5774 / SUMMER 2014
Legacy NEWS JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELES
FROM THE DESK OF
MARVIN I. SCHOTLAND
PRESIDENT & CEO, JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
THE BARAN ENDOWMENT— A TRUE LEGACY
Striving for Peace and Understanding As I write this column, the conflict between Israel and Gaza continues with its inevitable difficulties. The quest for a permanent peace remains ever elusive. Against this backdrop, I have been reflecting on The Foundation’s role as an unwavering supporter of Israel through our annual Israel Grants program. In addition, a recent Foundation emergency grant of $50,000 is strengthening our Federation’s Israel Terror Relief Fund, which is helping many Israelis. Locally, the Creative Community For Peace— established by a cross-section of entertainment professionals and made possible by Foundation seed funding in 2013—is countering artists’ boycotts of Israel and building cultural bridges through music and the arts (p. 6). Among our 2014 Cutting Edge Grants awardees (pp. 4–5) is The Jewish Federation’s Campus Impact Network, which will train Jewish students to be leaders on local college campuses and to build coalitions. The timing is opportune, due to growing anti-Semitic rhetoric on campus including Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) calls against Israel. Once again, Federation programming, supported by Foundation funding, is pivotal in advancing opinion and fighting campus anti-Semitism. Initiatives like these are made possible by our endowment funds, including—to name just two— the Baran Endowment featured here and the Lange Endowment, featured in the spring Legacy. Thankfully, 225 endowments created at The Foundation over its 60-year history are ensuring that the values and causes held important by their founders are supported in perpetuity. To bring our community together, we created Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts (see back page)—through Krupnick Endowment funding—to serve as a valuable cross-cultural collaborative among artists from diverse communities. It is raising the creative bar, spurring dialogue, and allowing for more understanding through a free summer series of music, dance, and other artistic performances across Los Angeles. We encourage you to join us at the day-long Culminating Festival at the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple on Sunday, September 14.
(L-R) Aaron Spiwak, Sophy Cohen, Alain Cohen, Evelyn Baran, Josh Gelbart, Sheila Baran Spiwak, Alan Spiwak, Alissa Spiwak, Sarah Gelbart, Gloria Baran
One Family ... Five Generations of Passionate Philanthropy Ava Spiwak, born just last October to Alissa and Aaron Spiwak, represents the fifth generation of an extended family that lives—and loves—to give tzedakah from the bottom of their hearts. It won’t be long before little Ava learns of the Baran-Spiwak family’s incredible legacy for supporting Jewish causes locally, nationally, in Israel, and around the world with the guidance of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Little Ava’s great-grandparents Ben and Sarah Baran were the first family members to approach The Foundation. In 1976, they established the Jacob and Zlata Colloff Endowment to honor Sarah’s parents. Sarah, who died in 1982, inspired her family with her Ava Helen Spiwak communal work and commitment to tzedakah that she had learned from her parents. Impressed with The Foundation’s capabilities, Ben and his brother, Milton, created a second endowment in 1978 to honor their parents, Max and Anna Baran. “They’re a truly amazing family,” says Marvin Schotland, president and chief executive officer of The Foundation. “Ben Baran was a larger-than-life-person. Over the years I’ve met many generous philanthropists, but Ben was one of the purest charitable individuals I’ve ever met.” Continued on page 2
I close with heartfelt wishes for a Shana Tova— may the New Year bring blessings of health, happiness, and peace to us all.
$1.5 Million Awarded to Seven Cutting Edge Grant Programs www.jewishfoundationla.org
SEE PP. 4–5
1-877-ENDOW-NOW