
You would think that after all these years, I would get used to how busy my weeks sometimes get. Take last week for instance…
As you may have seen (or attended), we held a special Israel Town Hall Meeting last week with what we billed as a “leading Israel Expert.” That expert happened to be the Consul General of Israel for the Pacific Southwest, Israel Bachar. (Just so you are aware, we were asked to promote the event as such for security reasons.) During the 60+ minute talk and Q&A, Consul General Bachar provided an overview of where things currently are in Israel as it pertains to the ceasefire with Hezbollah, the ongoing effort to eradicate Hamas from Gaza, Iran, and several other topics. He even touched on how Israelis are viewing the amount of antisemitism American Jewry has been facing these last several years, including recently on university campuses.
Then, last Friday, I had the distinct pleasure of attending a meeting with Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog. This special briefing allowed representatives from major Jewish organizations across Southern California to hear from Ambassador Herzog and provide an in-depth look at how the international community currently views Israel.
And, of course, I had my “regular” work to do, along with other meetings. One specific one pertained to helping a local school district develop and implement a district-wide anti-hate effort to address the current climate at schools today. I am hopeful that this K-12 approach can be replicated in other local school districts and help prepare students to be more accepting and welcoming as they go out into society.
And now, onto this week… tomorrow through Friday, Combat Antisemitism Movement, an international organization whose vision is to forge an unbreakable shield that safeguards Jewish communities and all those impacted by hatred, ensuring that antisemitism, in any form, is eradicated from our society, is holding its annual Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Beverly Hills this year. I had hoped that many of our local mayors, especially those from cities that adopted resolutions condemning antisemitism and all forms of hate, would choose to attend this important conference due to its location, but sadly, only a couple of our community mayors will be in attendance.
Tomorrow, the LA County Commission on Human Relations will be holding a press conference to share the results of its 2023 Hate Crimes Report, and from the initial information and details I received last week as a commissioner, the figures will be staggering and alarming.
All of this is taking place with the backdrop of our 26th Annual Jewish Book Festival coming to a close this week with two final events. I genuinely hope you’ll be able to join us for these events. Also, please mark your calendar for our 16th Festival of Jewish Music next Sunday, December 22 (3:00 pm), and PJ Library’s Hanukkah Party (11:00 am) at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. It is hard to believe that Hanukkah starts in just over 2 weeks from today.
Lastly, I want to thank those in the community who have recently supported us during our End-of-year campaign. Your gifts are already helping us prepare for another incredible year in 2025. And to those who have yet to give, please do so as soon as you can to help us continue our effort each day to build community by strengthening and enhancing Jewish life right here in the greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valley.
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