Drescher, 30 Years After Greet Sen. Specter
A small group of local Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.)
attended a cocktail fundraiser at the Malibu home of Iranian Jewish couple Makan and Michelle
Delrahim on Dec. 17. Along with a handful of young Iranian Jewish activists from the
organization 30 Years After, “The Nanny” star Fran Drescher stopped by to praise Specter for
his legislative support of stem cell research.
Drescher, a survivor of uterine cancer, has in recent years advocated for cancer research
funding in Congress, working alongside Specter, who fought a successful battle against
Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Guests were welcomed at the door by Specter and enjoyed cocktails. Up for re-election in 2010,
Specter, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke briefly about a range of
topics from the troubled automotive industry to dealing with the threat of Iran.
“With President-elect Obama we will be seeing a lot more diplomacy around the world and I
think it will be essential to various problem areas, especially Iran,” Specter said.
Specter, who is Jewish, said he was preparing for another trip to the Middle East to meet with
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. In the past, Specter has met with controversial figures
around the world, including the Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein and even Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Makan Delrahim is currently an attorney with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck in
Orange County and is among a growing number of local Iranian Jews who are becoming more
politically active.
“There are many folks who support Israel that may want more entrepreneurship or lower taxes,”
Delrahim said. “So we as a community that have particular interests that may not be voiced by
others should be more engaged with government officials, support them and help shape their
policy.”
Delrahim is no political novice. A former deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S.
Justice Department, he has in the past served as a policy adviser to Sen. Orrin Hatch
(R-Utah), former chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
— Karmel Melamed, Contributing Writer
Chanukah With Chabad
Every year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrates Chanukah with Chabad of California during
its annual Capitol menorah lighting ceremony. The governor showed his solidarity with the
holiday by remembering the victims of the terror attacks in India: “In these tough times this
menorah represents a beacon of light to people who need it most and also reminds us all of the
courage and strength shown by those who sacrificed their lives during the terrible tragedy in
Mumbai.”
The ceremony also honored Project PRIDE, a Chabad outreach program that works to prevent drug
abuse.
All About Heart: Dr. Howard Allen
Howard Allen, a leading cardiologist, was feted by the Cedars-Sinai Alumni Association with
2008 Alumnus of the Year honors on Dec. 3 at the Skirball Cultural Center.
Allen’s 40-year history with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has included directing its cardiac
care unit, the cardiac noninvasive laboratory and founding the Cedars-Sinai Pacemaker
Evaluation Center, which monitors patients with pacemakers, and at its inception, was the only
clinic of its kind in Los Angeles. With three decades as program director for cardiology grand
rounds at Cedars under his belt, Allen is also involved in a private practice. During his
illustrious medical career, he has come close to almost every cardiac patient, resident,
intern and student to pass through Cedars and has taught hundreds more throughout his 25 years
as a clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Allen was honored alongside Dr. Yzhar Charuzi, consultant cardiologist for Cedars.
