The Circuit

Putting the Mitzvah in Bat Mitzvah

Steven Spielberg had his amazing stories, and now we have ours. On Jan. 27, Danielle Goldberg enjoyed her bat mitzvah at Temple Beth Haverim in Agoura Hills. Danielle stood before a congregation that included brother Josh, 15, twin sisters Jenna and Stacey, 8, and relatives from New York, New Jersey and Holland. So what was so unusual about this bat mitzvah? It turns out that Danielle went an extra step and donated a huge portion of her gelt — $1,000 — to Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles’ meals program.

Anyone with children knows that such gift money might ordinarily be put to other uses — a Playstation 2, a bunch of new clothes, a wide swath through Tower Records. But Danielle phoned us to explain why she bypassed spoiling herself with such teen confections.

“Because world hunger has always been a concern to me,” she told us. “We wouldn’t like to be hungry. It made me feel good.”

“She’s always been like that,” said Susie Goldberg, Danielle’s mother. “She’s always thought about people less fortunate than her.”

Looks like Danielle’s bat mitzvah lessons paid off in spades.

Taste-ful Presentation

Tom Mendelson, representative of the Synagogue Funding Evaluation Committee of The Jewish Federation’s Council on Jewish Life, recently presented a check from the Jewish Community Foundation to Andrea and Gregory Smith, chairs of Westwood Kehilla’s Israeli and Los Angeles program fair, “A Taste of Learning.” The foundation funded the Orthodox institution’s “yeshiva for adults.”

2001: A Symposium Odyssey

More than 200 people turned up to hear a dozen experts and community leaders speak at Symposium 2001, the second annual women’s conference sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles.

Recent Appointments

Rabbi Dennis J. Eisner has been elected as the new associate rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple. Eisner is currently assistant dean of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and national director of the Berit Mila Program for Reform Judaism. … Dr. Lois Oppenheim has been appointed vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Judaism.

A Taste of Israel Here in L.A.

Mark your calendar: The 53rd Annual Israel Indepen-dence Day Festival will be held April 29 at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. For more information, call (818) 757-0123 or (800) 644-9505, or go to www.israel festival.com.

Conference Call

About 150 members of the North American Association of Synagogue Executives will convene next week in L.A. for their annual conference. This year’s theme is “Synagogue Transformation: The Role of the Executive Director.” The conference, to run March 11-15, will be chaired by Glenn Easton. For more information, call (202) 362-4433.

A Rendezvous at the St. Regis

Women’s International Zionist Organization will hold its annual gala dinner on March 31 at the St. Regis Hotel in Century City. Gutta Spivak will be honored, and actress Joan Van Ark will serve as emcee. For more information, contact Annie Gross at (323) 655-6886.

Lunch with Avital

Jewish Labor Committee-California Region and the Los Angeles Labor Zionist Alliance held a special luncheon meeting with Colette Avital, member of the Israeli Knesset, at the Institute of Jewish Education.

Can You Dig It?

Pepperdine University’s Institute for the Study of Archaeology and Religion and the Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel’s official archaeological agency, welcomed more than 300 people at the recent opening of the archaeological exhibit from Caesarea Philippi, Israel. The exhibition, titled “Rediscovering Caesarea Philippi: The Ancient City of Pan,” features a selection of 120 objects that are on display at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art on Pepperdine’s campus.

Laugh Factory

Comedian Robert Klein will headline the Guardians’ annual Comedy Night on March 22 at the Hollywood Palladium. The Guardians are the fundraising arm of the Jewish Home for the Aging of Greater Los Angeles. For more information, call (310) 479-2468.

A Whole Lot of ‘Hope’

City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute named Florence Henderson as their Star of Hope for her long support of the City of Hope. … Meanwhile, City of Hope Cancer Center threw an East Coast benefit bash at New York’s Cipriani restaurant, where rocker Rod Stewart and Vogue Magazine Publisher Richard Beckman were honored. Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath hosted, and performing guests included Brandy, Jewel, and Hootie & The Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker.