Sofia Varona
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Jewish values will guide us through this crisis, as they always have
Less than a week ago, I was looking out of a 12th-story window of a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, watching with horror as flames and smoke began to […]
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Our Coordinated Response to this Historic Crisis
Our entire Los Angeles community continues to reel from the devastation of the past few days. With miles of land burned, thousands of buildings gone, and casualties rising, our wonderful […]
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Wildfire Crisis Briefing
JFEDLA continues to put the value of community in action by providing resources to those in need during our webinar with local elected officials and Jewish community leaders on the […]
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WATCH: Your Tremendous Impact in 2024
As the year draws to a close, I want to thank our entire Los Angeles Jewish community for your compassion, your empathy, and your love. While times continue to be […]
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Appellate court ruling can make Jewish education more accessible
Short of a lottery win, there wasn’t a way for us to keep him in a Jewish day school while servicing his behavioral and emotional needs. Our oldest son had […]
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The Jewish community must take action to ensure its own security – opinion
While law enforcement and political echelons generally support and work well with us, the Jewish community must take action to ensure our own security. Local and global events after the […]
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Giving Thanks to Our Loving Community
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving with our families or friends. Some of us watch football, some of us watch parades, and some of us watch for sales on our favorite […]
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A Reflective Time for the Jewish People
Earlier this week, JFEDLA co-hosted L.A. Remembers: October 7th at the Saban Theatre. Thousands of in-person guests, as well as thousands more online, joined 35 elected leaders and consuls general […]
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A Path Out of the Darkness
Over the past several weeks, I have accompanied groups of leaders, university presidents, elected officials, and donors through the Nova Exhibition, a pop-up museum dedicated to telling the story of the […]
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A Student’s Perspective on the Campus Climate
“Today, Jewish college students embody the essence of Jewish peoplehood: resilience. We are no longer the ‘future generation of leaders’; we are the present ones. We are today’s leading scholars […]
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This Failure Will Not Define Us
Our hearts hurt. Our pain is real. It feels like failure. For 330 days, Hersh Goldberg-Polin languished in the dark. For 330 days, he fought back against despair and kept striving […]
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Wishing Our Students and Safe and Successful School Year
Starting this week, parents across Los Angeles are sending their children back to school. Let’s be honest. For some, it’s a blessing – having kids at home all summer sounds […]
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“How We Fight Back Against Antisemitism” By Rabbi Noah Farkas
The protection of Jewish life is a value we will always uphold. Our President & CEO Rabbi Noah Farkas wrote an op-ed published by the Jerusalem Post outlining a plan […]
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Public Security Briefing: Protecting Our Community
One of our core Jewish values is that human life is sacred. On June 26th, the Jewish Security Alliance — our partnership with ADL Los Angeles and the Community Security […]
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Security Update
Yesterday’s abhorrent violence in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles, the most densely populated Jewish area on the West Coast, is yet another example of the rising antisemitism and violence […]
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A Summer of Connection
Summer is here, and it’s a time when some in our community can slow down, get away, and recharge. For some, especially our family in Israel, summer brings another season […]
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Our Presentation at a Suicide Prevention Conference in Las Vegas
In early May, we presented at the 2024 American Association of Suicidology Conference in Las Vegas, with our partners at Didi Hirsch. Our presentation focused on understanding historical stigma within […]
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Read Our 2023 Annual Report
Last year was a study in contrasts for Jewish Los Angeles. The unimaginable horrors of October 7th enraged and traumatized our entire community. Those feelings persist to this day. But […]
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Watch: The Fight for Jewish Life
This month has been challenging, but the Federation has ensured that Jewish life is protected and continues to thrive and prosper. Below, please find a speech I recently gave that […]
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We are relieved that the illegal encampments at UCLA’s campus have been removed. Our goal is to ensure the safety and protection of every Jewish student at UCLA. As such, […]