LA Federation Holds Entertainment Event, OC Federation Honors Women Philanthropists, Mensch Foundation Ceremony

Notable people and events in the Jewish LA community.

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Ryan Torok

April 4, 2024

From left: JFEDLA Board Chair Orna Wolens; Larry Sanitsky; Nancy Josephson; Marc Platt; JFNA Board Chair Julie Platt; and JFEDLA President and CEO Rabbi Noah Farkas. Courtesy of Jewish Federation Los Angeles

24kGoldn performs at the L.A. Federation’s entertainment and media event. Courtesy of Jewish Federation Los Angeles

Jewish Federation Los Angeles (JFEDLA) presented the inaugural Entertainment Network Award to Nancy Josephson during its Entertainment, Media & Communications Network Event.

The glitzy March 21 gathering at the Beverly Hilton featured remarks by actress Niecy Nash and a performance by Jewish rapper 24kGoldn while raising more than $800,000 for JFEDLA’s work supporting Jewish Los Angeles.

From left: Rebbitzen Malka and Rabbi Marvin Hier; Mensch Foundation Founder Steven Geiger; and Hungarian deputy consul general Imola Szabo. Photo by Orly Halevy

On March 19, the Mensch Foundation recognized Simon Wiesenthal Center Founder Rabbi Marvin Hier with the Mensch Award, citing his “significant impact on the Jewish community,” reporter Scott Jacobs said in an article on JooTubeTV.

Held at YULA Boys High School in Pico-Robertson, the ceremony also marked 80 years since the Nazis’ occupation of Hungary, which led to the deportation of more than 500,000 Hungarian Jews to extermination camps across Europe.

Speakers discussed Hungarian Jewry as well as the rise of antisemitism on college campuses across the country in the aftermath of Oct. 7. They included American Jewish University scholar Michael Berenbaum; Mensch Foundation Director Steven Geiger; UCLA Emeritus Professor Judea Pearl; UCLA psychiatrist Kira Stein; YULA Head of School Rabbi Arye Sufrin; and Deputy Consul General of Hungary in Los Angeles Imola Szabo.

http://jootube.tv/2024/03/nazis-rose-to-power-on-antisemitic.htmlRead more at jootube.tv/2024/03/nazis-rose-to-power-on-antisemitic.html.

2024 Woman of the Year Heather Kline and bestselling author and former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism Noa Tishby in conversation onstage at the Orange County Jewish Federation’s Women’s VOICES event. Courtesy of Jewish Federation of Orange County

On March 14, Jewish Federation of Orange County held its annual Women’s Voices event to celebrate the impact of women philanthropists in Orange County.

The evening soiree at City National Grove of Anaheim featured bestselling author and former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism Noa Tishby as the keynote speaker and honored 2024 Woman of the Year and Immediate Past Chair of Jewish Federation of Orange County’s board and executive committee Heather Kline. Kline has been actively involved in the Orange County Jewish community since 2003.

“It’s incredibly inspiring to witness the power of collective purpose in a room filled with hundreds of women philanthropists,” Tishby said. “Our shared commitment to a vibrant Jewish future matters now more than ever, and the event left me feeling confident that we can build a world in which tolerance triumphs over hatred.”

Women’s Voices was created by the Jewish Federation of Orange County Women’s Philanthropy in alignment with its mission to inspire purposeful and passionate giving. The event highlights the unique Jewish journeys of women working together to amplify Jewish life in Orange County, Israel and around the world. The event also raises critical funds for the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign.