The world premiere of “The Survivor in a Tuxedo” – a new documentary about Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel – took place last month during the Jerusalem Film Festival.
The 71-minute film, directed by veteran documentary filmmaker David Fisher, combines interviews, animation and archival footage as it explores Wiesel’s evolution from Holocaust survivor to one of the world’s leading moral voices.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog was among those in attendance at the film’s Jerusalem debut. He called the film, one of 200 films from 60 countries screened at the festival, “moving and compelling.”
The premiere drew prominent members of Israel’s cultural and Jewish communal leadership, including Herzog and his wife, First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog; Michael Berenbaum, director of the Sigi Ziering Institute at American Jewish University and an executive producer on the project; and Jewish National Fund-USA National Campaign Director Rick Hirschhaut.
Berenbaum, a renowned Holocaust scholar, also appears as an interviewee in the film. Few, in fact, were better positioned to help shape the documentary than Berenbaum, who worked closely with Wiesel in establishing the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Following the screening, Berenbaum participated in a discussion about Wiesel’s legacy and the making of the film. “Having devoted much of my career to studying the Holocaust, it was a tremendous honor to work on this film about Elie Wiesel,” Berenbaum said. “He helped shape the moral conscience of generations. I hope audiences around the world will experience this film and come away with a deeper appreciation for the complexity, courage and enduring legacy of his life.”
Los Angeles philanthropists and professionals recently teed off at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades for Jewish National Fund-USA’s annual David Frank Memorial Golf Classic, raising funds to secure the land and people of Israel’s future.
Chaired by Brett Bossuk and Joe Rosen, the golf classic – played on an iconic course that’s a mainstay of the PGA tour and will notably host the 2028 Olympics’ golf competition – brought together the organization’s longtime donors and first-time participants for a day of golf, networking and philanthropy, driving support for communities throughout Israel’s north and south. The tournament’s champions were Ryan Kennedy, Eric Mertlbauer, Michael Thom and T.J. Vogel. The day’s spirit of generosity will continue later this year, when many tournament participants and hundreds of others are expected to reunite at Jewish National Fund-USA’s annual Breakfast for Israel on “Giving Tuesday,” Dec. 1, in Beverly Hills.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) has named Kimberley Plotnik as director of its Los Angeles regional office.
“Kimberley’s deep community relationships and record of exceptional leadership will enable her to advance AJC’s mission in Southern California and throughout the West,” AJC CEO Ted Deutch said. “At a time when Jewish communities are navigating significant new challenges, Kimberley’s experience will undoubtedly strengthen AJC’s impact throughout the region.”
In her new role, Plotnik oversees AJC activities and advocacy in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino counties as well as in Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico. “AJC has a proud history of championing the Jewish community in Los Angeles and Southern California,” Plotnik said. “I look forward to fostering deeper connections within the Jewish community and expanding partnerships across our region’s diverse communities and among local leaders to help build a future in which our community is not only safe but truly thriving.”
Plotnik most recently worked as program director for Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project at Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, a public interest legal organization that provided pro bono legal services to more than 8,000 immigrants annually. She previously worked as a civil rights area counsel at ADL in Los Angeles, focusing on complaints tied to antisemitism and issues of discrimination and civil rights. Plotnik was also a volunteer attorney for the Immigrants’ Rights Project at Public Counsel, a nonprofit public-interest law firm in Los Angeles, and for UNHCR, the U.N. refugee program, in Kampala, Uganda.
A resident of Los Angeles, Plotnik is a graduate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and the UCLA School of Law.
