Movers & Shakers: Job Center, Scholarships, Bernstein’s 100th
BY RYAN TOROK | PUBLISHED AUG 24, 2018
Read the original article published by Jewish Journal
Los Angeles County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas (seventh and eighth from left, respectively) and JVS SoCal CEO Alan Levey (far right) were among those that celebrated the grand opening of the West Los Angles America’s Job Center of California, in Culver City. Photo courtesy of JVS SoCal
Los Angeles County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas (seventh and eighth from left, respectively) and JVS SoCal CEO Alan Levey (far right) were among those that celebrated the grand opening of the West Los Angles America’s Job Center of California, in Culver City. Photo courtesy of JVS SoCal
Los Angeles County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas and JVS SoCal CEO Alan Levey were among the community leaders celebrating the grand opening of the West Los Angeles America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) in Culver City on Aug. 10.
Katherine Moore, senior vice president of communications at JVS SoCal, formerly known as Jewish Vocational Services, said her organization was awarded the contract to operate the center through a competitive bidding process. The center is funded by Culver City and L.A. County with money they receive from the federal government. The center will serve Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Westchester, Ladera Heights and the West L.A. area.
The AJCC “is a one-stop shop for workforce services, providing a comprehensive range of no-cost employment and training services for employers and job seekers,” according to a press release for the event.
Additional attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Jan Perry, general manager of the Economic and Workforce Development Department for the city of Los Angeles; Cynthia Banks, director of the L.A. County Workforce Development Department, and Carolyn Anderson, regional deputy division chief of the California Employment Development Department.
Recently appointed Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore appeared at Orthodox community Congregation Bais Naftoli on Aug. 15 to discuss security concerns facing the Jewish community in Los Angeles.
Addressing about 60 people at the shul on La Brea Boulevard in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood, Moore said religious individuals and families in the area face “unique risks” on Shabbat when they walk to synagogue.
Moore, appointed to head the police department this past June, spoke of his commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the community, adding that he also expects people to take responsibility for their own safety.
“Your safety is not my sole charge,” he said. “Your safety is our shared responsibility.”
Moore also addressed the homelessness crisis in this city, with an estimated 28,000 people living without shelter on any given night. He said the solution is not for police to arrest homeless people who may be in violation of the law but for there to be more housing.
“The solution today is not trying to enforce your way out of it,” he said.
Attendees at the event included L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz; L.A. City Controller Ron Galperin; Bais Naftoli President Andrew Friedman; Rabbi Zvi Boyarsky, director of constitutional advocacy at the Aleph Institute; L.A. County Assessor Jeffrey Prang and Hungarian Deputy Consul General Istvan Grof.
Many of Bais Naftoli’s congregants are from Hungary.
The JVS Scholarship Program awards ceremony on July 26 celebrated the 243 Jewish students who received scholarships this year. JVS SoCal CEO Alan Levey and JVS Scholarship Committee Co-Chairman Mathew Paul opened the ceremony at Sinai Temple.
“Awarding scholarships to such accomplished students is tremendously inspiring,” Paul said. “I look forward to their future success and contributions as representatives of the JVS Scholarship Program to their schools and communities.”
The celebration enabled recipients of scholarships to recognize and thank the JVS Scholarship Program donors, who contributed some of the $744,650 raised for the needs-based scholarships for college students.
Established in 1972, the program has awarded more than $9 million to nearly 5,000 students from Los Angeles County, helping them on the path toward academic success.
The program is “the largest need-based scholarship program serving Jewish students within the Los Angeles community” stated a press release for the event.
Before selecting the scholarship recipients, the JVS Scholarship Committee interviewed more than 150 students about their involvement in community service, academic performance, financial needs and family history. Schools the recipients are attending include Harvard University, Stanford University, the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, USC and Cal-State University, Northridge. Some of the degrees they are pursuing include medicine, law and the arts. Among the scholarship recipients are immigrants and students with learning disabilities.
The event included a performance by 2018-2019 scholarship recipient Kate Feld, a cantorial student at the Academy of Jewish Religion, California, who showed off her operatic vocals.
Another highlight was a surprise marriage proposal of a couple — scholarship alumnus Ashkan Morim to scholarship alumna Morin Zaray — who had met at the 2017 awards ceremony.
— Charlotte Kramon, Contributing Writer