The horrific racial persecution of the Holocaust is all too familiar to us. That dark period in history was marked by the brutal deaths of millions of innocent people and also involved the virtual enslavement of more than 10 million foreign laborers in Germany.
Since 1954, the Westside Jewish Community Center (WJCC) has served as a destination for neighborhood Jews. Near the intersection of Olympic and San Vicente boulevards with Fairfax Avenue, the venerable institution – a branch of the Jewish Com-munity Centers of Greater Los Angeles (JCCGLA) and the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America, which is a national beneficiary agency of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles – offers an array of educational and recreational outlets, including a preschool, a senior center and physical fitness facilities. Centrally located near the Fairfax district, the WJCC is also central to local Jewish history, the haimish cultural nexus where young and old alike can learn about their heritage and from one another, passing on tradition and deepening community ties.
These days, doing the right thing as an entertainment industry player is heavy with political overtones, as Republican and Democratic candidates have made campaign fodder out of the industry\’s product.
With the E.U. announcement this week that it has lifted sanctions against Austria, some wonder whether the wheels of restitution will, coincidentally, grind to a halt.
Every newspaper editor knows that one day he will have to step down. He may put the idea out of mind or revel in denial. But the thought is always there, loitering out of sight. Departure may come suddenly by way of death, illness or age. Or it may spring up with the changes that appear everywhere, while the editor persists in remaining unchanged and, therefore, out of step. Or there may simply, and unexpectedly, be an offer he can\’t refuse.
A prayer and study center honoring Jewish life has opened near the place that for more than half a century has been the paramount symbol of Jewish death.
Shirley Kotler of Los Angeles said her commitment to day schools stems from her interest in \”perpetuating Judaism.\”
Jewish Healthcare Foundation: Avraham Moshe Bikur Cholim will honor Dr. Joel M. Geiderman, co-chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, with its Ahavas Chesed Award, which means loving kindness.
The promise – and problems – are writ small at WJCC\’s popular pre-school. While the preschool\’s administration has undergone some instability, parents can not fault the Gibraltar-solid record of the teaching staff. Indeed, Michelle Labgold, the preschool\’s director, stands behind the nursery\’s long-standing scholastic reputation.
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