Your generosity makes Jewish Los Angeles stronger every day. From bringing our community together for powerful moments of celebration, to sharing our heritage with partners across the city, to cultivating the next generation of Jewish leaders, your support turns our values into life-changing action.
UNITING OUR VALLEY COMMUNITY AT VALLEY BIG NIGHT
Community grows stronger when we share moments of joy together. At Valley Big Night in Encino, more than 440 members of the Valley Jewish community united for an unforgettable evening where the energy in the room was electric and hope for the future felt limitless. The night featured a hilarious and heartfelt standup performance from Tiffany Haddish, who also sat for a thoughtful conversation with Bruce Gersh. Community members eloquently reflected on how JFEDLA puts the values of protection, solidarity, leadership, and honoring our elders into action every day. The future of Jewish Los Angeles is bright because our Valley Jewish community is such a powerful and enduring force.
Keep the momentum going at the Valley Major Gifts Event on May 20th, featuring presidential speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz. Register today at JewishLA.org/MajorGifts.
SHARING OUR PASSOVER STORY THROUGH OUR INTERFAITH SEDER
Jewish heritage comes alive when we share our traditions across diverse communities. Nearly 200 civic leaders, clergy, and community partners from across Los Angeles came together at the annual JFEDLA Interfaith Passover Seder at the historic Ebell of Los Angeles to reflect on the holiday’s timeless message: taking the path toward freedom is a collective act. The evening, co-sponsored by Los Angeles City Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Katy Yaroslavsky, Monica Rodriguez, Heather Hutt, and Hugo Soto-Martinez, showed what’s possible when communities unite with intention to strengthen our city. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke about the disturbing rise in antisemitism, calling for unity across faiths and cultures to confront hate. The interfaith spirit of the evening was highlighted by musical selections performed by the Nashuva Band and Voices United for Peace Gospel Choir, and by our emcees Rabbi Joel Simonds and Pastor Eddie Anderson of Partnership for Growth LA. The Interfaith Passover Seder exemplified how sharing our heritage can deepen understanding and strengthen bonds across Los Angeles.
One way to honor Passover is by connecting our ancient story to the modern world. Connect our ancient story to modern times with our helpful Passover Seder supplement, available at JewishLA.org/Supplement.
HONING LEADERSHIP SKILLS AT OUR CLI ALUMNI EVENT
Leadership is a lifelong journey. Alumni from our Community Leadership Institute (CLI) — the highly selective, 12-month leadership development program that prepares passionate members of Jewish L.A. to lead within the city’s philanthropic ecosystem — recently came together for Conversations in Wisdom: Leadership from Jewish Texts, led by Rabbi Daniel Sher of Kehillat Israel at BAR Center. The event sparked thoughtful discussion about the responsibilities many CLI alumni now hold across the nonprofit sector, including allocation decisions that shape our community’s future. Participants heard updates on our teen engagement work, and were encouraged to network with college students in our Brawerman Fellowship.
Interested in joining our next CLI cohort? Learn more at JewishLA.org/CLI.