American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro Gala, Pressman Doc Screening, Oct. 7 Exhibit

American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro, an organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the Israel-based Beit Issie Shapiro, held its West Coast gala at Sinai Temple on Oct. 30.

The sold-out event was hosted by Broadway star and Tony Award winner Ali Stroker. Among other accomplishments, Stoker has made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway,

More than 300 community members attended the evening gathering, including Jewish Federation Los Angeles President and CEO Noah Farkas; Stephanie and Gilad Abrahami; Isaac Wiseman Cohanzad; Sinai Temple Co-Senior Rabbi Erez Sherman; Sinai Cantor Marcus Feldman; Beth Jacob Congregation Rabbi Kalman Topp; Jean and Jerry Friedman; Dr. Ellen and Harvey Knell; Benjamin Parnassi; Barak Raviv; and Jewish Journal Editor-in-Chief and Publisher David Suissa.

Additional attendees included Beit Issie CEO Ahmir Lerner and Soraya Nazarian, West Coast vice president of American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro, along with evening honoree Jeffrey Zarabi. Also recognized were Michael and Natalie Zarabi.

“The West Coast Gala offered a unique opportunity to connect, reflect, and renew our collective hope for a more inclusive world — something we urgently need now, especially in light of the challenges we have faced since Oct. 7,” Nazarian said. “Recent events have underscored the importance of unity and support for all individuals, particularly those with disabilities who often bear the brunt of societal challenges. Together, we can pave the way for systemic change and brighter futures for people with disabilities.”

Beit Issie Shapiro aims to develop cutting edge therapies serving children and adults with a wide range of disabilities. The organization — which impacts over 500,000 individuals annually worldwide through groundbreaking programs — is celebrating four decades of scaling impactful solutions that promote systemic change in the quality of life of people with disabilities in Israel and internationally.

On Nov. 3, Pressman Academy, a day school at Conservative congregation Temple Beth Am, held a film screening of a documentary that demonstrated the power of African American and Jewish American students coming together for the sake of improving the world.

The film follows 13 eighth-grade Jewish students from Los Angeles as they began a relationship with African American students from Selma, Alabama by meeting regularly over Zoom. Their collaboration culminates with the Los Angeles students traveling on a class trip to Alabama. 

The bridge-building effort, made possible because of the leadership of Pressman Academy Rav Beit Sefer Chaim Tureff, is captured in the timely film. Filmmaker Kenny Stoff — whose son was one of the participants of the project at Pressman — helped put together the film.

Ultimately, the documentary explores the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and the bond between these two communities, forged by their attempts to break the chains of antisemitism and racism, the filmmakers said. 

The open-to-the-public screening was held at Museum of Tolerance and drew approximately 300 attendees, including Los Angeles City Councilmembers Heather Hutt and Katy Yaroslavsky. A panel discussion followed.

“It was an incredible screening,” Tureff said after the event, “The Civil Rights Trip: Reinventing a New Tomorrow.”