OUR FEDERATION EMBRACES OUR LGBTQIA+ JEWISH COMMUNITY
We take great pride in honoring the LGBTQIA+ community year-round, and especially during Pride Month. One particularly joyful Pride Month event we helped facilitate for our young adult community was Pride Shabbat, an outgrowth of our longstanding partnership with JQ International hosted with Temple Israel of Hollywood. This rainbow-themed evening included a delicious meal, drinks, icebreakers, and thought-provoking speakers such as JQ advocate and activist Sam Salar and comedian Avital Ash. It was a night full of queer Jewish joy during which all attendees felt safe, accepted, and celebrated for who they are.
To learn more about Pride events in our community visit NuRoots.org/pride.
IMPROVING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY
As our Jewish community continues to grapple with the growing mental health crisis, our Federation is deeply invested in improving the mental health of all Jews. One prominent example of this work is our newly-launched Resiliency Roundtable, an initiative which equips a network of professionals in our community with the tools and understanding to better address the mental health challenges of Jewish young adults. Our first Roundtable, attended by 45 participants representing 18 organizations, began with an exploration of mental health findings from The Study of Jewish L.A. and findings from the Resiliency Roundtable Survey. The Roundtable also featured a panel discussion with representatives from Federation partners such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness, JQ International, and Maple Counseling Center. The discussion yielded many valuable insights such as common behavioral and emotional indicators professionals should recognize to enable early intervention, the proper way to make a warm referral to a partner organization, and so much more actionable knowledge.
Learn more about our first Resiliency Roundtable at JewishLA.org/ResiliencyRoundtable.
UNITING LOS ANGELES AGAINST ANTISEMITISM THROUGH ART
Antisemitism and all forms of hate continue to plague our community. We combat these plagues in a variety of ways, one of which is the unifying power of art. A new mural by Iranian-Jewish muralist Cloe Hakakian honoring the Jewish community’s tradition and history was unveiled in early June in the Pico-Robertson area, the same neighborhood where two antisemitic shootings shook our community just months before. Our Federation partnered with LA vs Hate’s Summer of Solidarity campaign, an initiative of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, and ADL Los Angeles to present the stunning mural, which celebrated the rich variety of cultures that define the city we love. The unveiling received global media attention. It brought together people of diverse backgrounds to confirm there is more that unites us than divides us.
See the beautiful mural by visiting JewishLA.org/Mural.