Left to right: Councilwoman Nithya Raman (event cosponsor); Councilwoman Heather Hutt (event cosponsor); Councilmember John Lee (event cosponsor); Joanna Mendelson, SVP Community Engagement, JFedLA (event cosponsor); Dorit Haroni, Caring for Jews in Need, Steering Committee Member, JFedLA (event cosponsor); Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky (event chair); Councilman Bob Blumenfield (event chair) Los Angeles City Hall recently hosted a ceremony commemorating Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM), where 13 Jewish organizations were honored for their longstanding service to the community.
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield remarked that the event marks both the celebration of Jewish heritage and Holocaust Remembrance Day. Reflecting on the Holocaust, he underscored the universal importance of remembering and educating future generations to prevent such atrocities from happening again. “The word ‘Shoah’ translates from Hebrew into English as calamity no matter your heritage — Jew or otherwise,” Blum said.
“Here in Los Angeles, a city proud of its multiculturalism, we defy the cruelty of the Holocaust.” – Councilmember Bob Blumenfield
“It’s a calamity whose horror speaks to all manners of humanity across the world. We remain committed to ensuring such atrocities are never again committed through educating each generation and spreading the truth, especially while survivors are still with us. Here in Los Angeles, a city proud of its multiculturalism, we defy the cruelty of the Holocaust. Angelenos of all backgrounds must continue to reflect and understand what ‘never again’ truly means.”
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky echoed this sentiment, highlighting the diverse impact of Jewish-led organizations in serving all Angelenos. She talked about the dual narrative of acknowledging what Jews had to endure in the past while also celebrating the joy and resilience inherent in Jewish culture.
“As Jews we spend a lot of time talking about the horrors of the Holocaust, rising antisemitism in the United States,” she said. “But amid all of that pain, we also are doing a lot of important work in celebrating Jewish joy and love and all the things that make us proud to be Jewish on a daily basis. And for me, part of what makes me proud to be a Jew is the culture of social justice, community building and joy.”
In an interview with The Journal before the ceremony, Senior Vice President of Community Engagement at JFedLA Joanna Mendelson, emphasized the significance of the day amidst contemporary challenges.
“We are looking for moments to celebrate and to turn internally to kind of show our pride. The Jewish Federation has long operated from this belief that we are not allowing antisemitism to define us, and there is so much beauty in our heritage our culture and in who we are as a people. This month gives us the opportunity to really celebrate and rejoice.”
Mendelson highlighted the Jewish community’s commitment to service and social good, exemplified by the decades of work addressing issues such as food insecurity, education and homelessness in Los Angeles. She also talked about the importance of fostering partnerships and alliances with other communities and the need for unity and dialogue in the face of adversity. One of the plans is collaborating with the Asian community on a play to be staged at the Academy of Motion Pictures.
“It’s an opportunity to be in conversation, to have reception and to be in community with members of our Asian community and really develop bridges with the Jewish community and other entities,” she said.
The performance will be followed by a discussion and an opportunity to engage with one another. “In this world right now we cannot be isolated. We need partners, we need allies and we need to develop those deeply meaningful relationships.”
Before assuming her position in the Federation two years ago, Mendelson worked with the ADL for over two decades, serving on their national team, as associate director for the Center on Extremism, which combats extremism, terrorism and all forms of hate in the real world and online. She trained over 12,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officers, judges and public officials nationwide on extremism and domestic terrorism related issues.
“I’ve monitored the underbelly of our community and of our society, from neo-Nazis to white supremacists and other extremists that deeply hate Jews and all people,” she said. “I realized that we need to move the needle and affect change because it felt like the trajectory was too much of the same. We were experiencing the same really horrific incidents, motivated by the same horrific ideology. And so, I came over to the Federation because our leadership was deeply into systemic change and really having the Jewish community be deeply engaged in our broader Los Angeles community.”
Paul Krekorian, L.A. City Council president, acknowledged the contribution of Jewish organizations and leaders to the city. “There is virtually no civic organization in our city that hasn’t been positively influenced, led, supported by Jewish American Angelenos,” he said. “In fact, the only exception to that are the organizations that specifically excluded Jews because of the rampant and grotesque antisemitism that has been part of our history as well. And despite that, Jewish American Angelenos have persisted in building this city and making it a better place for all of us.”
Following the presentation, 13 Jewish service organization received Certificates of Recognition from the Council: Jewish Family Services, ETTA, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Wise Readers to Leaders, Karsh Center, HIAS, Beit T’Shuvah, Jewish Los Angeles Special Needs Trust, Shemesh Farms, Chai Lifeline, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles , Our Big Kitchen LA and Tomchei LA.
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