By Gabi Becher Throughout my seven years at a small, warm Jewish elementary school in Los Angeles, I was taught to love being Jewish and to love the state of Israel. The culture, food, language, history and people have always fascinated me. Further, when I met Holocaust survivors, and heard their powerful stories first-hand, I […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2019 Contact: Max Rosenblum 818-304-4551 LOS ANGELES — In response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order to place a moratorium on the death penalty in California, Jewish Center for Justice Executive Director Rabbi Joel Thal Simonds released the following statement: The Jewish Center for Justice welcomes today’s executive order by […]
On Tuesday April 9, 2019, the Israeli government will hold an election for parliament and give the majority the opportunity to form a new coalition and have their party’s leader serve as the country’s Prime Minister. For the past ten years, Benjamin (Bibi) Netenyahu has served as the Prime Minster of Israel under the Likud […]
By Teddy Levitt There are many perks that go with being a board member for the Jewish Center for Justice; advocating for issues that will help create positive change in our society, connecting with diverse and passionate groups of people, and interacting with inspiring elected officials who are leading the way toward a more just […]
On Sunday, February 17, the Jewish Center for Justice partnered with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism to bring Rep. Ted Lieu to Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills for a conversation centered on how our community can take direct action to curb gun violence in our country. JCJ Executive Director Rabbi Joel Simonds recapped […]
By Leora Greene In April 2015, when I was 15 years old, I came home from getting my braces off to learn that my grandfather had taken his own life after fighting with anxiety and depression for many years. My family and I felt a strange mix of emotions all at once: anger, sadness, and […]
By Michael Chaskes “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” — Pirkei Avot, 2:21. During the first 47 years of my life, I could have counted my brief number of excursions into political advocacy on one hand and still had a few fingers remaining. But […]
By Lindsay Morgenstein As the calendar turns to 2019, we can now focus on the next twelve months and the pressing issues facing our nation. This may not be a midterm or presidential election year, but there are still a number of crucial justice issues I hope we can address in 2019. Here’s my justice […]
[UPDATE (Jan. 10): Join JCJ at 9:00 a.m. on January 19th for a pre-Women’s March Shabbat experience. We will be meeting in the parking lot on S. Broadway, between 2nd and 3rd streets (next to 213 S. Broadway). The March will begin at Pershing Square and everyone will congregate around Grand Park. This is a perfect in-between […]
By Sam Wolf In the midst of the Administration’s continued attacks on refugees and asylum seekers, I feel compelled to speak out. Let me tell you why. On April 15, 1940, my great grandparents — Ferenc Rakos and Aranka Neufeld — arrived in New York on the USS Manhattan. It was a long journey from […]
