800+ YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GATHERED IN SUPPORT OF EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR IDF SOLDIERS FIGHTING TERROR
LOS ANGELES – More than 800 Friends of the IDF (FIDF) young professionals and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) supporters gathered Saturday at the Alexandria Ballrooms, generously donated by the Shomof family, for the 2024 FIDF Young Leadership LA Gala.
Social media influencer, Montana Tucker, Cobra Kai's Dan Ahdoot and Miss Israel 2021, Noa Cochva, were among attendees at FIDF Young Leadership LA Gala.`
The gala served as a powerful demonstration of solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of IDF soldiers on the frontlines, risking their lives to restore security in Israel after the horrendous massacre on October 7th, and the ongoing attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah. The event provided the Los Angeles community with a platform to show support for Israel’s soldiers during their greatest time of need.
The evening, featuring DJ Aviel and a special performance by Nova Music Festival DJ and survivor, DJ Shalos, was held in honor and memory of the lives tragically lost on and since October 7th and served as a moving testament that “we will dance again.”
The black-tie event was chaired by FIDF Young Leadership Board President Franky Ruzin, and co-chaired by FIDF Young Leadership Executive Board Members Leeor Braude, Chantly Geoulla, Shmuly Goldsmith, Shardae Hanookai, Gity Kogan, Yitzy Pearson, Robert Roig, and Jimmy Shomof. The event's MC was Dan Ahdoot, an actor on the hit Netflix show Cobra Kai. Among the VIPs were social media influencer, singer, songwriter, actress and dancer, Montana Tucker.
Among the speakers at the event was reserve soldier and Miss Israel 2021, Noa Cochva, who made the decision to swap her Miss Universe Israel sash for an IDF uniform, and to re-join her unit after October 7th. Other speakers included FIDF Young Leadership Gala Committee and Board Members, Master Sergeant Dorel Meiri and Master Sergeant Eli Wininger, former Lone Soldiers from Los Angeles who immediately returned to service after October 7th, and IDF reservist and Nova Music Festival survivor, Yarin Levin.
When reflecting on his time serving, Eli Wininger remarked, “Serving during this war has been the honor of a lifetime. Leaving the front lines is difficult knowing that the hostages are still there. Nevertheless, I’m so proud to take on the same mission in a different capacity. My involvement with FIDF allows me to support and celebrate my brothers and sisters still fighting in Israel with my fellow brothers and sisters in the US.”
FIDF is the single organization in the United States, designated by the IDF, that is authorized to raise funds for its soldiers, and FIDF acts according to the requirements of the IDF's Manpower Directorate to respond to the most urgent requests. Funds raised at the event will go towards lifesaving medical supplies such as ambulances, plasma, medical devices, field hospitals, as well as hygiene kits and aid for the thousands of bereaved families who are suffering the loss of a loved one. As the IDF’s official partner, FIDF is the fastest and most direct way to support IDF soldiers. So far, more than $73 million has been transferred to the IDF to meet their most urgent requests for its soldiers.
“To see the Los Angeles community that I grew up in come together to honor the brave soldiers of the IDF is very special to me,” Dorel Meiri said. “It goes to show that we stand with Israel and even though we are physically far away, our hearts are there.”
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NEW GROUNDBREAKING PARTNERSHIP WITH HBCU's TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM AND STRENGTHEN THE BLACK JEWISH ALLIANCE ANNOUNCED
By NICOLE S, ROSEN
Partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Academic Engagement Network (AEN) today announced a groundbreaking new project it is funding to reignite the historic alliance between Black and Jewish communities and work together to combat rising antisemitism.
“As Jewish scholars fled Nazi Germany, they unfortunately found many barriers in the U.S. academy,” stated Miriam Elman, AEN’s executive director. “But an exception were HBCUs that provided visas and employment to 50 German Jewish scholars, saving their lives. Black and Jewish communities in the U.S. forged a unique bond as a result of these experiences. This initiative will draw on this inspiring history by empowering HBCUs to help combat contemporary antisemitism and disturbing efforts by extremists to create divisions between Black and Jewish communities.”
The pilot project will launch at South Carolina State University and Vorhees University this year. It will then be expanded to five-seven additional HBCUs in South Carolina next year and the following year. Each school will provide seminars to educate and train both faculty and students about the shared history of Black-Jewish solidarity, provide a deeper understanding of Jewish identity and Israel, and prepare participants to confront antisemitism out in the world.
"This grant may mark a new beginning, but the bond between our communities is not new; it is steeped in history. Our students are poised to become the future leaders of various fields, including industry, business, science, and law. It is imperative that they are equipped to combat all forms of hatred, including antisemitism,” stated Vorhees University President Dr. Ronnie Hopkins.
Some of the specific topics that will be covered in professional development seminars and student-focused sessions include:
· The historic alliance in the United States between Jewish and Black communities beginning with 1909 formation of the NAACP through 2023 efforts of solidarity. Some historic and modern-day examples include the consistent and well-informed Holocaust coverage provided by Black newspapers, civil rights leaders who promoted Zionism, modern-day Black leaders who protested and continue to protest antisemitism, Jewish leadership in the founding of the NAACP, Jewish activists who fought for the Civil Rights Act and marched for equality, the Rosenwald Schools, and Jewish modern solidarity with Black Lives Matter;
· A history of antisemitism from antiquity through today, the diversity of Jewish identity, a better understanding of Israel and the role Zionism plays in Judaism, as well as ways to identify the current manifestations of antisemitism; and
· Ways our communities can unite to counter prejudice and hate facing Blacks and Jews.
Participants will be supported in creating a toolbox of policies and procedures targeted to their own campuses to foster a better understanding of Jewish identity. Selected students from each campus will receive additional training and serve as ambassadors for the project as it expands to other campuses. Each HBCU will also establish incident response teams to address antisemitism swiftly and effectively and to establish best practices.
Two University of South Carolina professors, Drs. Devin Randolph and Meir Muller, will lead the effort. AEN chose these University of South Carolina professors because of the University of South Carolina’s unique position operating the only Anne Frank Center in the United States, one of only three in the world. A core component of the Anne Frank Center is to inspire young people, including college students, to make their voices heard.
Dr. Randolph explains the vision of the initiative: “At the heart of this approach is the emphasis on creating inclusive and diverse spaces. I see this endeavor as something truly invaluable, drawing from a legacy of resilience and aspirations for a future marked by understanding and progress.” Muller, an ordained rabbi with a PhD in education, added, “We acknowledge that we are in a time when the alliance between our communities is strained, yet we believe that the foundation for solidarity is present and can be revitalized through educational endeavors.”
Supported by AEN’s Antisemitism Education Initiative, Drs. Randolph and Muller join faculty at seven other schools of higher education who have recently received AEN grants to launch antisemitism awareness programs and resources on their campuses and beyond. Grant recipients are eligible for up to $75,000 from AEN in support of their projects. The funding is designed to create sustainable mechanisms to educate and train campus stakeholders – including administrators, faculty, and students – about the diversity of Jewish experience, historic and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism, and strategies to improve inclusivity.
Antisemitism Education Initiative grants are among a number of programs and projects that AEN is supporting through its Improving the Campus Climate Initiative (ICCI), launched in 2020, which engages senior and mid-level officials in Student and Academic Affairs, DEI, and related offices on campuses throughout the country, providing expert, customized guidance, training, and best practices for understanding, identifying, and countering antisemitism on campus. The Initiative has reached over 3000 administrators through its various professional development programs.
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29 Adar II - 8 Nissan, 5784 April 8-14, 2024 -- THE JEWISH OBSERVER, LOS ANGELES -- 680th Web Ed.