http://www.jewishla.org/ en Copyright 2013 2013-06-18T17:02:12+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/hunger-doesnt-take-a-vacation/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/hunger-doesnt-take-a-vacation/ Summer is here and while that’s good news for kids who will be going off to camp, the beach or to other enriching activities, for families that depend on school meals for balanced nutrition it’s not so great. Community News, Missions, Social Action 2013-06-18T16:02:12+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/Federation-Instrumental-in-Landmark-L.A.-City-Council-Resolution-in-Support/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/Federation-Instrumental-in-Landmark-L.A.-City-Council-Resolution-in-Support/ On June 12th, thanks to our Federation’s advocacy efforts, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution that delivers a significant blow to the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement comprised of activists who seek to delegitimize and isolate Israel. Community News, Federation News, Jewish News, Social Action 2013-06-14T15:54:38+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/natan-sharansky-our-community-welcomes-a-hero-of-the-jewish-people/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/natan-sharansky-our-community-welcomes-a-hero-of-the-jewish-people/ During a week of briefings and private receptions in Los Angeles, when Natan Sharansky spoke, our community listened. Whether it was to the leaders whose generous donations funded Operation Exodus in the early 90s, the adult children of the Russian Jews who were able to leave the former Soviet Union... Community Events, Jewish News 2013-06-11T21:34:24+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/jfed-volunteers-kick-off-summer-with-service-and-fun/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/jfed-volunteers-kick-off-summer-with-service-and-fun/ This past Sunday, The Jewish Federation held its third Community Service Day of 2013. Over 100 of our dedicated volunteers participated in projects that helped over 1,000 people! Community Events, Engaging in our Community, Federation Events, Volunteering 2013-06-06T15:18:19+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/front-line-responders-explore-the-world-of-public-benefits/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/front-line-responders-explore-the-world-of-public-benefits/ There’s an alphabet soup out there of government programs available to low income people in our community, but the system can get overwhelming for both the clients and the professionals. To better understand those programs, the Federation’s Caring for Jews in Need Strategic Initiative organized a program for professionals from across LA... Caring for Jews in Need, Jewish News, Social Action 2013-06-05T16:37:23+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/jewish-community-advocates-in-sacramento/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/jewish-community-advocates-in-sacramento/ On May 20 and 21, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles joined representatives from 13 Jewish organizations from across California to participate in the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California’s (JPAC) 2013 Advocacy Day in Sacramento – an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships, discuss policy, and represent the greater Jewish community statewide to our legislators. Community News, Engaging in our Community 2013-05-29T22:14:23+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/introducing-our-2013-brawerman-fellows/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/introducing-our-2013-brawerman-fellows/ The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles proudly announces its 2013 Brawerman Fellows. Each of this year’s four Fellows, select graduating high school seniors residing in the Los Angeles area, will receive a $10,000 annual college scholarship. The Brawerman Fellows were chosen based upon demonstrating academic strength, financial need and a commitment to leadership, community service and Jewish engagement. During their college years, the Fellows will participate in The Geri & Richard Brawerman Leadership Institute, building leadership skills and deepening their connection to Jewish life. Ensuring the Jewish Future, Federation News, Young Adults 2013-05-28T21:57:12+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/launch-night-inspires-our-community/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/launch-night-inspires-our-community/ If you weren’t at The Jewish Federation’s PresenTenseLA Launch Night on Wednesday, you’ve probably heard about it because the 300+ people in attendance are still buzzing and spreading the word throughout our community! The Writer’s Boot Camp space at Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station was filled with a lively and diverse crowd who were there to celebrate the innovative collaboration between dreamers and doers. Community News, Ensuring the Jewish Future, Federation Events, Social Action, Young Adults 2013-05-24T16:17:40+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/community-forum-on-immigration-reform/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/community-forum-on-immigration-reform/ In late April, The Jewish Federation’s Community Engagement Strategic Initiative hosted Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Director of the USC Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics Dan Schnur, former State Assemblyman Hector de la Torre, and California Republican Party strategist Mike Madrid for a bipartisan discussion on immigration reform. Community News 2013-05-23T20:11:43+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/congratulations/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/congratulations/ The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles extends our congratulations to Los Angeles’ next Mayor, Eric Garcetti (pictured on Super Sunday with L-R: Catherine Schneider, Senior Vice President, Community Engagement; Daniel Gryczman, Community Engagement Chair and Loryn Arkow, Community Engagement Vice Chair). Community News 2013-05-22T17:31:33+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/local-teens-participate-in-international-j-serve-day/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/local-teens-participate-in-international-j-serve-day/ A few weeks ago, thousands of teens across the globe joined together to make their own community and the world a better place by participating in J-Serve, the annual international day of Jewish youth service. J-Serve provides teens with the opportunity to fulfill the Jewish values of... Community Events, Jewish News, Volunteering, Young Adults 2013-05-20T17:25:36+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/rabbis-tackle-issues-of-conversion-for-children-at-groundbreaking-workshop/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/rabbis-tackle-issues-of-conversion-for-children-at-groundbreaking-workshop/ The holiday of Shavuot, which starts today at sundown, commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. The holiday also celebrates Conversion to Judaism, with the reading in synagogues of the biblical Book of Ruth. Considered the first Convert to Judaism, Ruth was... Board of Rabbis, Community Events, Jewish News 2013-05-14T16:03:32+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/honoring-our-chairman/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/honoring-our-chairman/ On May 9th, we honored our Chairman of the Board, Richard V. Sandler, with the Bruce I. Hochman Maimonides Torch of Justice Award during our Federation’s 64th Annual Legal Division Dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. More than 700 attorneys, judges and community leaders came out to recognize Richard’s outstanding service to our Federation and to the Jewish people. This year’s Legal Dinner, which was followed by... Community Events, Federation News, Legal Division 2013-05-13T16:43:44+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/Get-Ready-for-Take-off-PresenTenseLA-Launch-Night-May-22nd/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/Get-Ready-for-Take-off-PresenTenseLA-Launch-Night-May-22nd/ As a kid, who didn’t want to rocket into space like an astronaut? Most kids grow up never making it to take-off. Others launch their big ideas instead, and on Wednesday, May 22nd, our community’s visionaries will do just that at our first-ever PresenTenseLA Launch Night—and you’re invited! Community Events 2013-05-10T15:31:12+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/rabbi-jonathan-j.-bernhard-assumes-leadership-of-board-of-rabbis/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/rabbi-jonathan-j.-bernhard-assumes-leadership-of-board-of-rabbis/ The executive committee of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California passed its proverbial presidential gavel April 23 to Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard, senior rabbi of Adat Ari El, who will lead the membership organization of more than 330 rabbis. Bernhard succeeded Rabbi Judith HaLevy, who concluded two years’ service as Board of Rabbis president. Board of Rabbis, Community News 2013-05-07T18:07:22+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/diller-teen-fellows-north-american-seminar-2013/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/diller-teen-fellows-north-american-seminar-2013/ When I initially told my friends that I would be taking part in a Jewish teen leadership program known as Diller Teen Fellows, they immediately asked: “What’s Diller?” Community Events, Ensuring the Jewish Future, Young Adults 2013-05-03T16:09:12+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/los-angeles-rabbis-study-the-origins-of-zionism-with-scholar-eliyahu-stern/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/los-angeles-rabbis-study-the-origins-of-zionism-with-scholar-eliyahu-stern/ Board of Rabbis members marked Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s memorial day for fallen soldiers, April 15 with a lively discussion on the Eastern European origins of Zionism. Dr. Eliyahu Stern, a Fellow with the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, introduced the Los Angeles rabbis to... Board of Rabbis, Federation Events 2013-04-25T14:46:18+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/a-celebration-like-never-before/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/a-celebration-like-never-before/ Last Saturday, nearly 1,000 young Jewish professionals came together to celebrate Israel’s 65th Independence Day at the UNITE “Blue and White Party”—and it was all the rage! Our Israeli pride could not be contained and thanks to the power of social media, our collective spirit reached thousands more. Community Events, Federation News 2013-04-19T18:41:33+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/we-celebrate-israel-every-day-just-watch/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/we-celebrate-israel-every-day-just-watch/ Today is Israel Independence Day, celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Jewish state. At our Passover seders just a few weeks ago, we re-told the story of our people’s Exodus from Egypt and return to the land of Israel. Please take a short moment to watch this story of a young man in Israel who is building on our ancestor’s vision for our Jewish homeland thanks to your support Advocacy, Community News, Ensuring the Jewish Future, Israel 2013-04-15T23:42:16+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/holocaust-remembrance-day-remembering-those-lost-and-those-who-survived/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/holocaust-remembrance-day-remembering-those-lost-and-those-who-survived/ "Today, we remember the 11 million lives taken during the Holocaust — a catastrophe that thoroughly transformed our world. As we take time to honor lives lost, we look towards people like Viktor Frankl, who gave this talk “Why to believe in others.” Ensuring the Jewish Future, Jewish News, Israel, Social Action 2013-04-08T20:23:12+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/federation-volunteers-celebrate-freedom-with-service/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/federation-volunteers-celebrate-freedom-with-service/ The theme of freedom was brought to life on Sunday, March 31 by Federation volunteers at the second Community Service Day of 2013! Just several days after Passover, with themes of freedom still on people’s minds and hearts, over 120 volunteers participated in four programs across the city as a part of this special day of service. Community Events, Engaging in our Community, Federation Events, Social Action, Volunteering, Young Adults 2013-04-05T15:02:58+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/two-new-takes-on-our-passover-tradition/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/two-new-takes-on-our-passover-tradition/ The past is often the best way to help us reach a better future, and sometimes it’s the future that helps us appreciate our past. Undoubtedly, the old brings us into the new, yet the new often brings us back to the everlasting old. Old was added to the New Synagogue in Prague’s historical Jewish Quarter when new synagogues were being built, renaming it the Old New Synagogue Community Events, Engaging in our Community, Federation News, Social Action 2013-03-22T16:01:30+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/federation-hosts-reception-for-elected-officials/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/federation-hosts-reception-for-elected-officials/ The Jewish Federation hosted a special Jewish Community Welcome Reception for Elected Officials on February 28th, convening the local Jewish community to greet our new and veteran elected officials at the local and State levels. Co-sponsored by 15 Jewish organizations, a total of over 36 organizations represented by lay leaders and staff were in attendance, Community Events, Engaging in our Community, Federation News, Social Action 2013-03-13T18:37:16+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/civic-leadership-and-more-at-2013-NLP-Retreat/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/civic-leadership-and-more-at-2013-NLP-Retreat/ What can you teach a group of intelligent, ambitious and accomplished young professionals about leadership in a single weekend? You can teach them how to ask the right questions. You can demonstrate how many Jewish organizations exist in this town. You can give them an overview of the complex city in which we live. Community News, Engaging in our Community, Federation Events, Young Adults 2013-03-11T18:14:06+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/discovering-your-pain-point/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/discovering-your-pain-point/ I had just given my practice “pitch”—a 3 minute rationale for my PresenTenseLA venture—and our guest speaker, Adlai Wertman, Director of the Society and Business Lab at USC, clearly was not impressed. “Your venture sounds cool. But you spoke about a very broad problem—I’m not clear at all what the ‘pain point’ is, nor why you are the one best suited to address it.” Community News, Ensuring the Jewish Future, Federation Events, Young Adults 2013-03-06T17:20:48+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/why-yala/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/why-yala/ It’s so amazing how much can change in a year. We recently held our 2nd annual YALA Open House and it was a big success, but only a year ago I sat in the audience looking around the room wondering, “What is YALA all about?” I had no idea that I would meet people who I now consider my closest friends, or that I would be asked to join the YALA (Young Adults of Los Angeles) board in a role that is based on new member outreach. Federation Events, Young Adults 2013-03-05T17:18:59+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/pursuing-justice-in-haiti/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/pursuing-justice-in-haiti/ "Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof – Justice, justice, shall you pursue” (Deut. 16:20) If you’re wondering why tzedek, or justice, is used twice in this biblical verse, I believe that it is because we are commanded to not only pursue justice for ourselves, but justice for others. And, it is for this reason that I traveled to Haiti last month with the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), a partner of our Federation. Jewish News, Missions, Philanthropy, Social Action 2013-03-04T17:46:14+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/cultivating-innovation-in-l.a.s-jewish-community/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/cultivating-innovation-in-l.a.s-jewish-community/ In the last month I have had the great privilege to be part of the inaugural cohort of PresenTenseLA. As a part of this fellowship of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, I have met some of L.A.’s Jewish community’s most creative and exciting innovators. Through a variety of workshops, seminars, brainstorming sessions and networking opportunities our cohort is able to help one another from within the PresenTense infrastructure. Community News, Ensuring the Jewish Future, Federation Events, Young Adults 2013-02-28T22:22:32+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/his-way-misha-jakobas-vilnius-lithuania/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/his-way-misha-jakobas-vilnius-lithuania/ I met Misha for the first time in the fall of 2011 in Tel Aviv. Misha is the head of Shalom Aleichem School in Vilnius. The school was recruited through the JDC to be part of the LA Jewish Federation’s new triangle exchange program called TALAVI (Tel Aviv – Los Angeles – Vilnius). At first sight Misha looked like a regular middle aged man, gray hair, tall, impressive, very polite with European manners. Education, Engaging in our Community, School Twinning Program 2013-02-28T18:02:48+00:00 http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/what-makes-a-space-sacred/ http://www.jewishla.org/blog/entry/what-makes-a-space-sacred/ Does a holy site contain some innate spiritual power? Must we build a synagogue or cathedral at that site to feel close to God? Do Jewish and Protestant houses of worship have anything in common? On February 20, more than 60 clergy and scholars met in Pasadena to study these questions with one of the world’s most fascinating “spiritual tourists,” architect Jeff Greene. Board of Rabbis, Community Events 2013-02-26T17:59:52+00:00