Rabbi Named “Woman of the Year,” Yom Hashoah at Pan Pacific Park, BCC Seder

Kehillat Israel Senior Rabbi Amy Bernstein was honored in Sacramento as “Woman of the Year” from California District 42.

Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) presented the award to Bernstein during a March 20 presentation at the State Capitol. The Pacific Palisades rabbi — who has served as the spiritual leader of her Reconstructionist congregation since 2014 — was recognized for excellence in service to the community. 

“Rabbi Bernstein is a trailblazer who has fought for equity and inclusion within her faith,” Irwin said in a statement. “As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Rabbi Bernstein knows first-hand the obstacles one can face, and has done so with dignity and grace.”

Every year, the California Legislative Jewish Caucus organizes the annual “Woman of the Year” celebration as part of Women’s History Month, which falls in March. The honors were established as a way of acknowledging outstanding achievements of women from all walks of life and backgrounds across California. Additional honorees this year included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

“I am so honored to have been chosen to receive this award from among so many talented women doing important work in the 42nd Assembly District,” Bernstein said.

California District 42 encompasses portions of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, including Pacific Palisades, Thousand Oaks, Bel Air, Brentwood and Malibu. 

Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC) held a second-night Seder that examined the theme of homelessness and how it intersects with the Passover story. 

The caterers the congregation used were formerly homeless, and poetry by Skid Row-based writer and artist Queen Mama Tabia Salimu, who has also experienced homelessness, was heard during the April 6 evening.

Bringing together survivors, their families, elected officials and community leaders, Holocaust Museum LA held its annual Yom Hashoah ceremony.

Guests included ADL Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams, the program’s keynote speaker; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass; three generations of Holocaust survivors; Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Hillel Newman; students at the Colburn School, who delivered a musical performance; survivors Henry Slucki and David Lenga, who sang “The Partisans’ Song,” inspired by the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and a Yiddish anthem for Holocaust survivors; California Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Santa Monica),  a member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus; and Yiddish performer Mike Burstyn, who emceed. 

The April 16 event at Pan Pacific Park marked the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising as well as the revolts at the Sobibor and Treblinka death camps. The actions at the Warsaw Ghetto and at Sobibor and Treblinka remain timeless symbols of resistance, perseverance and defiance in the face of hate, identity-based violence and antisemitism. 

Harry Davids, a survivor from Amsterdam whose parents were murdered at Sobibor, was the gathering’s survivor speaker.

The program – which was organized in partnership with American Jewish Committee, ADL Los Angeles and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles – marked the first time the museum has been able to stage a large community event at Pan Pacific Park since 2019. 

Yom Hashoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, took place this year from April 17-18.