When singer-songwriter John Ondrasik—also known by stage name Five for Fighting—appeared at Jewish National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) recent “Breakfast for Israel,” he said he believes wholeheartedly the pro-Israel community has friends in the White House.
“You have no better pal than Marco Rubio, I don’t care what your politics are,” Ondrasik said, referring to the current U.S. Secretary of State.
Ondrasik was addressing a crowd of several hundred people assembled at the Skirball Cultural Center for JNF-USA”s annual event, which, coinciding with Giving Tuesday, was held on Dec. 2
Ondrasik, who isn’t Jewish, has become one of the few major artists to express steadfast support for Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack. At the Skirball, he spoke about the moral reasons he stands with Israel before performing several songs on piano, including “OK (We Are Not OK)” which he penned after the Hamas-led attack against the Jewish State, and a special version of his hit song “Superman” that was inspired by recently released Israeli hostage Alon Ohel.
The community event showcased the work JNF-USA has been doing to support the development of Israel’s peripheral regions, particularly the country’s north and south. Attendees included JNF-USA Greater Los Angeles leaders, including Executive Director Louis Rosenberg, National Campaign Director Sharon Joy, JNF-USA Los Angeles Co-President Sepi Makabi and JNFuture Los Angeles President Rachel Herman. JNFuture cultivates young, pro-Israel philanthropists ages 22-40.
After the main program, there was a VIP Q-and-A with Ondrasik along with Jacob Fenton, an Israel Entertainment Fund Advisory board member. “Breakfast for Israel” table captains and donor society members were among those invited.
Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles (OBKLA) recently welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, alongside the Archewell team, to its Pico-Robertson based kitchen space to prepare and package meals for community members experiencing food insecurity.
OBKLA is a community-run nonprofit kitchen that brings people together to prepare and distribute fresh, high-quality meals for Angelenos facing hardship while the Archewell Foundation—co-founded by Prince Harry and Meghan—uplifts communities locally and globally.
At OBKLA, Harry and Meghan were joined by their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, over Thanksgiving weekend.
Husband and wife Scott and Annie Austin announced a transformative $1.5 million gift to Camp Alonim during a recent brunch at AJU’s Brandeis-Bardin Campus, home to the pluralistic Jewish summer camp.
“I love this place – I believe in it. I always have. But in our post-Oct. 7 world, having a place to go to be joyfully and wholly Jewish is everything,” Annie Austin said, announcing the gift, part of a $28 million capital campaign to modernize Alonim’s facilities.
The brunch, held Nov. 16, drew supporters of Camp Alonim, which for seven decades has served Jewish kids by offering joyful and experiential Judaism.
