The Guardians of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, which provides financial support for elderly and needy members of the L.A. Jewish community, has named Zane Koss and Peter Steigleder as the presidents of its board, effective Sept. 1.
Koss and Steigleder succeed Larry Schnaid and Jeff Schlesinger, who are wrapping up a two-year term.
Koss, a third-generation Angeleno, works in the real estate industry with his family’s namesake company, Koss Real Estate. He also owns iconic Los Angeles restaurants from Malibu to Hermosa Beach, including Italy’s Little Kitchen and Zane’s. He was introduced to the organization through his father, Michael, over 20 years ago at one of the group’s comedy nights at the Hollywood Palladium.
“The Guardians has been not only a philanthropic passion of mine for
almost two decades, but my family,”
Koss said. “I have met some of my
dearest friends through this group and I cannot wait to continue to share it with the rest
of L.A.”
Steigleder, who was born in Germany, has been involved with the Guardians for over 15 years alongside longtime friends who introduced him to the organization through the young men’s divisions. He is the COO of Fidelity Mortgage Lenders.
“We know we have big shoes to fill following Jeff and Larry, but we’re excited by the challenge and we’re ready to make the next two years even more memorable and impactful,” Steigleder said.
Photo cfrom YouTube
Rabbi Shayna Golkow has joined the clergy team of Temple Aliyah, a Conservative congregation in Woodland Hills. Golkow’s hiring as the congregation’s second rabbi became effective in July.
The former rabbinic intern at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City and at Temple Beth Tzedek in Buffalo, N.Y., is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was ordained in 2019. She earned her bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
Golkow has served as a hospice chaplain, scholar-in-residence at Camp Ramah in the Poconos and as a High Holy Days service leader at Johns Hopkins University Hillel.
“Rabbi Golkow is passionate about deepening meaningful Jewish living and learning, and she is thrilled to be part of the Temple Aliyah family,” according to the congregation’s website.
Her hiring follows the departure of Rabbi Ben Goldstein, who recently was hired as the senior rabbi for the Jewish addiction rehabilitation organization Beit T’Shuvah.
Connor Friedman, a Temple Etz Chaim member and an incoming junior at Thousand Oaks High School, represented the Valley Jewish Community Center this summer at the national JCC Maccabi Games in Atlanta.
More than 1,600 athleties from Jewish communities in the United States, Israel, Mexico and other countries competed in 13 sports at the games.
Friedman was one of the most decorated athletes from any California delegation as he earned eight swimming medals and the Maccabi Midot award for exemplifying the six values of midot: tikkun olam, respect, joy, pride, big heart and Jewish peoplehood.
In 16-and-under boys swimming, Friedman earned gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle relay and the 50 backstroke. He also earned silver medals in the 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 individual medley and 200 freestyle relay. In addition, Friedman earned bronze medals in the 400 medley relay and the 200 freestyle.
At the Atlanta airport for his return home, TSA security required that his backpack be opened because of the heavy medals.
Friedman trains with Class Aquatics Swim Club in Westlake Village.
The Eastern European Jewish roots band the Klezmatics performed at the Skirball Cultural Center on Aug. 1.
Band members Richie Barshay, Lorin Sklamberg, Paul Morrissett, Frank London, Lisa Gutkin and Matt Darriau performed music from their latest album, “Apikorsim” (“Heretics”) as part of the Skirball’s 23rd annual Sunset Concerts series, featuring an eclectic lineup of artists performing in the courtyard of the museum.
According to the Skirball’s Facebook page, the Klezmatics entertained the
crowd with “wildly danceable and reflective Jewish roots music. Communal hand-clapping and hora dancing abounded all evening.”
The Grammy Award-winning group has been together for over 30 years, has performed in more than 20 countries, released 11 albums and collaborated with violinist Itzhak Perlman, playwright Tony Kushner and the late actor Theodore Bikel. Over the last three decades, the band has helped change the “face of contemporary Yiddish culture,” the Klezmatics’ official website says.
The evening kicked off with a DJ set by Maral of dublab.
The Sunset Concert series wraps up Aug. 22 with a performance by Josef Leimberg.
On Aug. 8, The Associates, a women’s auxiliary support group of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, held its 89th Tree of Life Luncheon at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.
As the “Women Who Care,” the organization honored mother and daughter Barbara Miller-Fox Abramoff and Gail Millan with the “Woman of the Year” Achievement Award and Ruth Flinkman-Marandy with the Humanitarian Award. All three have been dedicated supporters of the Jewish Home and share decades of service to their communities,
the Jewish Home said. Their involvement includes supporting medical centers in the United States and Israel, as well as a number of organizations involving the arts.
Attendees included The Associates President Sandy Stackler, luncheon chair Joy Brook and honorary luncheon chair Lynn Ziman. Dr. Noah Marco, chief medical officer at the Jewish Home, spoke and Cantor Marcelo Gindlin from the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue provided a musical interlude.
The event’s boutique began at 10 a.m. and the ballroom doors opened at noon.
All proceeds from the event will help sustain the thousands of seniors the organization serves each year, the L.A. Jewish Home said.
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