Etta Ohel celebrated its 20th anniversary at its annual gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel that honored a number of local contributors to the organization that provides services to people with special needs.
Michael Baruch, founder of Baruch Enterprises, received the Visionary Award in recognition of his longtime support for Etta. Michelle Wolf, a special needs parent activist, nonprofit professional and Journal blogger, was honored with the Professional Leadership Award at the Dec. 17 event.
Additional honorees included Liebe Geft, director of the Museum of Tolerance, and her husband, Ivor, a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cardiologist. They were named Etta’s Champions.
Moishe Bienenfeld, a young man who is diagnosed with autism, was honored with the Young Leadership Award.
State Assembly members Richard Bloom and Adrin Nazarian, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, L.A. County Democratic Party chair Eric Bauman and state Senate candidate Robert Hertzberg were among the attendees. Comedian Mark Schiff served as emcee.
Hollywood talent manager David Lonner has been named to the board of Friends of Yemin Orde (FYO). The organization raises money to support the Yemin Orde Youth Village in Israel, which is home to more than 500 children from around the world, and Yemin Orde Educational Initiatives.
“By giving children a connection to their roots and a safe and loving place to be educated and nurtured, Yemin Orde has produced exemplary citizens for the State of Israel,” Lonner said in a statement on the FYO Web site.
Lonner, founder of management and production company Oasis Media Group, was voted unanimously to the lay leadership post during the FYO December 2013 biannual board meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla.
He brings experience working with Hollywood power players, including J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek”), along with a passion for Israel, to the position. Lonner’s past efforts on behalf of the Jewish state include co-financing programs with The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles taking Hollywood professionals there on trips.
Friends of Israel Defense Forces Young Leadership regional board member Michele Stone and regional president Aaron Leff.
Last month, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) drew hundreds of young professionals to its seventh annual Young Leadership gala and raised nearly $300,000 in the process.
The Dec. 14 event at the Park Plaza Hotel drew FIDF Young Leadership Los Angeles chairman Ari Ryan; FIDF Los Angeles founder Leo David; FIDF Western Region Executive Director Miri Nash and FIDF Young Leadership Los Angeles president Aaron Leff. Additionally, David Siegel, the consul general of Israel in Los Angeles, attended.
Established in 1981, FIDF supports Israel Defense Forces soldiers currently serving in the military as well as the families of fallen soldiers. The Young Leadership division of FIDF Western Region helps with that mission, organizing programs for young professionals.
Moving and Shaking acknowledges accomplishments by members of the local Jewish community, including people who start new jobs, leave jobs, win awards and more, as well as local events that featured leaders from the Jewish and Israeli communities. Got a tip? E-mail it to ryant@jewishjournal.com.
