Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles (OBKLA) recently partnered with The A List, a top marketing firm, for a week of service dedicated to giving back. A List founder Ashlee Margolis, alongside UTA’s Jacob Fenton, Uzo Aduba, and Lisa Rinna, joined volunteers in preparing and distributing nourishing meals and baked goods for Angelenos in need.
The milestone week drew support from a wide circle of OBKLA friends and advocates, including Jason Segel, Dylan McDermott, Josh Peck, Gia Coppola, artist Honor Titus, Kevin Zegers, Chace Crawford, Holland Roden, Marla Sokoloff, Lewis Tan, Rachael Leigh Cook, Emmanuel Acho, rapper GaTa, Nolan Gerard Funk and others — underscoring the community’s commitment to OBKLA’s mission.
Based in Pico-Robertson, OBKLA unites volunteers to cook and package meals for those facing hardships. These meals are then provided to social service organizations for distribution.
Los Angeles-area resident Michelle Conwisar was recently elected to the national board of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.
Conwisar, who was named national vice president, has been a Hadassah leader for more than three decades. She is vice chair of the forthcoming national capital campaign. A third-generation Hadassah leader, Conwisar herself helps engage younger women as a liaison for Evolve Hadassah: The Next Generation. She is married to Dr. Philip Conwisar, an orthopedic surgeon and Hadassah associate, with whom she is a member of the Founder and Keepers of the Gate donor societies. The couple has two daughters who are fourth-generation Hadassah life members.
Hadassah made its announcement about Conwisar joining its executive committee during its 2025 national conference, held in Miami in August.
The organization, which advances women’s health and supports a strong State of Israel, currently counts more than 300,000 members.
An ambulance dedication for American Friends of Magen David Adom was held last month at Temple Beth Am. Husband and wife Barak and Indre Raviv sponsored the ambulance for Magen David Adom—Israel’s national emergency organization.
The ambulance was dedicated in memory of Ron Raviv, Barak’s late father.
MDA is Israel’s official representative to the International Red Cross. Although its role is mandated by the Israeli government, it’s not a government agency and thus relies on philanthropic support for its dispatch systems, training and equipment, including ambulances. MDA also operates a lifesaving blood center and milk bank.
The ambulance joins MDA’s fleet of 2,650 vehicles, including 1,200 life support ambulances — the self-described “workhorses of the MDA fleet.” The ambulances are built on a GM chassis and assembled in Elkhart, Indiana. According to the AFMDA website, more than 100 new life support ambulances are needed each year to support MDA’s critical work.
On Sept. 5 at Valley Beth Shalom, the synagogue hosted Sharaka, an organization that builds people-to-people relationships between young people in the Abraham Accords countries.
There was a Muslim woman from Bahrain, a Muslim man from Morocco, a Lebanese Christian woman who now lives in Israel and an Israeli Jewish man. They offered an inspiring message about the next chapter of the Middle East and spoke about a hopeful future. Approximately 100 people attended the event, which included a Friday night dinner.
The event at VBS was part of Sharaka’s speaking tour in Southern California. The delegation of young Arab and Israeli leaders visited Los Angeles from Sept. 5-11 and San Diego from Sept. 12-15.
