
The Jewish Women’s Repertory Company (JWRC) celebrated its founder Margy Horowitz and raised funds for JFS Hope with two nights of 21 musical theater songs.
With over 200 women present in person at a private residence in Beverly Hills and a video link for at home viewing, JWRC raised over $15,000.
Auditions for the next JWRC production will be held Dec. 12 and 13.
Founded in 2005 by Horowitz and Linda Freedman, JWRC offers Jewish women the opportunity to sing, dance and act before all-female audiences. A portion of the proceeds from JWRC productions benefit JFS Hope, a program of Jewish Family Service Los Angeles offering assistance and crisis services to support domestic violence survivors.
Past JWRC productions have included “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Les Misérables,” “Into the Woods,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
“Our goal is to have fun performing,” JWRC leadership says, “while raising money for worthwhile charities.”

Photo by Luque Photography
American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic (AFIPO) recently convened a Los Angeles gala raising support and awareness for the Israel Philharmonic.
The Nov. 4 pre-concert gala luncheon at the Los Angeles home of Soraya Nazarian was held before the Israel Philharmonic’s well-received Saturday night performance at the Soraya.

Photo by Luque Photography
Attendees included Richard Ziman; Ada and James Horwich; Shula Nazarian; AFIPO Board President James Ackerman; AFIPO CEO Danielle Ames Spivak; Israel Philharmonic Music Director Lahav Shani; Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman; and Helgard and Irwin Field.
Helgard Field received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her ongoing leadership and philanthropy in support of the Israel Philharmonic, a leading orchestra in Israel globally recognized as a world-class ensemble.

Photo by Orly Halevy
The 36th Israel Film Festival (IFF) in Los Angeles saluted the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University with the IFF Visionary Award and philanthropist Hanna Rubinstein with the IFF Humanitarian Award during its Sponsor Kick-Off.
The Nov. 30 event at the Writers Guild Theater was immediately followed by the Los Angeles premiere of the award-winning Israeli film, “Karaoke.”
“Karaoke” director-writer Moshe Rosenthal took part in a post-screening Q&A about the film, a comedy about a married middle-class suburban couple in their 60s who are drawn to their new neighbor, a charismatic bachelor who has karaoke evenings at his apartment.
“The Israel Film Festival was thrilled to recognize the artistic contributions that the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University and its graduates have made for 50 years to establish Israeli cinema and television at the forefront of entertainment around the world,” IFF Founder Meir Fenigstein said. “Our Festival sponsors and benefactors, including our distinguished honoree Hanna Rubinstein, deserve extra special recognition for their continued financial support and donations to bring the outstanding world of Israeli movies and TV shows to Los Angeles audiences.”
IFF is the largest showcase of Israeli cinema and television in North America. Its 36th annual festival will be held in Los Angeles from Nov. 8-19, 2023.