A new year brings new beginnings. The life-changing impact of your generosity remains constant. At the end of 2025 and all throughout January, you helped members of our community volunteer in Israel, cared for our most vulnerable neighbors, cultivated the next generation of leaders, built educational bridges that will help Jewish students thrive, and hosted a timely webinar on the protest movement in Iran.
STANDING WITH ISRAEL THROUGH SERVICE
Solidarity means standing with Israel when it matters the most. In late-December, we launched JFEDLA’s first-ever Volunteer Impact Mission to Israel. Through hands-on volunteering, candid conversations, and immersive experiences, an intergenerational group of Angelenos supported Israel in the most tangible way possible, helping to meet the pressing needs on the ground of a country still recovering from the trauma of October 7th. Participants gained a deeper understanding of our partnerships, our impact, and the massive amount of work ahead to rebuild Israel.
View our social media recap of this transformative Israel experience at JewishLA.org/VolunteerMission.
COUNTING EVERY NEIGHBOR AT THE HOMELESS COUNT
Compassion compels us to see, and support, those too often overlooked. JFEDLA mobilized volunteers to participate in the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, the largest initiative of its kind in the country. By staffing a deployment site in Pico-Robertson, we helped ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness are counted and seen, providing vital data that determines where critical resources and services will go in the year ahead.
Support people in need across Los Angeles by volunteering at our upcoming Community Service Day at JewishLA.org/CSD.
DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF JEWISH LEADERS
The Brawerman Fellowship Winter Retreat was a celebration of leadership, as 16 outstanding fellows came together to strengthen their Jewish identities at BAR Center in Venice. Fellows reflected on their academic journeys, learned about values-based networking, built community through peer-led activities, and set intentional goals for the semester ahead. It was the final retreat for senior fellows before they graduate this spring, marking a meaningful milestone on their leadership journey.
Know a talented Jewish high school senior? Encourage them to apply to the Brawerman Fellowship at JewishLA.org/Brawerman.
HELPING MAKE EDUCATION MORE INCLUSIVE FOR JEWS
To teach the next generation of Jewish students, today’s educators need support to understand the Jewish experience. At our 3rd Annual Education Leaders Summit, we brought together K–12 leaders from across Los Angeles to help give them a better sense of the importance of Jewish inclusion and identity, our connection to Israel, and how antisemitism in schools affects our community. Through shared learning and partnership-building, the summit increased educators’ cultural competence and will create safer, more respectful classrooms for Jewish students.
Learn more about how we’re building bridges in education at JewishLA.org/CE.
SHOWING SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN
Our solidarity with the Iranian protest movement, and our Los Angeles Persian community, remains resolute. We hosted the timely webinar Voices of Resilience: Iran’s Current Crisis — What It Means for Iranians and the World, which focused on the human impact of Iran’s ongoing upheaval. By bringing together Iranians with personal connections to events on the ground, our community learned about the geopolitical stakes, the courage of the protesters, and the global implications of this historic moment.
Did you miss the webinar? Watch it now at JewishLA.org/IranWebinar.