Radio’s ‘Dr. Laura’ to Speak at Synagogue

“Dr. Laura,” one of the nation’s top-rated radio talk-show hosts, will speak during Shabbat services tonight at Shomrei Torah synagogue.

Laura Schlessinger, whose no-nonsense radio show is heard locally on KFI-AM (640), is known throughout Los Angeles for scolding her callers and holding them to strict moral standards.

With her growing popularity among religious groups--attracted by her on-air references to religious and moral codes--she has spoken at synagogues and Christian retreats.

But it wasn’t until five years ago that Schlessinger embraced her Jewish heritage. She was raised in a nonreligious household by a Jewish father and Italian mother.

In 1992, she underwent Jewish conversion rites and joined a Woodland Hills synagogue.

This month, Schlessinger’s popularity among listeners earned her a lucrative deal with Jacor Communications Inc., which is expected to pay $71.5 million for the right to syndicate her show.

She also has been at the top of bestseller lists for her current book, “Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives,” and its companion tome, “Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives.”

Schlessinger’s talk will begin at 8 p.m. at Shomrei Torah, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd.

For more information, call (818) 346-0811.