Hundreds of Young Jews Celebrate at
Purim on the Strip

YLD Committee members Cara Bovitz and Lonny Weiss

The party, which was held at The Roxy Theater on Sunset Boulevard on Saturday, March 8, was sponsored by the Federation’s Young Professionals Divisions and other Jewish organizations, including ATID LA, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, The W Group at Stephen S. Wise Temple, Eretz-Siamak, Congregation Kol Ami, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, and Taglit-Birthright Israel NEXT.

The event featured a full bar, Middle Eastern food, a delicious dessert spread, and of course, hamentaschen. Guests talked, mingled, and packed the dance floor as DJ Dwayne from Party Lane spun hot music, accompanied by a live drummer. Midway through the evening, a Best Costume Contest was held, with prizes awarded to the winners of different categories, including Best Couple, Most Original, Hottest Hollywood, and Best Homemade Costume. Guests were asked to bring school supplies to be donated to the Gramercy Place Homeless Shelter and family violence shelters supported by Jewish Family Service, a beneficiary agency of The Jewish Federation.

Young Leadership Division member Laura Lugash summed up the evening perfectly. “Best Purim party I've ever been to... and all the hamentaschen you could eat!”

For more information on the Young Leadership Division, please contact Cassie Kirschbaum at (323) 761-8132 or CKirschbaum@JewishLA.org.

Federation’s Young Legal Division Hears
Powerful Story at the EMET Networking Event

EMET Co-Chairs Michael Treiman & Stephanie Rutenberg, Stephen Abraham and EMET Co-Chair Dan Shallman EMET Steering Committee Members Daryl Crone, Marc Luber, and Craig Rutenberg Michelle & Stephen Abraham, EMET Co-Chair Stephanie Rutenberg, and Event Chair Dan Frysh

Stephen Abraham, a Jewish lawyer from Newport Beach, served as a reserve Army officer for the past 22 years. His name has recently become known through publications such as the New York Times and Los Angeles Times as the first military insider to publicly criticize detainee tribunal hearings at Guantanamo Bay.
As a Holocaust survivor and an attorney sworn to uphold the constitution, Abraham shared the deep convictions that led him to speak out against what he sees as a system designed to rubber stamp the denial of detainee rights, without regard to evidence or witnesses.

Dan Frysh, an EMET committee member who chaired the event, thought the program was well received. “It attracted a variety of young legal professionals including associates at large firms, in-house counsels, and legal recruiters. Our speaker, Stephen Abraham, had a very interesting message and was able to provide a unique perspective regarding the Guantanamo tribunals."

For more information on EMET, please contact Jillian Spencer at (323) 761-8357 or JSpencer@JewishLA.org.