008

The Teachers Calendar, School Year 2010-2011

The Reluctant Jew

The Trinity Matrix 2008, Your Interactive Guide to the Other Reality

Time: Almanac 2008