Bet Tzedek Gala - 50th Anniversary

“Justice is on Trial.

Justice is on trial. This is not a time for deafening silence and therefore for complicity. It is a time to speak out and stand for justice.

If we do not stand for justice, we are betraying our own ancestry. Unless we are indigenous people in America, we are all immigrants to the United States of America. Unless we stand for justice, we are betraying our children and our children’s children by not protecting our democracy and fighting for equal justice for all people in America.”

—Rabbi Stan Levy Bet Tzedek Founder

ADAM S. UMANOFF

Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Edison International

RECIPIENT, 2024 LUIS LAINER FOUNDER’S AWARD

ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

RECIPIENT, 2024 ROSE L. SCHIFF COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AWARD

AMY PECKNER

Senior Development Officer

Bet Tzedek

RECIPIENT, 2024 JACK H. SKIRBALL

COMMUNITY JUSTICE AWARD

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL

50th ANNIVERSARY

HONORARY CO-CHAIRS

Arthur H. Bilger

Darrell Brown

Nancy Sher Cohen

Yousuf I. Dhamee

Scott A. Edelman

Alan V. Friedman

Terry B. Friedman

Richard B. Jones

Mitchell A. Kamin

Jessie Kornberg

Luis Lainer

David A. Lash

Stanley W. Levy

John K. Ly

Kevin S. Marks

Kenneth S. Millman

Samantha L. Millman

Peter K. Rosen

Sandy E. Samuels

David J. Schindler

Daniel Shallman

Glenn A. Sonnenberg

Leah E. Weil

Sam S. Yebri

DINNER COMMITTEE

David A. Brooks

Alisha C. Burgin

Linda M. Burrow

Michelle L.C. Carpenter

Allan B. Cutrow

Victor De la Cruz

Gregory D. Helmer

Sean W. Jaquez

Moez M. Kaba

Teddy M. Kapur

Neal R. Marder

Michelle L. Mayer

Torrey J. McClory

Frank E. Melton

Alex Menenberg

Linda G. Michaelson

Ariel A. Neuman

Amy E. Proctor

Jennifer S. Romano

Robert M. Schwartz

Matthew E. Sloan

Bennett L. Spiegel

Albert W. Stemp

Mary Ann Todd

Alex M. Weingarten

Ryan K. Yagura

WELCOME

Greetings, everyone.

It started with a housing crisis.

Los Angeles in 1974—like the rest of the country—was hit by double-digit inflation and neighborhoods across the city were rapidly gentrifying. This put low-income seniors in harm’s way, including Holocaust survivors who were being displaced from their Fairfax neighborhood.

Two visionaries—Rabbi Stanley Levy and Luis Lainer—brought together a small group of friends with a shared conviction to help the most vulnerable in their communities. Together, they founded Bet Tzedek— the House of Justice. This was more than a legal aid organization; it was an incredible act of repairing the world by protecting, advocating for, and bringing hope to those with nowhere else to turn.

Fifty years later, we are celebrating Bet Tzedek’s immense impact in Los Angeles. Since 1974, the staff and volunteers of Bet Tzedek have touched the lives of over one million individuals and families. We have helped Angelenos recover over $100 million in stolen wages, in reparation payments, in improperly denied benefits, in home equity, in spurious eviction claims, and many other legal matters.

We’ve harnessed the generosity of tens of thousands of volunteers who have wanted to make Los Angeles a more just place for its residents. We have employed some of the brightest, most compassionate, and dedicated individuals working in our field, and we have engaged with thousands of community partners—from synagogues to law schools, libraries to senior service centers, courts of law to food banks and hospitals.

Over the next five years, Bet Tzedek is embarking on an ambitious trajectory to maximize the impact we have on our client communities by strengthening our infrastructure, deepening our partnerships, and monitoring community legal needs to adjust our existing direct service programs and determine Bet Tzedek’s role in addressing emerging needs. And we will continue to prioritize opportunities to change the unjust systems that prevent our client families from achieving social and economic justice through systems change advocacy.

With all that growth, our commitment to addressing the critical issues impacting Angelenos, such as poverty, homelessness, and elder abuse, remains unwavering. Our commitment to ensure that all Angelenos can lead full, prosperous, and thriving lives remains. While our programs have continued to expand, we stay committed to the ethos of tikkun olam, and the pursuit of justice—tzedek tzedek tirdof—remains our North Star.

Thank you for the role you played during the last 50 years and thank you for being with us as we embark on our next 50!

Yours,

Diego Cartagena, President/CEO

DIEGO CARTAGENA

2024 LUIS LAINER FOUNDER’S AWARD

ADAM S. UMANOFF

ADAM S. UMANOFF has been a member of the Bet Tzedek board of directors for almost a decade. He is currently the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, one of the nation’s largest utilities, and competitive businesses engaged in emerging sectors of the electric industry. Adam is responsible for the legal affairs of the company.

Over the course of a 40-year career, Adam has devoted himself to advancing the clean energy transition in order to combat climate change. Prior to joining Edison, he was a partner in several international law firms where he focused on the development and financing of infrastructure and renewable energy projects and has been recognized as one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers and Top 25 Clean Tech Lawyers. He also served as General Counsel then President and CEO of a global wind power company. Adam has served on the Advisory Counsel to the Dean of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and on the Litigation and Legal Committees of the Edison Electric Institute, the trade association for the nation’s investor-owned utilities.

A New Yorker, Adam received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School. Adam and his wife Barbara have been happily married for more than 40 years, live in Manhattan Beach, and have three grown children and three grandsons. Their son David and his wife Jennifer, both in the tech industry, live in northern California along with grandsons William and Nicolas; daughter Kim and her husband Ben, both in the entertainment business, live in Marina del Rey along with grandson Matthew; and son Brian, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, and his wife Alexandra, an orthodontist, live in Newport Beach. Outside of work and family, Adam is an avid downhill skier and eager but often frustrated golfer.

“The ultimate measure of a person is where they stand at times of challenge and controversy for the welfare of others.”

—Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2024 ROSE L. SCHIFF COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AWARD

ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL

CLUB’s story begins in July 2020, when founders Kara Nortman, Natalie Portman, and Julie Uhrman launched the club as an NWSL expansion team and announced it would be taking the field in 2022. The team’s inaugural game took place on April 29, 2022, a 2–1 win against the North Carolina Courage in front of a sold-out crowd of 22,000.

On the field, ACFC surpassed all previous expansion teams in 2022 with an eighth-place (out of 12) finish, winning eight games and earning 29 points— landing just four points out of playoff position. The team also played two friendlies that year, one against Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL, a 1–0 win, and one against the Mexico Women’s National Team, which ended in a 0–2 loss.

Angel City’s sophomore season got off to a rocky start, prompting the club to elevate Becki Tweed from assistant coach to interim head coach. Following Tweed’s hiring in June, exactly halfway through the regular season, the team earned the best record in the league, going undefeated until the third-to-last game of the year. The club earned its first-ever playoff appearance after closing out the season with a thrilling 5–1 home victory against the leagueleading Portland Thorns.

They went on to suffer a 2–0 loss on the road to OL Reign, but history had already been made, as Angel City became just the third expansion team to make the playoffs within their first two seasons.

Since its inception, ACFC has been a standard-bearer for attendance not just in the NWSL, but in women’s sports globally. The team sold out four home games in 2022 and averaged a league-leading 18,534 fans during the regular season. 2023 saw five sellout crowds and an average attendance of 19,361.

ACFC prides itself on being not just a world-class soccer club, but a force for good in the community, with a first-of-its-kind business model that builds impact into the structure of the organization. Under Angel City’s 10% Model, each sponsor contributes 10% of its total sponsorship money to a community partner, whose work ranges from sports equity to education to food security.

The unparalleled atmosphere at Angel City home games is thanks not just to the club’s attendance numbers, but also its six grassroots supporter groups: Mosaic 1781, Pandemonium, PodeRosas, Rebellion 99, Relentless Ladies, and Valkyries. During home games, the members of these groups—consisting of the most diehard Angel City supporters—fill La Fortaleza, the safe-standing section in BMO Stadium’s north end. Supporters spend the 90 minutes of each game chanting, waving flags, and urging ACFC to victory to the beat of a drum section.

2024 JACK H. SKIRBALL COMMUNITY JUSTICE AWARD

AMY PECKNER

AMY PECKNER began working at Bet Tzedek in 2008. Her initial role was Individual Giving Officer. In that capacity, she had a number of responsibilities, including cultivating and soliciting donors, running the agency’s direct mail campaign, procuring sponsorships for The Justice Ball, and overseeing small events.

In 2012, Amy was promoted to Senior Development Officer and oversees development-related events for Bet Tzedek. Throughout the years, Amy has run numerous parlor meetings and community events. Additionally, she stewards a portfolio of major donors. She also works with the Vice President of External Affairs and the CEO on development strategy. In 2012, she began overseeing the agency’s Annual Dinner Gala. There are too many components to running the Dinner Gala to list, but some of those responsibilities include working closely with the honorees as well as the board and dinner committee with their fundraising efforts; overseeing the creation and dissemination of all print collateral; hiring and building relationships with vendors—and so much more. During the Dinner Gala, Amy is often seen wearing a headset and moving swiftly around the ballroom to help ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Amy’s fundraising efforts throughout her tenure have resulted in more than $25 million raised for Bet Tzedek.

Amy is a proud member of Bet Tzedek’s union, AFSCME Local 946. She has served on Bet Tzedek’s union negotiation team several times and has additionally served as an at-large member on the union’s executive board. Before the pandemic, Amy enjoyed leading efforts in organizing special events for the staff, whether it was a baby shower, birthday party, or the staff’s annual holiday party.

Prior to working at Bet Tzedek, Amy worked in the entertainment industry. She ultimately left the industry, moved to Boston and became a high school social studies teacher. After leaving teaching, she began her nonprofit career. She worked at several nonprofits in Boston before moving back to Los Angeles.

Amy received her BA in history from UC Santa Barbara. During college, she spent a year abroad studying at the University of Exeter in England and later earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University.

In her spare time, Amy enjoys traveling, Pilates, and hanging with her cat, Ruffles. She is currently attempting to edit a collection of haikus that she wrote during the pandemic.

“All that you touch, you change. All that you change changes you.”

—Octavia Butler

OUR AWARDS

LUIS LAINER

The Luis Lainer Founder’s Award was established in 1999 in honor of Bet Tzedek’s co-founder and first Executive Director, Luis Lainer. Luis continues to be an active member of Bet Tzedek’s Board of Directors.

ROSE L. SCHIFF

The Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award was established in 1999 by Dahlia and Art Bilger as a tribute to Art’s late grandmother, whose passion for justice has inspired succeeding generations of her family.

JACK H. SKIRBALL

The Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award was established in 2006 by the Skirball Foundation as a tribute to the legacy of Jack H. Skirball, and recognizes a Bet Tzedek employee whose service embodies his commitment to his community.

2023

PAST HONOREES

David J. Schindler, Esq.

Chief Justice of California

Tani Cantil-Sakauye (Ret.)

Dominique Sanz-David, Esq.

2022

Robert M. Schwartz, Esq.

Paul Hastings LLP

Tracy Douglas, Catherine Hoffman, and Tatiana Perez

2021

Our Client Communities’ Resilience

Our Philanthropic Family’s Generosity

Our Staff’s work, and the amplifying power of our Pro Bono and Volunteer Partners.

2020

Kenneth S. Millman

L.A. Justice Fund

Bet Tzedek’s Legal Support Team

2019

Richard B. Jones

Bank of America

Ed Elsner

2018

E. Randol Schoenberg

Latham & Watkins LLP

John Ly

Kim Selfon

2017

Georgina & Alan Rothenberg

The Eisner Foundation

Nicholas Levenhagen

2016

Eric H. Holder, Jr.

UCLA School of Law

Sam S. Yebri

Akiko Nishino

2015

Pedro Pizarro

Zev Yaroslavsky

Samantha Millman

Erikson Albrecht

2014

Stanley P. Gold and Bruce M. Ramer

Luis Lainer, Terry B. Friedman, Michael N. Feuer, David A. Lash and Mitchell A. Kamin

Andrea Ambrose Lobato and Aaron J. Spiwak

Joey D. Alarcon

2013

Leah E. Weil

Werner F. Wolfen (z”l)

Yolande Erickson and Bertha Sanchez Hayden

Rebecca Nichols (z”l)

2012

Gary D. Roberts

The United States

Holocaust Memorial Museum

Lisa D. Hoffman and Volker J. Schmidt

2011

Darrell R. Brown

The Jewish Journal

Marc Bender, Matthew DeCarolis, Kevin Kish and Gus May

2010

Barbara J. Desoer

Weingart Foundation

Janet R. Morris

2009

Glenn A. Sonnenberg

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and Stanley W. Levy

Deborah Baldwin

2008

Kevin S. Marks

O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Anna Burns

2007

Marc H. Gamsin

Milken Family Foundation

Spencer Lord

2006

Richard A. Kayne

Irell & Manella LLP and James N. Adler

2005

Amgen and David J. Scott

The Collins Family Foundation

2004

Sandor Samuels

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

2003

Howard S. Marks

Ira Yellin (z”l)

2002

Jay S. Wintrob

Judge Harry Pregerson (z”l)

2001

Frank E. Baxter

The Skirball Cultural Center

2000

Harry T. McMahon

Audrey Irmas

1999

George G. Golleher

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

1998

Eli Broad

Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation

1997

Arthur H. Bilger

Bill Gephardt

1996

Sanford M. Litvack

LEXIS-NEXIS

1995

Dale R. Laurance

Newton (z”l) & Rochelle Becker (z”l)

1994

Jerome L. Coben

Stanley W. Levy

1993

John Schulman

Jan & Mel Levine 1992

Gerald Stern 1991

Alan Friedman 1990

Luis Lainer

1989

Cathy Lee Needleman

OUTGOING BOARD CHAIR

LINDA G. MICHAELSON

Dear Friends,

I am excited to be with you all tonight celebrating Bet Tzedek’s 50 years of service to low-income individuals and families in Los Angeles and throughout the state. Your support— whether financial, through volunteerism, or simply through your presence here tonight— forms the bedrock upon which we stand.

To our Gala sponsors, you give us the essential resources to fulfill our mission of providing free legal services to those in need. Your commitment to justice and compassion are truly commendable and we’re grateful for your partnership. I also extend heartfelt thanks to our Gala Dinner Committee for their hard work each year in orchestrating this memorable evening.

To our remarkable staff—you are the mission personified. Your commitment and expertise drive the organization’s ability to have a meaningful impact on the lives of our clients.

To our pro bono partners and volunteers, you amplify our impact exponentially. Together, we extend the reach of justice and provide crucial assistance to communities throughout the region. I specifically want to thank my colleagues at Sheppard Mullin for their steadfast support of Bet Tzedek and for encouraging a culture of pro bono service within our firm. I am proud to be part of such a compassionate and forward-thinking organization.

As we celebrate Bet Tzedek’s 50th anniversary this year, we honor the spark that ignited our mission as we prepare to carry that torch of justice into the future. This is the start of a remarkable period, and we are so thrilled that you are coming with us as we enhance our impact and ensure that justice remains accessible to all who need it.

Thank you to my esteemed Board colleagues for allowing me the honor of serving as Chair these past two years. As I pass the chairpersonship to Samantha Millman, I know that she will ably guide us all forward in pursuit of our shared mission.

I raise a toast to each of you, to all that we have accomplished together, and to the countless lives we will continue to impact in the years to come. Thank you!

Warm regards,

Linda Michaelson Outgoing Board Chair

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Linda G. Michaelson

Board Chair

G. Carla Axelrod

Ava Badiee

Sasha M. Bass

Matthew D. Benedetto

Arthur H. Bilger

Darrell Brown

Jennifer L. Bryant

Alisha C. Burgin

Linda M. Burrow

Michelle L.C. Carpenter

Kimberly K. Chemerinsky

Victor De la Cruz

Yousuf I. Dhamee

Christine E. Ellice

Michael A. Firestein

Michael G. Freedman

Terry B. Friedman

Geoffrey M. Gold

Gordon A. Greenberg

Rex S. Heinke

Gregory D. Helmer

Luis Lainer Chair Emeritus

Sean W. Jaquez

Richard B. Jones

Moez M. Kaba

Jeffrey H. Kinrich

Katherine H. Ku

Tarifa B. Laddon

Stanley W. Levy

Jason D. Linder

John K. Ly

Neal R. Marder

Kevin S. Marks

Michelle L. Mayer

Torrey J. McClary

Frank E. Melton

Alex Menenberg

Linda G. Michaelson

Kenneth S. Millman

Samantha L. Millman

Ariel A. Neuman

Scott S. Packman

Amy E. Proctor

Diego Cartagena President/CEO

Heather L. Richardson

Rey M. Rodriguez

Jennifer S. Romano

Erin C. Rotgin

David J. Schindler

Robert M. Schwartz

Daniel N. Shallman

Ashley M. Silberfeld

Matthew E. Sloan

Glenn A. Sonnenberg

Bennett L. Spiegel

Albert W. Stemp

Laura A. Stoll

Mary Ann Todd

Adam S. Umanoff

Leah E. Weil

Alex M. Weingarten

Ryan K. Yagura

Sam S. Yebri

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL

Bet Tzedek’s President’s Council serves as an advisory board to provide guidance, support and advice to Bet Tzedek’s President/CEO and Board of Directors.

Membership on the President’s Council is reserved for former members of the Board of Directors who have demonstrated leadership and a substantial commitment to Bet Tzedek and have the interest and ability to significantly contribute in an advisory capacity.

The members of Bet Tzedek’s President’s Council are:

Jay Abarbanel

Jeffrey I. Abrams

Robert G. Badal

Evan A. Braude

Jerome L. Coben

Nancy Sher Cohen

Mark T. Drooks

Scott A. Edelman

Alan V. Friedman

J. Eric Isken

Mitchell A. Kamin

Stanley T. Kandel

Frank M. Kaplan

Jessie Kornberg

Stephen A. Kroft

David A. Lash

A. Howard Matz

Peter K. Rosen

Sandy E. Samuels

John A. Schulman

Jay S. Wintrob

“Take a long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation will not happen right away. Change often takes time. It rarely happens all at once.

In the movement, we didn't know how history would play itself out. When we were getting arrested… or standing in unmovable lines on the courthouse steps, we didn’t know what would happen, but we knew it had to happen.”

—Senator John Lewis

LEGACY SOCIETY

The generous individuals who have chosen to remember Bet Tzedek in their estate plans and through various planned gifts are a special group. They are visionaries whose philanthropy continues to propel Bet Tzedek’s mission. These donors have looked ahead to the needs of future generations and ensured that the most vulnerable in Southern California will continue to have access to legal advice and counsel from the staff at the House of Justice.

The Bet Tzedek Legacy Society was created to honor these individuals and their lifechanging legacies. An estate gift of any size and of any type qualifies for the Legacy Society. For more information, please contact Amy Peckner, Senior Development Officer, at (323) 549-5860 or apeckner@bettzedek.org.

Anonymous

Sara Adler

Linda & Robert Badal

Catherine Benkaim

Meryl & Michael Chae

Nancy Sher Cohen & Robert Cohen (z”l)

Susan & Alan Friedman

Marlene & Marshall Grossman (z”l)

Molly Harris

Phil Holthouse

Randi & Richard Jones

Wendy & Stephen Kroft

Kenneth J. Leach

Bonnie Lowenthal & Evan Braude

Lucy Maltby

Sunny Moss

Claudia & Sandy Samuels

Andrea & Glenn Sonnenberg

S. Chic Wolk

We express our deepest gratitude to the late donors whose generous bequests continue to support Bet Tzedek today:

Nina Abrams

Esther P. Adamson

James N. Adler

Lurene M. Albert

Maria Altmann

Rene Barge

Greta Bayer

Carol Beck

Ben Bergman

Julian Berk

Sima Conrad

Bessie Cooper

Odessa Dubinsky

Jacob Fiacre

Cathy & Jeff Fine

Henry Friedman

Harriet & Richard Glickman

Margaret Goetz

Joseph R. Goldstein

Fannie Hartman

Lillian Hartman

Anita Hirsh

Ethel Jacobson

Kagey Kash

Roy Kaufman

Morris Knopow

Isaac Lager

Stanley Lederman

Samuel D. Levin

Irene & Martin Lowy

Marilyn Mamann

Fred Mautner

Esther Newman

Mary-Joan Palevsky

Harriet Perchonok

Ida Prouse

Lee M. Ruben

Edward Saltzberg

Jay Shafer

Regina Shapiro

Harry C. Sigman

Alfred Silverton

Haskell Saul Solomon

Sidney Stern

Rebecca Wabash

Margo &

Stefan Waller

Michael Winter

Erikson Albrecht Directing Attorney

Jonathan Alvarez

BET TZEDEK STAFF

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Paralegal

Kathy Amiliategui Employment Rights Attorney

Taylor Amstutz Homeowner Protection Attorney

Alisa Anderson Elder Abuse Prevention Advocate

Layne Arguello

Racial Equity in Trust and Estate Law Fellow

Ingrid Arriaga

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Senior Attorney

Jessica Ayon Intake Screener and Receptionist

Lakesh Baker Vice President of Human Resources

Henrissa Bassey Directing Attorney

Rosanne Bonee Litigation Secretary

Mariela Bravo

Small Business Development Legal Secretary

Norman Bullock Interim Director of Finance

Belinda Cai Communications Coordinator

April Caires

Senior Director of Institutional Giving

Matthew Calcanas Eviction Defense Attorney

Maria Camacho

Decedents’ Estate Self-Help Clinic Program Coordinator

Tricia Carrillo Senior Human Resources Generalist

Diego Cartagena President and CEO

Marco Castaños

Small Business Development Attorney

Marin Castillo-Valle Elder Justice Social Worker

Diane Cato Human Resources Recruiter and Generalist

Kelsey Chapple Employment Rights Attorney

Alla Chasnik

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Attorney

Emily Chong Impact Advocacy Attorney

Tawndra Coleman Homeowner Protection Paralegal

Vincent Cummings Vice President of External Affairs

Anna Darr

Leaving a Legacy Estate Planning Program Attorney

Billie Davis Interim Grants Finance Manager

Matthew DeCarolis Employment Rights Attorney

Tracy Douglas Medical Legal Partnership Registered Legal Services Attorney

Edward Elsner Senior Outreach Attorney

Andre Enriquez Law Fellow

Julia Entin

Holocaust Services Paralegal

Yolande Erickson Conservatorship Program Attorney

Karla Estrada Sanchez

Small Business Development Paralegal

Rachael Ettinger Pro Bono Coordinator/Attorney

Erenie Fahmy Volunteer Coordinator

Hannah Feldman

LAUSD Kinship Care Attorney

Joanna Fluckey Foster Youth Immigration Attorney

Steven Friday Transgender Rights Attorney

Tzung-Lin Fu

Vice President of Legal Programs

Janxim Galdamez Eviction Defense Litigation Secretary

Arely Garcia Intake Screener

Isabela Garcia Conservatorship Paralegal

Nora Ghamari Senior Paralegal and Hearing Representative

Angel Go External Affairs Administrative Assistant

Michelle Gonzalez Senior Outreach Attorney

Luz Granda Homeowner Protection Paralegal

Jessica Guerrero Employment Rights Paralegal

Michael Hagerty Kinship Care Attorney

Emily Hampton Grants Officer

Tamara Harris Small Business Development Attorney

Nicole Herrarte CHIRP Social Worker and Case Manager

Helene Hoffman Holocaust Services Program Attorney

Lisa Hoffman Holocaust Services Program Director

Scott Horowitz Operations Manager

Maral Ishkanian Accounting Support Tech

Carla Jacobo

Small Business Development Paralegal

Selene Jones Donor Relations Officer

Daniella (Dani) Kaiserman Elder Justice Attorney

Jessica Ko Controller

Michelle Kogan

Holocaust Services Administrative Assistant and Intake Coordinator

Hana Kommel Williams

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Attorney

Christopher Kung Pro Bono Coordinator Eviction Defense Project

Nicholas (Nik) Lampros Eviction Defense Attorney

Veronica Leichter Caregiver Litigation Secretary

Sara Levine Pro Bono Director

Madison Lipton Executive Assistant to President and CEO

Spencer Lord Senior Paralegal and Hearing Representative

Marisol Macaraeg Eviction Defense Paralegal

Elizabeth Machado

Equal Justice Works Fellow, Employment Rights Project

Lizbet Madrigal Pro Bono and Small Business Administrative Assistant

Magda Madrigal Directing Attorney

Richard Maher Homeowner Protection Attorney

Andrew Marmor Eviction Defense Fellow

Jessica Marsella

Medical-Legal Partnership Attorney

Tanesha May

Development Operations Coordinator

Yvonne Medrano

Employment Rights Attorney

Lesly Mendoza Kinship Care Attorney

Greg Michalak

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Attorney

Luke Mondragon Grants Officer

Yessenia Moreno Conservatorship Paralegal

Adriana Moreno Nevarez Foster Youth Immigration Attorney

Mentru Nagbe Director of Data, Information and Technology

Laura Nelson Chief Financial Officer

Hannah Nowikow Eviction Defense Attorney

Eoin O’Farrell

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Paralegal

Judy Ortega Office Coordinator

Naomi Pearl Grants Administrator

Amy Peckner Senior Development Officer

Joseph Philipson ERP Equal Justice Works Fellow

Janeth Pimentel

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Litigation Secretary

Rebecca Popuch Kinship Care Attorney

Krystal Premachandra Low Income Tax Initiative Director

Angelica Rodriguez Kinship and Immigration Paralegal

Lidia Romero Employment Rights Administrative Assistant

Dennis Ryan Eviction Defense Paralegal

Caitlin Saggese

Preventing and Ending Homelessness Attorney

Bertha Sanchez Hayden Directing Attorney

Dominique Sanz-David Elder Justice Attorney

Andrea Schneider Grants Officer

Nadia Segura Directing Attorney

Kim Selfon IHSS and Medi-Cal Policy Specialist

Claire Shaw Eviction Defense Paralegal

Wai-Hong (Alfred) So Senior Grant Accountant

Eliza Stein Eviction Defense Paralegal

Gayle Tamler IHSS and Medi-Cal Attorney

Mary Tanagho Ross Directing Attorney

Julius Thompson Senior Outreach Attorney

Brenda Torres Administrative Assistant

Catherine Tran Preventing and Ending Homelessness Attorney

Maria Uribe Litigation Secretary

Lidia Vargas Moreira Immigration Paralegal

Estefania Villarreal Immigration Attorney

Jeffrey Webb Impact Litigation Directing Attorney

Aimee Williams Directing Attorney

Cristin Zeisler Interim Director of MLP and Senior Outreach

Aimee Zeltzer Preventing and Ending Homelessness Attorney

Alan Zenoff Community Outreach Advocate

OUR PROGRAMS

In the early 1970s, Los Angeles became the epicenter of a social revolution that would leave a lasting impact on the American cultural landscape. The city began grappling with some of the challenges that it continues to face today. Notably, gentrification was taking hold of neighborhoods, low-income residents struggled to keep up with the soaring costs of their homes.

It was unto this landscape that Bet Tzedek emerged. By pitching in just five dollars each, a group of legal professionals, religious leaders, and community activists opened a small storefront on Fairfax Boulevard where they provided free legal aid for people with nowhere else to turn. They named the organization Bet Tzedek,

Hebrew for “House of Justice,” after a central precept of Jewish law and tradition that declares: tzedek, tzedek tirdof—justice, justice, you shall pursue. This principle has guided the agency through the decades as Bet Tzedek continues its essential work to close the justice gap for low-income Angelenos.

Today, Bet Tzedek is an internationally recognized force in poverty law and one of the largest legal aid organizations in Los Angeles County. With more than 120 staff members and a thriving volunteer base, we harness an award-winning pro bono model of service to help people of all communities and generations secure life’s necessities. Bet Tzedek uses a multifaceted approach to advance justice at the individual, community, and systemic levels through community education and outreach, advice and counsel, direct representation, self-help clinics and publications, impact litigation, and policy advocacy.

Since we began serving clients in 1974, Bet Tzedek has touched the lives of over one million individuals and families.

Bet Tzedek addresses the pressing legal needs of community members through our four core program areas:

JUSTICE FOR SENIORS, DEPENDENT ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS

Bet Tzedek has unmatched expertise in the legal issues that affect seniors and dependent adults, helping them age in safety and security. Our services include elder abuse prevention and intervention, public benefits, advance planning, Holocaust reparations, conservatorship, and caregiver needs.

ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR WORKERS, TAXPAYERS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Helping to lift low-income communities out of poverty, Bet Tzedek fights for fair wages, safe working conditions, taxpayer relief, and equitable economic opportunities. Services include employment rights, wage theft, unemployment insurance, low-income taxpayer assistance, and small business development.

JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Nontraditional families face myriad challenges in accessing food, housing, and medical care, and Bet Tzedek removes legal barriers to ensure their complex needs are met. Services include guardianship for children in nonparental care, immigration relief for undocumented minors and foster youth, holistic medical-legal care at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and transgender rights.

HOUSING JUSTICE FOR TENANTS, HOMEOWNERS, AND UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS

It was a housing crisis that launched Bet Tzedek in the 1970s, and the agency has protected and preserved housing for underserved Angelenos ever since. Services include eviction defense, tenant rights, habitability, foreclosure prevention, real estate fraud, reversing title theft, and addressing predatory lending.

Bet Tzedek remains on the frontlines of the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles by fighting to protect Angelenos facing the most dire of circumstances. There are an estimated

75,000 people now living in interim housing or on the street in a vehicle, tent, or other makeshift shelter. We continue to provide free legal assistance for people who have become homeless and have nowhere else to turn. To stem the tide, we deploy services that prevent the circumstances that lead to homelessness, while also helping those on the verge of losing their rental housing or the home they worked so hard to own. Today, we are taking our work one step further by launching an effort to not only preserve homeownership, but also to build intergenerational wealth for historically marginalized families through estate planning. From seasoned staff and weekend volunteers to grassroots community-based organizations and prestigious law firms, Bet Tzedek brings together a powerful coalition of advocates with lived experience and legal expertise to support safe and stable housing for all.

Following are a few highlights of our work to promote safe and affordable housing for all Angelenos.

LEAVING A LEGACY PROJECT: GOING “UPSTREAM” TO TACKLE HOMEOWNERSHIP INEQUITIES

This past October, Bet Tzedek’s Elder Justice Team launched a new project— Leaving a Legacy—in partnership with the Los Angeles County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. This is a first-of-its-kind estate planning legal services program to empower and protect LA County residents with advance planning services. These services will range from helping community members put advance health care directives in place to drafting wills and trusts to ensure the appropriate distribution of their property.

Low-income families are “cash poor” but have worked tirelessly to own their one significant asset: their home. Many families are unaware of the need for advance planning, while others are deterred by prohibitively expensive lawyers’ fees. However, without robust estate planning, families are at risk of losing their homes in court disputes or needing to sell their home to pay for legal fees and costs. The lost opportunity to transfer the home to the next generation denies them the ability to build upon the financial gains that their parents made, as well as the myriad other economic benefits of homeownership. This inability to retain estate planning services perpetuates the inequitable decline of homeownership in low-income communities and communities of color.

Bet Tzedek has the most experience in estate planning of any legal aid agency in Los Angeles County. We are now deploying that knowledge and expertise through an entirely new project, Leaving a Legacy. Through this initiative, Bet Tzedek staff provide clients with a full range of estate planning services—advice and counsel, self-help resources, and full representation in the drafting of estate plans— to enable families to protect their assets. We help community members put in place attorney-drafted wills, Advance Health Care Directives, Powers of Attorney, and revocable living trusts, while also helping clients address probate matters and title transfers. In the past three years alone, Bet Tzedek’s staff have conducted more than 380 intakes for clients seeking estate planning services. With the launch of the Leaving a Legacy project, we are well positioned to serve even more clients and manage a greater number of complex estate planning cases each year.

Along with realizing the importance of building community awareness about the benefits of advance planning, we are launching a robust and targeted education and outreach campaign across LA County. We have also partnered with UCLA School of Law to create an innovative Estate Planning Fellowship to encourage current law students through internship opportunities in advance planning, to build a pipeline of prospective estate planning fellows, public interest estate planning attorneys, and future pro bono law firm volunteers. Always mindful of the power of pro bono, we have also engaged a cadre of law firm volunteers to form a Leaving a Legacy advisory panel and recruited scores of volunteers committed to representing clients with their estate planning needs. Through these comprehensive efforts, we aim to help historically underserved communities maintain their homes for their children and grandchildren and preserve their financial resilience across generations.

Bet Tzedek has the most experience in estate planning of any legal aid agency in Los Angeles County.

ENHANCING HOUSING ACCESS: UNITING FORCES FOR SOUTH LA’S FUTURE

Launched in 2019, Bet Tzedek’s Preventing and Ending Homelessness Program (PEHP) removes legal barriers to housing for individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Due to the scarcity of affordable and legal housing, families can experience overcrowding, illegal rental units, and poor conditions that pose serious health and safety risks. Our PEHP team provides community members with preeviction counseling and education about tenant rights. We share up-to-date information about relocation assistance, remedying habitability issues, and blocking attempts at illegal rent increases or evictions. The team also represents clients seeking help removing barriers that lead to or perpetuate homelessness, including helping secure stolen wages, expunging criminal records, and addressing immigration issues.

Over the past two years, our PEHP team has been building strong relationships with the Los Angeles City Council District 9 (spanning Downtown to Florence) municipal administration and with Community Coalition (CoCo), a 30-year-old power building organization in South Los Angeles. The District 9 office and CoCo are recognized and trusted institutions with strong connections to communities in South LA, and Bet Tzedek is able to serve more community members in need through these key partnerships. Compared to LA County collectively, more South LA residents have low incomes, rent rather than own their homes, and speak English as a second language. These circumstances increase the likelihood of housing insecurity, which prompted Bet Tzedek to ramp up our collaborative efforts with families living in District 9 this past year.

Bet Tzedek’s close collaboration with these partners has allowed our team to conduct more comprehensive neighborhood outreach to residents. We now receive referrals from the District office and CoCo for clients throughout South LA, and we provide access to resources and training to help them stay informed of their rights. We also fight to protect those rights, representing clients in administrative and court proceedings to address issues ranging from helping them receive the benefits they are owed to ensuring their homes are habitable.

EVICTION DEFENSE PROJECT: NAVIGATING LA’S TOUGH RENTAL LANDSCAPE

The repercussions of losing one’s home are profound and far-reaching, creating a ripple effect that touches various aspects of an individual’s life as well as the community in which they live. To combat the rise of illegal evictions, Bet Tzedek’s Eviction Defense Project (EDP) team opened cases for more than 340 individuals in 2023. At Know-Your-Rights workshops and Attorney Hours, we educate attendees on evolving tenant rights and have clients meet oneon-one with an attorney for immediate assistance. We conducted 35 community presentations and workshops in 2023, which reached over 500 attendees.

Unfortunately, the demand for legal assistance in eviction cases only continues to surge with the lifting of pandemic-era protections. In addition, California and Los Angeles City’s and County’s ever-changing tenant protection laws create widespread confusion among tenants. These circumstances clearly call for more housing advocates to be trained to effectively address this growing need.

In response, Bet Tzedek has hired additional staff to launch a new effort to recruit and train LA-area pro bono attorneys to assist tenants. This project will support our eviction defense team by increasing law firm and corporate legal department volunteer participation in outreach and education efforts, the development of resources, and the representation of clients in unlawful detainer cases. We look forward to deploying this cadre of new pro bono attorneys who are eager to serve vulnerable community tenants alongside Bet Tzedek.

LOOKING AHEAD

Bet Tzedek is honored to celebrate its five-decades long legacy of serving communities across Los Angeles, and beyond. We proudly reaffirm our belief that every person has the right to a place to call home and we are grateful for your support of our work to secure safe and stable housing for Angelenos in need.

The pursuit of justice has been Bet Tzedek’s guiding light since our journey began half a century ago. We thank you for being a part of that journey and helping to carry our mission into the future.

“To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that’s what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for oneself but for one’s community.”

—Ruth Bader Ginsburg

1,241 VOLUNTEERS DONATED 38,767 HOURS OF PRO BONO SERVICES INCLUDING OVER 318 LAW STUDENTS

END OF YEAR SNAPSHOT 2023

BET TZEDEK RUNS ONE OF L.A.'S ONLY NAME & GENDER MARKER CHANGE CLINICS TO SUPPORT THE L.A. TRANS COMMUNITY

SCORES OF VOLUNTEERS, LAW FIRMS AND IN-HOUSE LEGAL DEPARTMENTS PROVIDED OVER 30 CLINICS, TRAININGS AND PRESENTATIONS

14,490 CALLS TO OUR CALL CENTER AND 9,109 ONLINE INTAKE APPLICATIONS

317 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

EVICTION DEFENSE TEAM HELPED 2,424 INDIVIDUALS - INCLUDING 516 CHILDRENWHO WERE FACING EVICTION

IN TOTAL, OUR HOUSING JUSTICE TEAMS HELPED LOW-INCOME TENANTS AVOID $1,402,962.90 IN INCREASED RENTS, OTHER HOUSING COSTS, AND UNPAID FINES, WHILE ALSO RECOVERING $140,219.67 IN RENT OVERPAYMENTS AND RELOCATION ASSISTANCE

HELPED RECOVER $5.5M IN STOLEN WAGES IN CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY WAGE THEFT CASE

BET TZEDEK HELD 164 SELF-HELP CONSERVATORSHIP CLINICS HELPING 8,773 INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES GET THE LEGAL PROTECTIONS THEY NEED

PREVENTING AND ENDING HOMELESSNESS PROJECT MANAGED 1,353 CASES

$946,452 REVENUE

PRIVATE DONORS

$10,213,431

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

$6,087,090

CY PRES & ATTY FEES

80,366 PEOPLE SERVED

16,790

JUSTICE FOR WORKERS, TAX-PAYERS & SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

36,945

JUSTICE FOR SENIORS, DEPENDENT ADULTS

18,595 JUSTICE FOR TENANTS, HOMEOWNERS & UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS

8,036

JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES

BET TZEDEK

ENDOWMENT

In 1999, Bet Tzedek established an Endowment to help ensure that the doors to the House of Justice stay open for future generations. The goal of the Endowment is to create lasting, permanent programs that will continue to seek and provide justice throughout the 21st Century. If you are interested in becoming an Endowment donor, please contact Vincent Cummings, Vice President, External Affairs, at (323) 549-5813 or vcummings@ bettzedek.org.

We are pleased to acknowledge the following donors to the Bet Tzedek Endowment:

The Ahmanson Foundation

The Bilger Foundation (In honor of Rose L. Schiff)

Lara & Randall Kaplan Lee (z”l) & Luis Lainer

Bunny & Herbert (z”l) Rosenkrantz

The Skirball Foundation

Jean & Jay Abarbanel

Jeffrey Abrams

Sara & James (z”l) Adler

G. Carla Axelrod

Linda & Robert Badal

Margot & Henry Bamberger (z”l)

Bunny Wasser (z”l) & Howard Bernstein

Evan A. Braude

Dana & Albert R. Broccoli Foundation

Meryl & Michael Chae

Maren Christensen

Peggy Jo & James Clark

Carol & Jerome Coben

Nancy Sher Cohen & Robert Cohen

Valerie A. Cohen

Judi Davidson

Mark T. Drooks

Susan & Scott Edelman

Michael A. Firestein

Angela & Rafael Fogel

Jerry Freisleben

Susan & Alan Friedman

Mark Friedman

The Honorable Terry Friedman

Holly Fujie & Lee Cotugno

Susan Brauneiss & Marc Gamsin

Edna Glikmann

Sidi & Peter (z”l) Gluck

Stephanie & Geoffrey Gold

Glenn Gottlieb

Sheba & Howard Grobstein

Marlene & Marshall Grossman

Myna & Uri Herscher

Suzanne & J. Eric Isken

Randi & Richard Jones

Mitchell Kamin & Susan Genco

Charlotte & Stanley Kandel

Ann-Rose & Frank Kaplan

Juli & Jeffrey Kinrich

Marjorie Kinsler (z”l)

Deborah & Phillip Koeffler

Wendy & Stephen Kroft

Beth Becker & David Lash

Laurie Levenson & Douglas Mirell

Lynda & Stan Levy

Sanford M. Litvack

Laura & Kevin Marks

Edith Matthai

Tanya & Alejandro Mayorkas

The Jacqueline & Harry McMahon

Family Foundation

Louis Meisinger

Marcy & Frank Melton

Linda & Kenneth Millman

Samantha Millman & Brian VanRiper

Linda & Barton Pachino

Cynthia & David (z”l) Pasternak

Jesus E. Quiñonez

Gary D. Roberts

Erin & Michael Rotgin

Georgina & Alan Rothenberg

Claudia and Sandor Samuels

Kim & Darryl Schall

Carol Johnson & David Schindler

Ronie M. Schmelz

Toni & John Schulman

Karen Breslow & Robert Schwartz

Lily & Allan Schweitzer

Brette S. Simon

Jeffrey Sklar

Andrea & Glenn Sonnenberg

Samuel M. Soref & Helene K. Soref Foundation

Brian Sun

Tobey Cotsen & Jonathan Victor

Tom Waits

Leah Weil

Gail Katz & Bruce Wessel

Wendy & Jay Wintrob

Julie & Michael Woronoff

PHILANTHROPIC

PARTNERS

Bet Tzedek is especially grateful to the numerous foundations, public agencies and municipalities that partner with us and allow us to continue—as well as expand— the vital services that we provide throughout Southern California, and beyond. This support enables the development of unique programmatic models that are the hallmark of Bet Tzedek’s approach.

California Department of Social Services

City of Los Angeles

City of Los Angeles Department of Aging

Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs

Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity

Los Angeles County Health Services, Medical-Legal Community Partnership LA

The James Irvine Foundation

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

The State Bar of California

California Department of Children & Family Services

California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

Fox Foundation

Los Angeles County Aging and Disabilities Department

UniHealth Foundation

City of West Hollywood

“Justice, Justice shall you pursue.

Why does the verse repeat itself? Is there a just justice and an unjust justice? Indeed there is. [We] must be just also in the pursuit of justice— both the end and the means by which it is obtained must be just.”

—Rabbi Bunim of Peshischa

Aramont Charitable Foundation

City of Beverly Hills

The Bilger Foundation

The California Access to Justice Commission

California Community Foundation

Cedars-Sinai

City of Culver City

The Eisner Foundation

Equal Justice Works

The Diane P. and Guilford Glazer Foundation

GPSN

Bank of America Foundation

Harold Brown Foundation

Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany

Max Factor Family Foundation

The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Foundation

Nina Abrams Fund

Maria Altmann

Family Foundation

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Foundation

Samuel Birnkrant Foundation

Dana & Albert R. Broccoli Foundation

Internal Revenue Service

Audrey and Sydney Irmas Charitable Foundation

Audrey Irmas Foundation for Social Justice

Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles

The Rose Hills Foundation

Michael & Irene Ross Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

M.B. Seretean Foundation, Inc.

Sam Simon Charitable Giving Foundation

Smidt Foundation

May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust

US Bank

Alfred E. Mann Charities

Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Foundation

The Erwin Rautenberg Foundation

Ziering Family Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

Joseph Drown Foundation

Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman Charity Fund

Housing Opportunities Program for the Elderly (HOPE)

The Karsh Family Foundation

Pearlman Geller Family Foundation

Samuel and Helene Soref Foundation

Thatcher Foundation

The Venable Foundation

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation

The Ruth/Allen Ziegler Foundation

CY PRES ADVOCATES 2023

Bet Tzedek thanks the following attorneys, corporations, and law firms for helping direct cy pres funds to the organization. Cy pres uses residual funds from class action settlements to fund free legal services. These funds enable Bet Tzedek to reach thousands of additional clients with assistance in employment rights, consumer law, real estate fraud, foreclosure prevention, elder rights, government benefits, and more.

For more information and materials on how to designate Bet Tzedek for cy pres in your class action, please contact Vincent Cummings, Vice President, External Affairs, at (323) 549-5813 or vcummings@bettzedek.org.

Ackermann & Tilajef, PC

Baker & Hostetler LLP

Bisnar Chase LLP

Blumenthal Nodrehaug & Bhowmik

Bokhour Law Group

Bradley Grombacher, LLP

Call & Jensen

Capstone Law APC

Cohelan Khoury & Singer

Crosner Legal

DLA Piper

Duran & Flanagan

Dychter Law Offices, APC

Edelson McGuire LLC

Fisher & Phillips LLP

Gaines & Gaines

Gordon & Rees LLP

Greenberg Traurig LLP

Haines Law Group

Jackson Lewis, P.C.

Jones Day

Justice Law Corporation

Karasik Law Firm

Ken Goldman Law

Kingsley & Kingsley, APC

Lavi & Ebrahimian, LLP

Law Office of Peter M. Hart

Law Offices of Laura Each Nguyen

Law Offices of Mark Yablonovich

Law Offices of Sahag Majarian II

Lawyers for Justice P.C.

Lebe Law, APLC

Levin & Nalbandyan, LLP

Littler Mendelson P.C.

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Merino Yebri LLP

Messrelian Law

Michelman & Robinson LLP

Moon Law Group, PC

Myers Law Group

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

Outten & Golden LLP

Reed Smith LLP

Schneiders & Associates LLP

Scopelitis Garvin Light

Hanson & Feary

Setareh Law Group

Sheppard Mullin

Richter & Hampton LLP

Spivak Law Firm

The Kick Law Firm

ThinkTank Holdings, LLC

United Employees Law Group

Wilson Sonsini

Goodrich & Rosati

PRO BONO VOLUNTEERS

Without pro bono attorneys, paralegals, law students and community volunteers, Bet Tzedek would not have been able to assist the over 80,000 individuals and families who sought legal assistance and guidance in 2023. We are extremely grateful to all the individuals, law firms, and corporate legal departments, organizations and companies that volunteered their services on behalf of our client communities. Their efforts help provide justice to children, women and men who might not have otherwise had access to representation. More than 1,300 pro bono attorneys and other volunteers contributed over 34,000 hours to Bet Tzedek in 2022, valued at over $11M.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Sara Levine, Esq. Pro Bono Director at (323) 549-5836 or slevine@bettzedek.org.

20th Century Studios

ACC SoCal

ADR Services

Akerman LLP

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Allen Matkins

Nicholas Allis, Esq.

Alston & Bird

Amazon

Amgen Inc

Analysis Group

Arnold & Porter

Ashby & Geddes

AutoDesk

Baker Botts LLP

BakerHostetler

Ballard Spahr LLP

Bank of America

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Bird Marella LLP

Blank Rome LLP

BNY Mellon

Bocarsly Emden Cowan

Esmail & Arndt LLP

BG Law

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

Buchalter

Capstone Law APC

CBS Viacom

Cooley LLP

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Covington & Burling LLP

Cozen O’Conner

Crowell & Moring LLP

Danning, Gill, Israel & Krasnoff LLP

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

PRO BONO VOLUNTEERS

Dechert LLP

DLA Piper

Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside LLP

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Fenwick & West LLP

Foley & Lardner LLP

Hon. Terry Friedman (Ret.)

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Glaser Weil

Law Offices of Karina Godoy

Stephanie Gold, Esq.

Goodwin Procter LLP

Law Office of Andrew Gradman

Greenberg Glusker LLP

Greenberg Traurig LLP

Law Office of Murray Greiff

Paul Habibi

Hall Law Group

Hanson Bridgett LLP

Heller & Edwards

Helmer Friedman LLP

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Knight LLP

Hueston Hennigan LLP

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

Ray Hsu Law

Irell & Manella LLP

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP

Jenner & Block LLP

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Randy Katz

Kellner Law Group PC

Kennerly Lamishaw & Rossi LLP

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

King & Spalding LLP

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Jessie Kornberg, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

Law Office of Lawrence Lebowsky

R.H. Lemorande

Liang Ly LLP

LimNexus LLP

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Matern Law Group, PC

Mattel

Mayer Brown

McDermott Will & Emery LLP

McGuireWoods

Michelman & Robinson, LLP

Milbank LLP

Miller Barondess LLP

Samantha L. Millman

Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP

Morgan Lewis

Morrison & Foerster

Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

NBCUniversal

Nelson Mullins

Netflix

Nixon Peabody LLP

Norris Law Group, P.C.

Norton Rose Fulbright

O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffee LLP

Paramount

Paul Hastings LLP

Perkins Coie LLP

Law Offices of Dan Persoff

Polsinelli LLP

Proskauer Rose LLP

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Reed Smith LLP

Robins Kaplan LLP

Rosen Marsili Rapp LLP

Toby Rothschild, Esq.

Sanders Roberts LLP

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Shearman & Sterling LLP

The Sheffied Family

Sheppard Mullin

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Sklar Kirsh LLP

Southern California Edison

Squire Patton Boggs

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Troutman Pepper

Lorena Vazquez, Esq.

The Walt Disney Company

Waymaker LLP

Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP

WilmerHale

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Winston & Strawn LLP

Sam S. Yebri, Esq.

Anya Zabelina-Harper, Esq.

Cristin Zeisler, Esq.

Zweiback, Fiset & Zaluendo LLP

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

—Harriet Tubman

GALA AFTER PARTY

Ascend to the Rooftop Deck of the Intercontinental Hotel and step into an unforgettable celebration under the stars!

Join us for Bet Tzedek’s 50th Anniversary Gala After Party, where you can raise a glass to 50 years of justice and compassion.

Starting at 9 pm, keep the party going and reconnect with old friends or network with other members of the LA professional community.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to mingle and enjoy stunning views of the city from the 73rd floor!

BET TZEDEK

NEW LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

The Bet Tzedek New Leadership Council (BTNLC) is a community of passionate, young- and mid-career professionals who serve as ambassadors by raising funds and awareness to support the work of Bet Tzedek. BTNLC provides leadership, service, professional networking, and social opportunities for its members.

Membership benefits include opportunities for both personal and professional growth and connection. BTNLC members also aid in planning events throughout the year that directly benefit community members, like the Rebecca Nichols Symposium.

BTNLC members are an integral component of Bet Tzedek’s volunteer leadership, and their commitment to philanthropy and service help ensure the future success of the organization. The BTNLC includes leaders from an array of professions including law, finance, real estate, entertainment, tech and sales.

To join the growing number of BTNLC members or learn about upcoming events, please contact Selene Jones at sjones@bettzedek.org.

Ava Badiee

Lauren Barnett

Michael Barth

Vidaur Durazo

Danielle Gabai

Sandra Hanian

COUNCIL CO-CHAIRS

Sasha Bass

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Alphamorlai Kebeh

Ariella Kupetz

Danielle Leneck

Alex Menenberg

Adam Sieff

Michael G. Freedman

Shevi Smith

Nora Tillmans

Shawn Thomas

Matthew Wallace

Jason Ziven

“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”

—Dolores Huerta

THE CARRY THE TORCH

FIFTY YEARS OF JUSTICE: THE FOUNDATION OF BET TZEDEK

In the heart of Los Angeles, a movement of compassion and justice took root in the Fairfax district. As tides of gentrification and inflation surged in the early 1970s, displacing Holocaust survivors and other vulnerable seniors, two visionaries—Rabbi Stanley Levy and Luis Lainer—ignited a spark of change.

With a small group of friends and a shared conviction, they founded Bet Tzedek— The House of Justice. Bet Tzedek was more than a legal aid organization; it was a promise to advance justice and to advocate for Angelenos with nowhere else to turn.

As we celebrate 50 years of unwavering service, we honor the legacy and the friends who declared, “tzedek, tzedek, tirdof—justice, justice, (we) shall pursue,” laying the groundwork for a future Los Angeles where justice heals our communities.

CARRYING THE TORCH FORWARD: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF JUSTICE IN LOS ANGELES IN THE NEXT 50 YEARS

Looking toward the next decade, Bet Tzedek is mapping out an ambitious future where Angelenos have equitable access to meet their essential needs and lead fulfilling lives with dignity, opportunity, and financial wellbeing.

To achieve this goal, we are launching the public phase of our fundraising campaign—Carrying the Torch Forward—to raise $50 million over the next two years.

Your generous contribution will ensure Bet Tzedek can elevate our efforts and maximize the number of individuals and families we are able to serve in Los Angeles in the following three ways:

• Expand our Groundbreaking Programs We are ever mindful of the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable individuals and families still seeking access to social and economic justice. By strategically weaving together ever deepening legal expertise, innovation, volunteer resources, and data-driven decisions, Bet Tzedek will be able to help more Angelenos and continue to position itself to address the most pressing—and evolving—community needs.

FORWARD CAMPAIGN

• Deepen our Community Partnerships Broadening collaborations with legal, community, and tech organizations throughout the region, we will seek to increase our outreach efforts and embed more of our experts with sibling organizations across L.A. These tactical partnerships strengthen our ties with client communities and amplify our impact directly in each of their neighborhoods.

• Press for Greater Policy Reform Deploying our five-decades worth of knowledge and leadership among collaborative partners, we will harness the law to reform unjust systems that block communities’ social and economic wellbeing. Working at the local, state, and—when appropriate—federal levels, Bet Tzedek will mount a calculated mix of litigation, legislative work, outreach, education, and partnerships to advance long-term transformative change.

50 YEARS OF JUSTICE

Over one million individuals and families already helped. Bet Tzedek—The House of Justice—has been providing free legal services and resources to those who need it most.

We remain committed to the ethos of tikkun olam. And tzedek tzedek tirdof remains our North Star. We invite you now to help light the path to a brighter and more just future. Join us in this pursuit!

To learn more about how your participation can help Bet Tzedek amplify our impact and expand our reach, please reach out to Vincent Cummings, Vice President of External Affairs at (323) 549-5813 or vcummings@bettzedek.org.

JUSTICE LEGACY SPONSORS

Edison International

Jewish Federation of Los Angeles

Latham & Watkins LLP

Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE FOR ALL

The shift to clean energy can and must be fair to all. That’s why at Edison, we’re working to promote a just and inclusive transition, regardless of race, income or zip code. Whether it’s making investments, dismantling barriers, creating partnerships, helping disadvantaged communities or advocating policies that promote equity and inclusivity—we’re committed to creating a clean energy future for everyone.

We are proud to sponsor Bet Tzedek’s 50th Anniversary Dinner Gala

EDISON INTERNATIONAL CONGRATULATES ADAM S. UMANOFF JUSTICE LEGACY

recipient of the Luis Lainer Founder’s Award at Bet Tzedek’s 50 th Anniversary Dinner Gala. We are honored to have Adam’s leadership as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Edison International and as a Bet Tzedek board member, a champion of equity in legal services for our communities .

JUSTICE LEGACY

Latham & Watkins is proud to support

Bet Tzedek

and its noble mission to provide free legal services to those who need them most, upholding a commitment to justice for all. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the exceptional staff and dedicated community volunteers at Bet Tzedek, whose tireless efforts make this transformative work a reality.

We also extend our warmest congratulations to Bet Tzedek on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary. Special recognition goes to this year’s most deserving honorees: Adam Umanoff, Angel City Football Club and Amy Peckner, for their outstanding contributions.

JUSTICE LEGACY

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

JUSTICE LEADER SPONSOR WorkingNation

We are honored to be part of this celebration of Bet Tzedek’s 50th anniversary. WorkingNation considers Bet Tzedek a trusted partner and collaborator in our collective work toward a more just and equal society, one that gives everyone a sense of dignity and purpose.

We congratulate Bet Tzedek and its dedicated team on its contributions to the legal landscape in Los Angeles, and we look forward to the many years of progress and partnership to come.

Art Bilger

Founder & CEO, WorkingNation

www.workingnation.org

Angel City Football Club

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR SPONSORS

Dahlia and Art Bilger

Bird Marella

Karla and Richard Chernick

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Hueston Hennigan LLP

The Lainer Family

Linda and Kenneth Millman

O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

U.S. Bank

It is our privilege to celebrate Bet Tzedek ’s 50th Anniversary. Its mission over the years of providing legal aid to those in greatest need has embraced so many.

An incredible history of “impact.”

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

Tonight we also want to highlight the 25th Anniversary of the Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award.

We extend our sincerest congratulations to this year’s deserving recipient, Angel City Football Club. Its efforts on behalf of the community are critical.

Dahlia & Art Bilger

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

Local Solutions. Global Reach.

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

Hu e ston Hen n i ga n c ong rat u l ates ton i ght ’ s h onor e e s

A d a m S. Umanoff

E xec u tive Vi c e P resi dent and G e n e ral Co u nsel, Edison Inter n at i onal

Lu i s La i ne r Fo un de r’s Award

A n ge l City Football Club

Rose L. S c h iff Commitment to J ustice Awa rd

Am P y eckner

S e n i or Devel opm e nt O ffice r, Bet Tzede k Jack H. Skirbal l Co mm unity Ju st i c e Award

Congratulations to the multitalented, multifaceted Amy Peckner

Without flour, there is no Torah.

—Ethics of the Fathers

Alas, in our society, without funds, there is no Justice. Thank you, Amy, for so skillfully and dedicatedly helping to harvest the funds for Bet Tzedek to provide Justice.

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

Congratulations to Adam Umanoff on your receipt of the Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Dear Adam, Your acceptance of the Award adds luster to the long list of previous, distinguished recipients.

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With great appreciation for all you have accomplished for Bet Tzedek and the community.

Warmly,

Luis Lainer

The Bet Tzedek Family sends love and deepest sympathies to The Lainer Family—Luis, Jesse and Dani, Annie and Jonathan, and Zachary and Hannah on the recent passing of their beloved Lee (z”l).

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May her memory be a blessing.

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

Adam S. Umanoff

Angel City Football Club

Amy Peckner and to the Bet Tzedek Staff for their dedication and commitment to bring justice to those in need.

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It is a pleasure to be associated with Bet Tzedek.

Linda & Kenneth Millman

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

O’Melveny warmly congratulates tonight’s honorees for their invaluable commitment to our community and their passion for advancing justice

Adam S. Umanoff

Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

omm.com

JUSTICE BENEFACTOR

Congratulations to all of tonight’s honorees for their commitment to Bet Tzedek’s mission.

Adam S. Umanoff

Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

world

U.S. Bank strives to make a positive impact in the community. That’s why we support community events that bring us together for the greater good. When we work together, anything is possible.

U.S. Bank is proud to support Bet Tzedek’s 50th Anniversary Dinner Gala.

JUSTICE CHAMPION SPONSORS

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Bank of America

Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman

Irell & Manella LLP

Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP

Paul Hastings LLP

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

JUSTICE CHAMPION

JUSTICE CHAMPION

You’re an inspiration to us all

Bet Tzedek is making a difference in our neighborhood.

Helping the local economy thrive is just one of the many positive attributes you bring to our area. Extending your abilities and resources to the community through service and other initiatives makes you a true leader.

We’re proud to work with Bet Tzedek. Visit us at bankofamerica.com/about.

JUSTICE CHAMPION

joins Bet Tzedek in honoring adam s. umanoff angel city football club and amy peckner may the doors of the house of justice always remain open.

JUSTICE CHAMPION

JUSTICE CHAMPION

We are honored to support Bet Tzedek and congratulate all of the honorees.

Cheers to a successful evening!

JUSTICE CHAMPION

We are proud to support and congratulate this year’s honorees

Adam S. Umano

Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schi Commitment to Justice Award and Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

JUSTICE BUILDER SPONSORS

Covington & Burling LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Elise and Terry Friedman

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

King & Spalding LLP

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation

JUSTICE BUILDER

Covington is proud to support Bet Tzedek and its Mission of Pursuing Justice for All

We congratulate honorees

Adam S. Umanoff Luis Lainer Founder ’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

JUSTICE BUILDER

Davis Wright Tremaine is proud to support Bet Tzedek in honoring Adam S. Umanoff Angel City Football Club and Amy Peckner for their accomplishments this year.

JUSTICE BUILDER

Congratulations to Adam S. Umanoff for your years of dedicated service to Bet Tzedek

A big cheer for the Angel City Football Club for your philanthropic leadership in Los Angeles

Mazel tov to the incomparable Amy Peckner for every year making the Bet Tzedek Gala so successful and thank you to all Bet Tzedek Staff, Volunteers and Donors for your support every day and every year

Elise Karl & Terry Friedman

JUSTICE BUILDER

JUSTICE BUILDER

JUSTICE BUILDER

WILLKIE PROUDLY JOINS

Bet Tzedek

in celebrating 50 Years of Justice and congratulates this year’s distinguished honorees

50th Anniversary Dinner Gala

May 2, 2024

1,200 LAWYERS | 14 OFFICES | 6 COUNTRIES

JUSTICE ADVOCATE SPONSORS

Alston & Bird

Linda Burrow and John Horn

Cravath, Swaine & Moore

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Goodwin Procter LLP

Helmer Friedman LLP

HKA

Randi and Richard Jones

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Liang Ly LLP

Loeb & Loeb LLP

McDermott, Will & Emery LLP

Linda and David Michaelson

Pachulski Stang

Ziehl & Jones LLP

Perkins Coie LLP

Proskauer Rose LLP

Quinn Emanuel

Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Ropes & Gray LLP

Karen Breslow and Robert Schwartz

Sidley Austin LLP

We proudly support BET TZEDEK and congratulate tonight’s honorees!

J Linda Burrow and John Horn

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

We a re plea sed to suppor t Bet Tzedek a nd recog n ize the accompl ish ment s of ton ig ht’s honorees, Ad a m S. Um a nof f, A ngel Cit y Footba l l Club a nd A my Peck ner.

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

HKA proudly supports Bet Tzedek and salutes the 2024 Annual Gala Dinner Honorees

Adam S . Umanoff

Luis Lainer Founder ’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L . Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

Richard and Randi Jones salute Bet Tzedek for the wonderful work they do in our community.

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

Liang Ly LLP is proud to celebrate Bet Tzedek on its 50th anniversary.

Congratulations to Adam S. Umanoff, Angel City Football Club, and Amy Peckner for their well-deserved awards.

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

We remain committed to suppor ting it s mis sion to provide free le gal ser vices and representation to more than 90,000 people religious belie fs , immigrant statuses and gender identities each year. We ex tend our congratulations to tonight ’s honorees for their long-standing histor y of soc ial ac tivism, commitment to philanthropy and exemplar y leadership both within the communit y and be yond.

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

We are proud to sponsor the Bet Tzedek 2024 Annual Dinner Gala and to join in honoring this year’s award recipients—your passion is extraordinary, and your contributions are meaningful.

Congratulations! Adam S. Umanoff

Angel City Football Club

Amy Peckner

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

We are thrilled to honor and celebrate Bet Tzedek’s 50th Anniversary!

Our warmest congratulations to all of our honorees:

Adam S. Umanoff, Angel City Football Club, and Amy Peckner

We thank you for your service and commitment to Justice for All.

Linda and David Michaelson

PERKINS COIE proudly supports Bet Tzedek and its mission to provide free, comprehensive legal services, education, and policy advocacy to low-income individuals and families in Los Angeles County. We congratulate Bet Tzedek on 50 years of working to provide equitable access to justice for all and applaud this year’s 2024 Annual Gala honorees for their leadership and dedication. PerkinsCoie.com

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

Congratulations and thanks to

Adam S. Umanoff

Angel City Football Club

Amy Peckner for your generous efforts and contributions to our community

Karen Breslow

Bobby Schwartz

JUSTICE ADVOCATE

ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT

THE SIDLEY AUSTIN FOUNDATION and PARTNERS OF SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP

Bet Tzedek’s 50th Anniversary Dinner Gala

WE VALUE BET TZEDEK’S ADVOCACY FOR EQUAL JUSTICE WITHIN THE COURTROOM AND COMMUNITY.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE EVENING’S HONOREES:

Adam S. Umanoff

Amy Peckner

Angel City Football Club

The Sidley Austin Foundation is funded solely by Sidley Austin LLP, an international law firm, to further the firm’s commitment to the community and to public service. MN-22964

“To live an ethical life is to be held accountable for history.”

—Cathy Park Hong

JUSTICE PARTNER SPONSORS

1st Century Bank

Allen Matkins Leck Gamble

Mallory & Natsis LLP

Analysis Group

Ares Management

Blank Rome LLP

Meryl and Michael Chae

Carol and Jerry Coben

Cooley LLP

DLA Piper

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Glaser Weil Fink Howard

Avchen & Shapiro LLP

Greenberg Glusker

Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP

Hogan Lovells LLP

The Imagen Foundation

Jackson Lewis, P.C.

Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP

Jenner & Block LLP

Jones Day

Charlotte and Stanley Kandel

Kendall Brill & Kelly LLP

The Kornberg Family

The Kramer Family

Lathrop GPM LLP

Peggy and Bernard Lewak

Alfred E. Mann Charities

Laura and Kevin Marks

Mayer Brown LLP

The Menenberg Family

Samantha Millman and Brian VanRiper

Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP

Morgan Lewis Pasich LLP

Prospera Law, LLP

Claudia and Sandy Samuels

Carol Johnson and David Schindler

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Ellen and Dan Shallman

Signature Resolution

Kelly and Matthew Sloan

Andrea & Glenn Sonnenberg

Samuel and Helene Soref Foundation

Christina and Al Stemp

Steptoe LLP

TroyGould, P.C.

Barbara and Adam Umanoff

Venable

WilmerHale LLP

Suzanne Wilson

Winston & Strawn LLP

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

IS PROUD TO SUPPORT & JOIN

IN HONORING ITS CONTINUED EFFORTS TO PROVIDE FREE LEGAL SERVICES TO THOSE WHO NEED THEM MOST.

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

Congratulations and thank you to Bet Tzedek,

Adam S. Umanoff,

Angel City Football Club, and Amy Peckner

Meryl & Michael Chae

JUSTICE PARTNER

We are proud to join in recognizing tonight’s honorees for helping to bring Bet Tzedek to this most significant moment in its remarkable history.

Kol Hakavod!

Carol and Jerry Coben

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JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

Congratulations to tonight’s honorees and to Bet Tzedek for 50 years of providing access to justice in our community to those who need it most.

Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP

We proudly

Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees as well as to Bet Tzedek’s staff for its extraordinary dedication to providing the highest quality of legal services to so many in our community who are in need.

Focused on labor and employment law since 1958, our 1,000+ attorneys located in major cities nationwide consistently identify and respond to new ways workplace law intersects business.

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JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

Jones Day enthusiastically congratulates Bet Tzedek on its relentless pursuit of

JUSTICE PARTNER

Congratulations to tonight’s worthy honorees and to Bet Tzedek for 50 years of working to make our community more just.

A special congratulations to Amy for her wholehearted dedication to this work as an invaluable member of the organization.

Charlotte and Stanley Kandel

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

To the leaders of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, past and present:

Thank you for your passion, innovation, and action in the face of injustice. And with special gratitude and admiration for Adam Umanoff and the legacy of peerless support for Bet Tzedek he continues at Edison International.

Congratulations all!

The

Kornberg Family

JUSTICE PARTNER

Congratulations to tonight’s honorees: Adam S. Umanoff

Angel City Football Club

Amy Peckner

Your work for Bet Tzedek improves the lives of so many.

Thank you for all that you do.

Nancy, Brian, and Gary Kramer

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

Congratulations to tonight’s honorees

Adam S. Umanoff

Angel City Football Club

Amy Peckner for their involvement in and commitment to Bet Tzedek and the Los Angeles community.

And a big shoutout to Samantha Millman, incoming Bet Tzedek Board Chair.

You never cease to amaze us!

Our love, Peggy & Bernard Lewak and Family

JUSTICE PARTNER

Congratulations to the Honorees:

Adam S. Umano

Angel City Football Club

Amy Peckner

ank you for all that you do for our community

We are honored to support Bet Tzedek which does so much to better the lives of so many.

ALFRED E. MANN CHARITIES

Michael Dreyer, Anoosheh Bostani, Claude Mann

JUSTICE PARTNER

thank you

adam s. umanoff angel city football club amy peckner for bringing justice to those who need it most.

kevin and laura marks serving bet tzedek since 1980

“

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

ANNE FRANK

Mayer Brown applauds Bet Tzedek’s mission to help ensure justice for Angelenos in need. Congratulations to all of the night’s honorees!

JUSTICE PARTNER

The Menenberg Family is proud to support Bet Tzedek and congratulates tonight’s honorees for their work in the pursuit of justice for all in need.

JUSTICE PARTNER

Tonight we honor our dedicated board colleague, ADAM UMANOFF, the incredible women of ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB, and our inimitable friend, AMY PECKNER for making Los Angeles a more just and equitable city.

Alongside tonight’s honorees, we thank Bet Tzedek’s dedicated staff and volunteers.

To paraphrase Dr. King and President Obama, the arc of the moral universe is long, and it bends toward justice— but it doesn’t bend on its own. It bends because tonight’s honorees, our staff, our volunteers and our supporters each put their hands on that arc and collectively bend it in the direction of justice.

Samantha Millman and Brian VanRiper

JUSTICE PARTNER

Adam S. Umanoff

vfu@prosperalaw.com aliou@prosperalaw.com dlee@prosperalaw.com kleung@prosperalaw.com

JUSTICE PARTNER

Congratulations to Bet Tzedek and the thousands of staff members and volunteers who have provided free legal services to the poor, the elderly, the needy and to Holocaust survivors for fifty years.

I recall the heartfelt thanks of several garment workers years ago whose stolen wages were recovered by Bet Tzedek staff and volunteers, and who said on camera to a previous Bet Tzedek dinner audience, “Muchas Gracias, Bet Tzedek.”

May the vital work of Bet Tzedek continue for another fifty years and beyond.

And Mazal Tov to Amy Peckner, one of the hearts and souls of Bet Tzedek for so many years. It was a pleasure working with you during my time at Bet Tzedek, and now I always look forward to your nudging phone calls reminding me to make my donations to Bet Tzedek. You are a treasure.

Much love and respect,

Sandy and Claudia Samuels

JUSTICE PARTNER

“A warrior’s task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves.”

– Sitting Bull

We are proud to support the men, women and volunteers of Bet Tzedek as they celebrate 50 years of being the noblest of warriors.

We can’t wait to see what the next 50 years bring.

– David Schindler and Carol Johnson

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

Ellen and Dan Shallman

warmly congratulate Adam S. Umanoff

Angel City Football Club and Amy Peckner

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

We are proud to support Bet Tzedek and congratulate this year’s honorees: Adam S. Umanoff, Angel City Football Club, and Amy Peckner. - Matt and Kelly Sloan -

JUSTICE PARTNER

JUSTICE PARTNER

Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof “Justice, justice you shall pursue”

—Deuteronomy 16:18

Congratulations to Bet Tzedek Legal Services on its 50th Anniversary and thank you to

Adam S. Umanoff

Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

Samuel and Helene Soref Foundation

Jeffrey I. Abrams and Michele Breslauer

Irma and Benjamin Breslauer

Alan and Stephanie Breslauer

JUSTICE PARTNER

We are proud to support Bet Tzedek and its work to advance the cause of equal justice for all.

Al & Christina Stemp

Congratulations to Adam S. Umanoff and all of the other 2024 honorees of the Bet Tzedek 50th Anniversary Celebration

JUSTICE PARTNER

To Our Dad and Grandpa Adam,

Congratulations on being chosen as this year’s recipient of The Luis Lainer Founder’s Award. We are so proud of you and happy to be able to share this special night to acknowledge all you do for others. With much love, David, Jen, William and Nicolas Kim, Ben and Matthew Brian and Alexandra— and your loving wife, Barbara

JUSTICE PARTNER

We are pleased to join Bet Tzedek to celebrate 50 years of justice and in saluting this year’s honorees:

Adam S. Umanoff

Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

We congratulate them for their unparalleled efforts to secure equal justice for all.

— John Lewis

WilmerHale is proud to support Bet Tzedek’s 2024 Annual Gala. Congratulations to honorees Adam S. Umanoff, Angel City Football Club and Amy Peckner.

wilmerhale.com

© 2024Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr llp

JUSTICE PARTNER

Suzy Wilson proudly supports Bet Tzedek and congratulates tonight’s honorees

WINSTON & STRAWN

PROUDLY SUPPORTS

Bet Tzedek and its 2024 Annual Gala Dinner

We would like to congratulate the 2024 honorees: Adam S. Umanoff, Luis Lainer Founder’s Award honoree; Angel City Football Club, the Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award honoree; and Amy Peckner, the Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award honoree.

NORTH AMERICA

SOUTH AMERICA

ASIA

EUROPE

PLATINUM

Congratulations to Angel City Football Club

honorees of the

25th Anniversary Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.

—Margaret Mead

The

Family of Rose L. Schiff

PLATINUM

Thank you, Bet Tzedek for all you do!

Lawrence M. Braun

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

1 Adam and Amy, You’re the best— two amazing people!

Congratulations on well-deserved awards!

Suzanne & Eric Isken

1

PLATINUM

Wow, 50!

We are indebted to Stan, Luis, and all the visionary founders of this remarkable organization.

With love and gratitude, Mitch and Susan

PLATINUM

An act of injustice is condemned not because a law has been broken, but because a person has been hurt.

—Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

We honor all our Awardees.

Stan and Lynda Levy

PLATINUM

Leading the pursuit of justice

Neal and Gina Marder are proud to support Bet Tzedek and grateful for the contributions of this year’s remarkable honorees.

PLATINUM

We are proud to support

Bet Tzedek

Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

Adam S. Umanoff

Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

© 2024 The Morrison & Foerster Foundation

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

Congratulations and thanks to all of the honorees on account of your commitment to justice for all in our community.

`

Dr. Lise F. Spiegel and Bennett L. Spiegel

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND VISION OF PROVIDING ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR ALL

IN HONOR OF BOARD MEMBER

TORREY McCLARY

HOWARD BANCHIK

to all of this year’s

honorees

GOLD

In honor of the 50 years of extraordinary work by Bet Tzedek’s staff with Diego’s leadership.

Paul and Casey Rosen

We celebrate Bet Tzedek’s commitment to justice for all.

u

Friends of Bet Tzedek

ADAM!

ALAN BENJAMIN AND LINDA ENGEL

LYNN & LES BIDER

SILVER

SILVER

Congratulations to all of tonight’s honorees and to Bet Tzedek for all the amazing work and service to the community.

SILVER ;

Edward Helmer, M.D.

would like to acknowledge this year’s award recipients and congratulate Bet Tzedek on 50 years of incredible service to the community. ;

@

Ann-Rose and Frank Kaplan congratulate this year’s Bet Tzedek honorees.

SILVER

Thank you to Adam Umanoff, Angel City Football Club, and Amy Peckner for all you do in our community, for advancing life-affirming access to justice, and for touching the lives of the clients of Bet Tzedek.

As we look back, celebrating 50 years of serving our neighbors in the most profound ways imaginable, we see in Bet Tzedek the future of justice and democracy.

Our gratitude for all you have done and for all you no doubt will do is boundless, as is our pride in having played a small part. Mazel Tov, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Beth

Becker and David Lash

SILVER

Congratulations and thanks to all of our honorees, with special kudos to

Amy Peckner

and the entire

Bet Tzedek Staff

for the extraordinary work they continue to do in our 50th year.

Frank and Marcy Melton

SILVER

proudly supports Bet Tzedek and its commitment to equal justice for all

Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

Adam S. Umanoff

Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club

Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award

Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

SILVER Z

Caroline and Scott Packman are proud to support Bet Tzedek and congratulate the 2024 honorees: Adam S. Umanoff, Angel City Football Club, and Amy Peckner

SILVER

Erin and Michael Rotgin are proud to support Bet Tzedek and congratulate all of tonight’s honorees: Adam S. Umanoff Angel City Football Club and Amy Peckner

Amy, Mazel tov

on receiving this well-deserved recognition honoring your dedication to community work and your commitment to fulfilling the important mission of Bet Tzedek. You are amazing.

We love you!

Mel, Kathie, Elana & Julian Larry, Charlene, Emma & Josh

In honor of Terry Friedman for his years of dedication to Bet Tzedek and the community it serves.

Susan & Jonathan Brandler

Brad & Claire Brian

congratulate Adam Umanoff on this well-deserved recognition for his outstanding service to Bet Tzedek.

Congratulations to Bet Tzedek on this special celebration. May it continue to do its good work for years to come.

Janet Farber

The FMBK Team Congratulates

Adam S Umanoff on receiving the Luis Lainer Founder’s Award

Angel City Football Club on receiving the Rose Schiff Commitment Justice Award

Amy Peckner on receiving the Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award

“Family Lawyers for Your Family”

Since 1996

West Los Angeles ▪ Calabasas ▪ Pasadena

Congratulations to Bet Tzedek on its 50th Anniversary Gala and to Amy Peckner

Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award Recipient

Your dedication and tireless efforts have made a significant impact on the lives of so many Bet Tzedek clients.

Your commitment to making the world a better place through your work is truly inspiring.

Congratulations on this well-deserved award.

Much love and gratitude, Kimberly, Derek and Nikki Freed

To our dearest Amy Peckner— our Dinner Doyenne,

Thank you and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

Love, Sarah Jampol, Allison Lee, and Jessie Kornberg

Congratulations to Bet Tzedek and all of its 2024 honorees, for providing 50 years of outstanding legal services to those who need it most.

tGary, Sheryl, Alexandra & Zachary Kramer

We gratefully salute the entire team at Bet Tzedek for their amazing dedication and skill in delivering justice to so many deserving clients.

And we join in congratulating this year’s worthy honorees.

rJane and Howard Matz

William Rothbard and FTCAdLaw salute

Bet Tzedek

for its decades of extraordinary legal and humanitarian service to our community and beyond.

WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT

BET TZEDEK

in its crucial and long-standing mission to provide free, expert legal aid to those in need.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

Adam S. Umanoff

Angel City Football Club

Amy Peckner

There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it.

—Amanda Gorman

Congratulations to LINDA for being brave enough to be “it” and

BET TZEDEK

for being the light for the past 50 years.

Linda, we are so proud of you!

With Love, Mandy and Steve

Lynn and Dennis

Marc & Stacey

Robin and Kingsley

Jill and Britt

Susie and Steve

Wells Fargo congratulates Bet Tzedek on 50 years of providing justice, stability, and hope to low-income individuals and families across Los Angeles County.

© 2024 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC.

proudly supports the inspiring and indispensable work of and celebrates those who make that work possible— our extraordinary donors, staff, and pro bono attorneys and volunteers.

It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either.

—Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers)

Sam S. Yebri Alexander M. Merino

On behalf of the American Federation of Teachers AFT 1521, we thank Bet Tzedek Legal Services for its partnership Congratulations to the honorees!

Congratulations to Bet Tzedek on its 2024 Dinner Gala!

Gail and Fred Rollman

The

Wolitzer Family congratulates Amy Peckner and the other honorees for their invaluable contributions to Bet Tzedek.

Mazal Tov to Luis, Stan and all our Founders who made the Dream a reality.

Sine Qua Non Carol & Stu Zimring

Congratulations on 50 years of incredible service to the community.

You guys are truly an inspiration.

Thank you for your great work.

Edward Norton & Shauna Robertson

—Luis Lainer Bet Tzedek Founder and First Executive Director

bettzedek.org