Four leaders of the Los Angeles Jewish community were among about 200 people who met President Obama Tuesday during a White House reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month.
Although I’ve met Jami, 39, a few times over the years, it’s generally been when I’ve been auditioning, as an actor, for her, a casting director. And you can’t really get to know someone when you’re nervously reading for a part you want to book. So I was excited to turn the tables on her and ask her out on a date … a date for my single peeps.
Avi Avital plays the mandolin sitting center stage in a hard-back chair. He curls into himself, his face turned downward, and nestles the small stringed instrument on his lap. His intense concentration draws a listener in, whether he’s performing a piece composed by mandolin virtuoso Yasuo Kuwahara or by Israeli composer Avner Dorman.
Although it feels like an art gallery — with its dark wood floors, white walls and oversize paintings — this Beverly Hills condo is home to another kind of art for the evening. Between a cream-colored leather sofa and a dining table obscured by colorful appetizers are two rows of chairs. On many of the chairs, Hebrew books sit waiting. “Shalom aleichem [peace be upon you],” each person said in greeting as they entered.
Matan Cohen, an Israeli activist with Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW), addressed a lunchtime crowd at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), on May 11 as part of an annual program of anti-Israel activity sponsored by the university’s Muslim Student Union (MSU).
Flanked by two large flags — one Israeli and the other American — fashion models strutted down a long, white catwalk, showing off versatile fashions by local Israeli and Jewish designers during a fashion show at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on May 12, held in celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut.
Appraiser David Streets has a passion for Jewish antiques — old Kiddush cups passed down for generations, Shabbat candlesticks with stories to share. It’s a history that he loves, even if it’s not his.
The cast on Sarah Byrnes’ foot didn’t slow her down. On Sunday, May 15, she hobbled around the parking lot at Temple Israel of Hollywood, overseeing clothing and book drives, shooting photos of kids dancing and families volunteering, and responding to calls on her walkie-talkie. “I love doing this,” said Byrnes, who has volunteered to run projects during Big Sunday Weekend for the past five years. “It’s like giving birth. It’s a lot of work when you’re in it. But what you feel afterward is joy.”
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