On March 27, the Los Angeles premiere of the new documentary “For the Living” was held at the Museum of Tolerance, in partnership with the L.A. Jewish Film Festival, Museum of Tolerance, Holocaust Museum LA and the Goldrich Family Foundation.
The film screened to an audience of 300 guests, followed by a Q&A with the film’s co-directors, Marc Bennett and Tim Roper, executive producer Melinda Goldrich, writer Rabbi Brett Kopin and Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum, moderated by Hilary Helstein, director of L.A. Jewish Film Festival. The evening opened with remarks by Museum of Tolerance Deputy Director Mark Katrikh and Holocaust Museum LA CEO Beth Kean.
On April 3, Jewish Federation Los Angeles, in partnership with the Museum of Tolerance, held its annual Interfaith Passover Seder — “From Hardship to Hope: The Power of Collective Strength” — bringing together religious leaders, elected officials and first responders to honor and celebrate the Los Angeles community.
The program eloquently connected the universal themes of Passover — perseverance, liberation, and renewal — to the city’s resilient response to the wildfires. Civic partners, interfaith leaders, survivors, social service providers and many other members of Los Angeles’ diverse communities joined to learn about Passover traditions, hear stirring choir performances, create an interactive origami community project, and connect with both new and old friends, as they collectively work toward building a more compassionate and connected city.
Birthright Excel’s recent Excelerate25 Summit was held last month in New York, with more than 400 Excel fellows from North America and around the world turning out for the weekend-long event.
The theme of the summit was “Building Bridges. Building Business. Building the Jewish Future.”
Throughout the weekend, participants engaged in global networking opportunities and attended peer-to-peer workshops on topics ranging from impact investing to climate tech, artificial intelligence and the evolution of venture capital.
Speakers included Tom Nides, vice chairman of strategy and client relations at Blackstone and a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. Nides discussed the intersection of diplomacy and business.
“At a time when the global Jewish community is navigating unprecedented challenges, Birthright Israel Excel continues to stand out as a beacon of unity, innovation, and leadership,” Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said. “This Summit showed the power of our Fellows — rising business leaders from across the world — who are not only shaping the future of global industries but also stepping up to strengthen Jewish life post-Oct. 7.”
Excel — a lifelong, global business fellowship focused on professional development, networking, personal growth, Israel engagement, and Jewish identity — is a program of Birthright Israel. The program selects extraordinary college students for a summer business or tech internship in Tel Aviv at leading companies. Upon their return, Excel fellows join a global community that provides resources for personal and professional development.
Courtesy of Karina Pires Photography
“(RE)Defining Zionism: Portraits and Perspectives from a Post-Oct. 7 Israel,” a new photography exhibit featuring works by Shlomit Levy Bard, recently opened at Hillel at UCLA, with hundreds of guests turning out to view the images.
Bard has traveled around Israel — Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beersheva, and the Gaza border — photographing and interviewing ordinary citizens and well-known figures. Her exhibit grapples with what Zionism means in the wake of Oct. 7 by depicting unfiltered, emotive photographs and personal stories from over 60 Israelis.
The goal, she said, is challenging the one-dimensional narratives currently dominating Western debates, particularly on U.S. college campuses.
“Campus conversations on Zionism often force people into ideological boxes — either you stand for Palestinian rights, or you stand for Israel,” Bard, who emigrated to Los Angeles from Israel at a young age, said. “But in Israel, the lines aren’t so clear-cut. This exhibit challenges those binaries, offering firsthand perspectives that refuse to be reduced to a slogan.”
Bard’s work displays at UCLA Hillel through June 18. To learn more, visit uclahillel.org
