“All I see are freeways and palm trees,” my mother remarked in 1989 during our first few hours in Los Angeles. We had just landed at Los Angeles International Airport after a nearly year-long temporary refugee hiatus in Italy, after fleeing post-revolutionary Iran. One of my paternal uncles drove us along the 405 North to his home and made certain to point out the three most important destinations in the city: “That way,” he pointed west, “is the beach; there (east) is Hollywood, and way back there,” he said, pointing south, “are the Persian supermarkets.”
Though a little girl, I immediately understood everything I needed to know about L.A. from my uncle’s charming navigational descriptions: The city is a miraculous metropolis of breezy beaches that unleash our spirits; the epicenter of human creativity (Hollywood) that makes us all stand a little taller; and a confluence of cultural coexistence that defies all reason. Only in Los Angeles could we enjoy a Persian saffron and rose water ice cream sandwich from Mashti Malone’s in Hollywood, on our way to chase seagulls on Venice Beach.
Neil Simon once said about Los Angeles: “It’s like paradise with a lobotomy.” True, there are many corners of paradise to be found around the county, from Huntington Gardens to breakfast burrito trucks with long lines of loyal customers. But Angelenos have never been as stereotypically sheltered from hardship and the grittiness of city life as many have suggested. In fact, L.A. has been portrayed as anything but paradise in the past few years, with violent crime and murder rates at alarming levels; the nation’s second-highest numbers for homelessness; and skyrocketing prices for everything from houses to a morning Cup of Joe. Leave your Prius too long at a parking meter on Washington Boulevard? That’ll cost you $65. For the record, in Miami, the same citation stands at $36.
In 2021, over 67,000 people left Los Angeles, adding to a large exodus from California to greener pastures that totaled over 6 million people who left the state between 2010 to 2020. Yes, few can afford to live here and those who do often complain incessantly about the state of crime, affordability or homelessness. Jews, in particular, have left for cities such as Denver, Miami, Dallas and Las Vegas, also citing disturbing upticks in violent antisemitic acts in the past few years. It’s enough to wonder whether those who are leaving Los Angeles are jumping off of a sinking ship. But if L.A. is really all that bad, why, then, do so many of us choose to stay?
Tired of the inarguably bad image the city has suffered in recent years, the Journal decided to ask Angelenos of different backgrounds, including Jews and non-Jews alike, a simple question that would purposefully elicit positive thoughts and words — a difficult, if not rare feat amid a two-year pandemic that has depleted us all. That question was: “Are there still reasons to love Los Angeles?” We believe there are still infinite reasons to see this city with seemingly new eyes that convey appreciation and yes, wonder. It’s precisely such renewed gratitude that will keep us all young in a city that, by its very nature, chases continuous regeneration.
A new Superbowl win in our own backyard doesn’t hurt, either. It was exactly the kind of serendipitous boost we needed to reclaim pride in our city again. Or as Rabbi Daniel Bouskila said, “It was a vaccine booster of L.A. energy.”
And a new Superbowl win in our own backyard doesn’t hurt, either. It was exactly the kind of serendipitous boost we needed to reclaim pride in our city again. Or as Rabbi Daniel Bouskila said, “It was a vaccine booster of L.A. energy.”
We want to hear from all of you about why you still love L.A. Select responses will be published in the Jewish Journal and shared on social media. To submit a response, visit jewishjournal.com/love-la/
“I moved here from New York because this is where Hollywood was. These days you create your own Hollywood wherever you want. Content is king and anyone can create anything from anywhere. But I stay here in L.A. because it has an amazing Jewish community, great schools, shuls, delicious restaurants, awesome comedy clubs and my favorite weather on the planet besides Hawaii. People like seasons. Even though at least one of them sucks. I would rather have four perfect slices of pizza than two great ones, one awful one, and a slice that’s not great but changes colors. Growing up in The Bronx makes me a sucker for palm trees and sun. Even if the trees are fake and the sun is giving me skin cancer. So yeah, I’ll take L.A., with all its issues, because basically it’s like my hometown of NYC but without the attitude, potholes and yellow snow.”
— Elon Gold
Comedian, actor, writer and producer
I’m a lover of classical music, so I feel lucky to frequent the Hollywood Bowl and Disney Hall, two of the greatest music venues in the world. I love opera, and we have one of the most dynamic companies anywhere. We have museums, like the Getty, the Broad, LACMA, the Natural History Museum and many others. — Zev Yaroslavksy
“I love the arts and culture capital that Los Angeles has become. I’m a lover of classical music, so I I feel lucky to frequent the Hollywood Bowl and Disney Hall, two of the greatest music venues in the world. I love opera, and we have one of the most dynamic companies anywhere. We have museums, like the Getty, the Broad, LACMA, the Natural History Museum and many others. The arts not only nurture the soul, but they blur our differences and bring us together. Music, art, dance, and theater are the language that we all have in common. In a city as complex and diverse as L.A., that is a most invaluable asset.”
— Zev Yaroslavsky
Former Los Angeles City Council Member and Board of Supervisors
“I love the melting pot that is L.A. I love that I still get to use my NYC public school Spanish that I thought I’d never use again. I love the Ethiopian stretch of Fairfax. I love Koreatown. I love the Persian supermarkets grilling kabobs in their parking lot on Sundays. I love the Pastrami at Langers. I love the Soul Food Kitchen on Manchester. I love the Parisian perfect croissants at La Choquette on Melrose. And all the great conversations I’ve had in all those places. And as hard as it is for a NY Giants fan to admit it, I love the Rams.”
— Steve Kessler
Director and screenwriter
“’Do you think she’s ready?’ my assignment editor asked the Associated Press L.A. Photo Bureau Chief.
‘I don’t know, it’s a pretty important assignment. She’s still pretty green….we can’t risk her screwing it up.’ They both looked at me.
‘What, what? I’m ready – I won’t screw up!’ My stomach was doing flips with nerves. It was the late 1980s and I was only a few months into being one of the main A.P. Los Angeles photo stringers. There was no shortage of candidates waiting in the wings for the privilege of being on call 24/7 covering the confounding, glorious, infuriating and intoxicating seductive City of Angels, with its earthquakes, fires, Hollywood premieres, gang violence, and high-profile criminal trials. It was one huge adrenaline rush and I loved every minute of it.
Kosher Burrito became my go to – I would even take prospective dates there as a Rorschach test. – Yael Swerdlow
‘Ok, we’ll see how she does. Hey, kid….’ The assignment editor called me over. ‘Do you know where Kosher Burrito is on 1st and Main?’
‘Um….no,’ I blushed, having bragged I knew this city better than anyone. After all, I’m second generation – my Mom was born in Boyle Heights, and how many people can claim that?
The editor gave me her infamous side-eye.
‘Here’s $50 bucks. Go pick up ten Kosher Burritos and drop them off to the Federal Courthouse to the team covering the trial. And keep one for yourself – we need to see if you really have the stomach for this career.’
Kosher Burrito became my go to – I would even take prospective dates there as a Rorschach test. If they ate with gusto, there was romantic potential.
— Yael Swerdlow
Recovering Photojournalist
CEO/Founder, Maestro Games, SPC
I have called Los Angeles home for 2994 days—the majority of my life has been spent enjoying Los Angeles from afar. LA is the crucible for my musical heroes—the backdrop to the films that changed the way I live. Between concert tours, film and album releases, LA’s music and film aura drives me every day. To live in a sprawling art studio of a town inspires a daily thrill. To learn more and write about that which blows my mind is why I’m still here. Try this: drive west down Ventura Boulevard while listening to Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin.’”
— Brian Fishbach
Music and entertainment journalist
An Ode to L.A. Sports
(Sung to the tune of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”)
Look at those Lakers
Those Dodger teams
Look at those LA Rams
And their new Super Bowl rings
My favorite sports teams
Ain’t nothing like ‘em nowhere
UCLA Basketball – we love it!
Pauley Pavilion – we love it!
Dodger Stadium – we love it!
Welcome back LA Rams – we love it, we love it!
We love LA sports!
I love L.A. (we love it)
I love L.A. (we love it)
I love L.A. (we love it)
— Daniel Bouskila
Director, Sephardic Educational Center
Rabbi, Westwood Village Synagogue
We have world-class natural beauty, including America’s largest national park contained within a city’s borders, containing 500+ miles of trails. – Max Goldberg
“We have great career opportunities with almost no formal education required in technology, media, entertainment, fashion, sustainability, politics, and investing. There’s legitimate cultural diversity across more than four million residents, which leads to incredible food options in almost all neighborhoods, from street tacos to Michelin-star restaurants. We have world-class natural beauty, including America’s largest national park contained within a city’s borders, containing 500+ miles of trails. There’s a feeling that you can theoretically do absolutely anything because pretty much every kind of thing is here.”
— Max Goldberg
Performance Marketer
“Are there still reasons to love L.A.? Relationships. Relationships. Relationships.”
— Neuriel Shore
Associate Director
Jewish National Fund-USA
“I think Los Angeles is a microcosm of our country. A lot of us, since 2016, if we’re honest, have questions, including: Who are we? L.A., historically, has been a place of reinvention. Come out West, create a new identity, a better way of life. Like America, L.A. can be messy, but like the best of America, it’s diverse. We have history here. I’ve been a member of the Los Angeles Conservancy since my twenties. We really do have a history that’s interesting and celebratory: Wild West town turned the epicenter of the filmmaking capital. And I’m a third generation Angeleno. I love the messiness.
My happy place is downtown, where I moved to in 2001, before it was cool. A lot of the older buildings have been converted to make them relevant and new-living. Today, I live in a 1913 hotel that was converted into condo lofts. Downtown is like El Pueblo, the birthplace of L.A., and everything sprung from here. Spring Street was the Wall Street of the West; Broadway was the premiere entertainment district.”
— Tracy Mercer
Television and film producer
“One morning, I was on my way to pray, and I asked myself, ‘What is your career success fantasy?’ Since I write for television, I began there. Wouldn’t it be great if I created a hit show that ran for years and made millions of dollars. Then I asked myself, if I had all this right now, what would I do? Well, I thought, today is Shabbat, so I’d be going to shul. But which one? The answer is to my favorite shul in the world, the Happy Minyan of Los Angeles. And then I realized… that’s exactly what I’m doing right now!”
— David Sacks
Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and host of the weekly podcast, “Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World,” available at torahonitunes.com
“Along with the weather, entertainment, beaches and mountains, Los Angeles is the most diverse community in the history of our planet. That means we are part of this incredibly important experiment to make that diversity into something that can help a community thrive rather than simply bicker amongst ourselves. That gives us the ability to demonstrate to the world — now and in the future — that diverse societies can be better than the sum of our individual parts. I love the idea of being part of that experiment — and that example. All that, plus Mastro’s and Pinch’s Tacos.”
— Dan Schnur
U.S. Political Editor, Jewish Journal
“One reason to love L.A.? When you request oat milk in your matcha latte, the baristas don’t blink.”
— Sherre Hirsch
Rabbi and author
“I think L.A.’s mixture of people and neighborhoods with distinct personalities is still something to celebrate, although my own preference is to get to the loneliest places possible. I enjoy the coves on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and getting up into the Santa Monica mountains. I used to love the Paramount western town, but that is now lost to the Woolsey fire.”
— Professor Nicholas Cull
University of Southern California
“Despite recent ridicule surrounding Los Angeles, there are still many reasons to love the city. I like the various cultures and distinct areas of the city, from the buzz of industrial life while at a restaurant to feeling the gentle wind as I’m hanging out with friends at the beach. The weather is always pristine, which is perfect for my weekly family walks or relaxing outside at school and at home. And most importantly, the community here is amazing! Everyone is super friendly whether it’s the owner of a local cafe or the head of an organization I work with.”
— Zach Gottlieb, 16
Founder of Talk With Zach,
A Gen Z Movement and Community
Angelenos are always making things happen. It is the place where imagination can become reality. – Janet Elliott
“Los Angeles is definitely facing serious challenges these days, but I still love L.A. Of course one can’t help but put the weather as a top reason to never leave, however, what really keeps the romance alive for me is its amazing diversity. Embracing people from around the world of all colors, cultures and creeds is the reason L.A. abounds in creativity. Angelenos are always making things happen. It is the place where imagination can become reality. It is our diversity that gives us innovations in science, business, art, music, food and fashion like nowhere else. So, I am hopeful – if there is any place that can solve our current problems, it’s Los Angeles.”
— Janet Elliott
President /CEO
International Visitors Council of Los Angeles
“I love our Jewish bubble. Pico/Robertson feels like little Israel: Jews from all walks of life and the best food! I love that we live adjacent to Beverly Hills and are close to fun spaces in Los Angeles as well.”
— Yulia Medovoy Edelshtain
Yoga/Pilates/Doula
“Not gonna lie: movie stars. I have no qualms about running up to favorites to say I love their work; regaling them with unrequested tales of how they influenced my little inner-city childhood. In West Philadelphia Born and Raised, but I always wanted to live by the Pacific. And now? I’m blocks away, in beautiful downtown Venice, west of Lincoln. Some nights I’ll say, ‘I hear you,’ when her waves crash. Or foghorns warn when cloud mists settle onto her aqua suave. And there’s the crispy clean sunny air the day after good rain, showing off beautiful snow-capped mountains in the distance…”
— Pat Branch
Novelist, Filmmaker, Stand-up comic, & Special Ed teacher for LAUSD (because Momma gotta eat)
I love that L.A. inspires art because L.A. is art. People come to LA from all over the world to create art – music, films, stories, murals. We are a city of artists because something about this place inspires art. – Rabbi Noah Farkas
“I love that L.A. inspires art because L.A. is art. People come to LA from all over the world to create art – music, films, stories, murals. We are a city of artists because something about this place inspires art. I think the pandemic has robbed many of us of the openness to being inspired. We are all just so tired of it all — the Zoom meetings, the masks, the tension. We are afraid to be all alone, but we are afraid to be in big crowds. It’s enough to know the spirit out of anyone. I’ve seen it in my previous work on the pulpit. Everyone is just so – uninspired. We forgot the place we live is magic.
I was at the beach for a meeting and stayed to watch the sunset. As the sun got low, and its orange rays glistened off the choppy water, the sky in LA turned just the right shades of yellow, then pink and finally purple. As the now winked goodbye and an indigo curtain lowered upon another day, it’s enough to remind us, at least for only those few moments, that we live not just in a city, but in a work of art. L.A .is a masterpiece.”
— Rabbi Noah Farkas
President and CEO,
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
“The concert dance scene affords a lot of opportunity to create community and art, and there are a lot of cross-cultural exchanges happening in interesting ways.”
—Laura Karlin
Artistic Director, Invertigo Dance Theatre
“My happy place is where I live — San Pedro and the surrounding peninsula. It’s full of breathtaking beauty and nature. The people here look out for each other. Our ‘Buy Nothing’ group is 1,200 strong. Our councilman, Joe Buscaino, makes things happen for us. Our downtown is quaint and filled with locals making their dreams a reality. We’re the best kept secret in the city of Los Angeles and I’ll never leave this area!”
— Drew Alyeshmerni Leach
Founder and Director, M’ever LaYam
I particularly love learning about different cultures and how they come together in our city and how we influence one another, shaping and reshaping customs and communities. We are stronger when we open the tent wide!” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger
“There are still many reasons to love Los Angeles. First and foremost is our diversity. LA is rich with different kinds of people from different spots all over the world. This makes for a creative quilt of humanity, art, food, culture and yes, opinions. But it is exactly this wonderful mélange of people and their stories that gives Los Angeles its creative pulse. I particularly love learning about different cultures and how they come together in our city and how we influence one another, shaping and reshaping customs and communities. We are stronger when we open the tent wide!”
— Rabbi Denise L. Eger,
Senior Founding Rabbi, Congregation Kol Ami
“To be honest, it’s the diversity in kosher places, shuls and markets. We don’t appreciate what we have until we see other people struggling elsewhere to live Jewish lives. Here, it is very easy to get a lot of kosher items. I know that people get flustered because of external issues, but honestly, we live in a great city. We’re just paying a hefty price tag for it.”
— Nathan Tatarsky
Financial Controller
“Named ‘The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels’, L.A. was founded on the banks of a river where our indigenous people dwelled. The Holy Work of sacred waters continues weekly at the American Jewish University mikvah through the Sandra Caplan Community Bet Din. I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where men, women, queer, cis-gender and otherwise gather to welcome anyone and everyone into Judaism. There are tears, laughter, grief, and deep healing in this Theatre of Ritual Life. Embodied Redemption from a diverse community working together through ancient waters of our Sacred, Feminine City.”
— Rabbi Lori Shapiro,
Founder and Artistic Director,
The Open Temple in Venice
“So many reasons to love L.A. Of course, there are the restaurants and the museums and the beaches and the mountains and the near perfect weather that make it great, but the thing I love the most is the diversity. Unlike in the small town I grew up in, in L.A. I have daily interactions with people from all over the world. I’ve had discussions with and learned from people whose experiences and views are vastly different from mine, and at the same time, found a community of like-minded individuals who make me feel like I’m home. Culture still feels really celebrated here, and I think that’s pretty special.”
— Lauren Miller Rogen
Actress, comedian, screenwriter and director
Co-Founder, Hilarity for Charity
”As a child, little thrilled me more than landing at LAX from St. Louis. The TWA door would swing open while the fragrance from the nearby citrus groves rushed in. Those groves are long gone, as are my grandparents whom we’d visit yearly. Yet the smells and memories remain vivid. No surprise then that these many years later, my heart still beats differently when I land in LA. Why so? To start, this free-spirited city is less encumbered by orthodoxies which plague elsewhere; then there’s the ocean, which you can never tire of staring at; and the sunlight— does it not shine differently here? Yet it’s more personal than this. It’s the evocative memories of playing on the Malibu beach with my brothers and friends on those endless days when the world seemed young and, more or less, still whole. Then there’s Raymond Chandler and James Elroy and Mike Davis—who else but these only-in-LA writers capture the City of Angels at its most devilish? They, like the Ladies of the Canyon —Joni, Judy and the others—embody the unique, still largely untrammeled spirit of LA. All of this is more than enough to say, along with Randy Newman, I love LA!
— John Moscowitz
Rabbi Emeritus, Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto
Author, “Evolution of An Unorthodox Rabbi”
“The reason I have loved, and will always love L.A. has to do with its natural beauty — L.A. has spectacular sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, a gorgeous bay in which to swim or walk along the shore, and breathtaking hikes through the mountains with wildflowers and creeks. And then there are the museums, theaters, eateries and people! There are so many diverse Jews in Los Angeles, which makes me feel not so alone. You can find a community in which to belong if you just seek it out. My favorite spot of all is the bridge after 45 minutes of hiking from the parking lot at Will Rogers State Park. You see from downtown east, the city below you, and the horizon west over the Pacific.”
— Ronda Spinak
Founder, Artistic Director, The Braid
“No community is perfect, but this one is unusually ‘warm, open-minded, and diverse.’ It’s a special kind of diversity, too, in that each little part of the community is less insular than in many other communities. For example, it’s not that unusual to see a Haredi woman out walking with her friend/neighbor who’s in pants and a tank top in the morning. Some of my happy places: Palos Verdes and Malibu and Huntington Gardens and the Stoneview Nature Center. Also: The Last Bookstore.”
— Becca Klempner
Writer
“Yes, L.A. is without question the expression of a culturally relevant progressive American city. Our politics and policies favor inclusivity– our teachers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, caretakers and more. We are a city that promotes being free to love who you want to love, claim your rightful gender, and we are in an ongoing fight for racial justice – yes, we still have a long way to go, but at least we are pushing in the right direction. Many cities cannot say the same. What I love the most about L.A. is our activism and community organizing. Because we continue to fight for our street vendors’ rights, L.A. has a booming culture of food trucks. We may be one of the only cities in the country where food trucks are regularly seen at weddings and can be found in almost every corner of the city.”
— Gamal J. Palmer
Global DEI and Leadership Development Specialist
“The Jewish community is the best. It is warm, open minded, and diverse. My happy places are Real Food Daily, the Malibu Feed Bin (where I buy my pet chickens), and at my friends’ tables for Shabbat.”
— Kylie Ora Lobell
Community and Arts Director,
Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
“I love LA because so much of it reminds me of my beloved Israel.”- Adam Milstein
“I love LA because so much of it reminds me of my beloved Israel.”
— Adam Milstein
Builder and Philanthropist
“I love the business and creative opportunities that L.A. has brought me throughout my career, especially in the past two years. Plus, we’ve got one heck of a Jewish community. My ‘happy places’ in L.A. include driving along all the curvy Hollywood Hills roads, or visiting the local farmers markets, or even hiking in hideaways like Topanga Canyon.”
— Michael Tanenbaum
Editor-in-Chief, Consciously Kosher
Founded on the dreams of people who weren’t welcome anywhere else, like my own Jewish family, Los Angeles is the city of possibilities. We are a young city still evolving toward its promise and yet we have such an incredible impact on the rest of the world.
– Serena Oberstein
“Whether you’re a native Angeleno (as I am) or moved here to pave your own path, you can find it in L.A. Founded on the dreams of people who weren’t welcome anywhere else, like my own Jewish family, Los Angeles is the city of possibilities. We are a young city still evolving toward its promise and yet we have such an incredible impact on the rest of the world. Through innovation and collaboration among cultures, varying viewpoints and political dispositions, I remain hopeful that we’ll continue helping our ancestors fulfill the dream others are still striving to find. Also, Los Angeles has the best breakfast burritos in the country and there’s a reason for that. Take Highland Cafe in Highland Park (the first stop for many Jews through the generations), where ingredients of a perfect breakfast burrito reflect the mix of cultures that make this city so vibrant. Only in L.A.- and any day of the week- can you get a handmade tortilla with soyrizo, garlicky black beans, crispy potatoes, scrambled egg whites and perfectly ripe avocado with some salsa quemada.”
— Serena Oberstein
Executive Director, Jewish World Watch
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