5775 / FALL 2014
Legacy NEWS JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELES
KRUPNICK ENDOWMENT BUILDS CULTURAL BRIDGES THROUGH “VOICES OF LA”
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Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts enabled numerous cross-cultural collaborations of artists throughout the summer from communities across Los Angeles. Pictured at left is a spoken word and musical collaboration exploring cultural identities.
FROM THE DESK OF
MARVIN I. SCHOTLAND
PRESIDENT & CEO, JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Strengthening Our Communities in L.A. and in Israel Our commitment to Israel is eternal. So is our passion for ensuring a vibrant and strong local community. In the last few months, while Israel was under daily rocket attack by its enemies, The Foundation and our family of donors distributed more than $600,000 to the Jewish Federation’s Israel Terror Relief Fund. In addition, our Board approved nearly $1 million in grants (see p. 6) for Israel’s emergency needs and to promote economic self-sufficiency for its citizens. Here at home, the summer-long Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts (see lead story), in a unique yet meaningful way demonstrated that cross-cultural experiences can build bridges and bring people together. Musicians, dancers, painters and poets—a coming together of Jewish artists with those from a variety of ethnicities representative of Los Angeles—showed how the arts can serve as a great unifier.
A quintessential Los Angeles cross-cultural initiative, this past summer’s Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts, is still sending ripples of good vibrations throughout Southern California. The free, summer-long, family-friendly festival—funded by a grant from The Foundation’s Harry and Belle Krupnick Endowment—featured a unique citywide collaborative series that brought Jewish artists together with artmakers representing a broad range of ethnicities and cultures across Los Angeles to create original works of music, dance, spoken word, and visual art. Its goal? To help Angelenos break down barriers, strengthen relationships, and create a culture of greater understanding and acceptance across our city and, at the same time, honor the Krupnick family’s goal of cherishing Judaism and celebrating the arts and community. The series featured eight summer performances in diverse locales such as Venice, East LA, Downtown, Koreatown, and Beverly Hills, along with a culminating all-day celebration at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in mid-September. The mash-up of artists and artistic styles highlighted the incredible diversity and range of voices within our city, including Latin and Israeli musicians, Persian and Korean dancers, African American singers, Japanese visual artists, and Mideast-based musicians. Voices of LA was a kaleidoscope of culture and Continued on page 2
Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts featured artists from diverse communities and cultures across Los Angeles.
Harry and Belle Krupnick, of blessed memory, had a deep love of Jewish life, art and culture—and a desire to provide for its perpetuation Continued on back page
Announcing Nearly $1 Million in Israel Grant Awards www.jewishfoundationla.org
SEE PAGE 6 1-877-ENDOW-NOW
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THE KRUPNICK ENDOWMENT—
Reflecting the Lives of Its Generous Benefactors
activities that helped unify people this past summer in a fashion not often experienced in our city. According to one enthusiastic attendee, “This project has added such immeasurable value to the LA arts and culture scene and to the Jewish community. I am so thrilled to be here to enjoy this very special, unique experience.” The Voices of LA Festival was inspired by Belle and Harry Krupnick, of blessed memory, a couple who had a lifelong dedication to education, arts and culture, and Jewish life, and were committed to sharing their passion for the arts with others. They decided to establish the Krupnick Endowment Fund at The Foundation to create a permanent legacy that would reflect their values for this generation and generations to come.
There was dancing in the streets as festival attendees enjoyed the outdoor collaborative performance of La Santa Cecilia and the Yuval Ron Ensemble at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown LA.
“We designed this festival as a very special way to fulfill Harry and Belle’s charitable intentions and enhance their legacy,” says Marvin Schotland, president and CEO of The Foundation. “They would never have dreamed about anything of this magnitude, but they would have been completely exhilarated by the Voices of LA Festival.” “The Krupnicks loved living in Los Angeles and the interaction between the Jewish community and other ethnic groups,” Schotland explained, pointing to earlier projects funded by the Krupnick Endowment Fund, including Zeitgeist, the acclaimed 2003 international Jewish arts festival at the Skirball Cultural Center that was hailed as the first of its kind in the United States (see sidebar below left). “We needed a bold vision to continue their legacy,” Schotland added, “and the Voices of LA Festival was our answer. It was the ideal way to honor this distinguished family in a fashion they deserved and provide something extraordinary for the community.”
A World Premiere Event
Since its establishment in 1999, the Harry & Belle Krupnick Endowment has funded: • Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts, a cross-cultural collaboration of music, dance, spoken word and visual arts
One festival highlight was the world premiere of a cutting-edge dance and musical performance. Held at the beautiful Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, the performance showcased the collaboration between Israeli choreographer Danielle Agami and her Ate9 Dance Company with the live Persian electronic sounds of Omid Walizadeh. Gerald Weissman, a first cousin of Harold Krupnick, was stirred by the performance and the knowledge that so much art and culture was being enjoyed by the community, thanks to the generosity of his
• PBS television series, The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama • Zeitgeist: The Harry and Belle Krupnick International Jewish Arts Festival, hosted by Skirball Cultural Center • Jewish Television Network/PBS national television series, The Jewish Americans
• Krupnick Media Arts Center at LA Valley College and Media Arts Program Endowment • The Foundation’s Annual Cutting Edge Grants program (along with numerous other funders)
Voices of LA included the world premiere of the Ate9 Dance Company performance at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in late August. They also performed at the Voices of LA all-day culminating festival at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in mid-September.
Is an Endowment Fund right for you? Contact us at (323) 761-8704.
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relative. “Harry and Belle would have deeply appreciated being able to help so many people experience this wonderful, creative culture,” Weissman said. “They lived modestly and wanted to help the community in many ways. This certainly accomplished that.” To produce the festival, The Foundation partnered with Community Arts Resources (CARS) a preeminent cultural events planning firm. Led by its president and cofounder, Aaron Paley, CARS was instrumental in finding the talent, creating the artistic collaborations and producing the festival events. “Voices of LA clearly exceeded my hopes and expectations from an artistic standpoint,” said Paley. “It was amazing to put this together with the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and with Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and witness it unfold. It was truly a fantastic world-class arts festival, all made possible through vital support from The Foundation and its visionary Krupnick Endowment. It was a wonderful gift for all citizens of LA.”
An eclectic musical collaboration paired the Jewish-inspired, salsa-pop-reggae-hip-hop sounds of Wil-Dog Abers (center) of the Grammy-winning band Ozomatli with the new school “alt R&B” rhythms of Jarell Perry (L).
Voices Creating Beautiful Harmonies The festival inspired meaningful connections among artists that will continue to resonate for a long time. “As a group, we really learned so much more about Jewish culture,” said Alex Bandana, the bassist of Grammy award-winning Latin band La Santa Cecilia. His group collaborated with the Yuval Ron Ensemble, specializing in Mideast-Klezmer sounds. “Playing with Yuval taught us there’s not that much difference in the music. The Klezmer rhythm is similar to the Mexican norteño folk music rhythm; we really connected in that sense.” These two groups performed together to enthusiastic audiences at both the Pico Union Project and at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown LA, where the crowd rejoiced at the upbeat blend of music. The vocal collaboration between Ayana Haviv, the Israeli lead singer for the Yuval Ron Ensemble, and Marisol Hernández, the Latina vocalist from La Santa Cecilia, “took us all on a journey into a true meditational space,” Bandana continued. “They even switched languages at one point—Marisol sang in Hebrew, and Ayana sang in Spanish. It blew everyone away!” The two bands also performed together at the culminating festival at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. “The energy of the crowd was amazing,” according to Bandana. “Fans told us it was a completely different vibe than Marisol Hernández of La Santa Cecilia what they’d felt from us before. singing at the Pico Union Project. Working together with Yuval helped us reach a more spiritual and worldly level.” In the moving finale song about peace, the audience sang along so beautifully with the words “shalom,” “paz,” and “salaam,” emphasizing the bridging of cultures and the desire to live in harmony with one another. “We all love music, we all love to dance, we’re all immigrants, and we have so much in common with each other,” Bandana elaborated. “Los Angeles is beautiful because of its diversity. We can share our culture, our stories. This is something we can celebrate. This is all of ours.”
Families and friends from across LA attended Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts throughout July, August and September. Musician Yuval Ron of the Yuval Ron Ensemble.
Making Meaningful, Lasting Impact For Marisela Norte, a spoken word artist who performed in the uplifting Along the Hyphen poetry and music program, “There was a special feeling that connected me to the Jewish side of my family,” she said. “We’re from Mexico, and my grandmother was a Sephardic Jew, but my mom didn’t tell me Grandma was Jewish until it slipped out one day when I was older. Participating in The Foundation’s Voices of LA Festival motivated me to find out more.” According to Janet Keller, an LA native who attended several Festival events with her husband and daughter, “Voices of LA tapped into a civic pride I didn’t know was inside me. It was a very profound and joyous celebration.” Another attendee noted, “People were hugging, dancing, and laughing together. You don’t often see that in LA.” “Voices of LA was an outpouring of creative collaborations that showed how the arts serve as a great unifier,” stated Marvin Schotland, The Foundation’s president and CEO. “This was all the result of two enormously generous people who loved Judaism, art and culture and wished to share it widely. It was The Foundation’s great privilege to honor the Krupnicks’ legacy through our Voices of LA Festival.”
“The Jewish Community Foundation was privileged to honor the Krupnicks’ legacy through our Voices of LA Festival,” said Marvin Schotland, The Foundation’s president and CEO (second from right).
Photo Credit: Gary Leonard
To see video from Voices of LA, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org/voicesofla
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MILESTONE CELEBRATIONS Marking Two Special Anniversaries The Foundation’s family of donors and friends recently gathered to mark the milestone occasions of The Foundation’s 60th anniversary and Marvin Schotland’s 25th anniversary as its president and CEO, honor our history, reflect on our collective achievements, and celebrate our community. In 1954, a small group of Jewish leaders, in a time of post-war prosperity, had the wisdom to plan for the community’s future needs and established the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Today, we are a multifaceted organization guiding philanthropists in all aspects of charitable giving, in the Jewish community, and beyond. Managing over $900 million and granting $65 million last year, and over $1 billion in grants over the past 25 years, The Foundation is the leading charitable asset manager for LA Jewish philanthropists.
Four generations of the Schotland family were present to celebrate The Foundation’s 60th anniversary and Marvin Schotland’s 25th anniversary as its president and CEO. (L-R) Aviva Schotland, Eitan Schotland, Daniel Schotland, Lou Schotland and Marvin Schotland.
We are privileged to partner with our donors in their giving while fulfilling their legacy and strengthening the community. Together, with a deep passion for philanthropy, we are making a difference in our community and beyond.
An audience of nearly 400 community members gathered together on this milestone occasion.
“Through every step of life, The Foundation has helped me maximize my philanthropy.” Mark Levey (center), with his wife, Pearle Rae Marvin Schotland, Foundation President and CEO with Larry Rauch, Foundation Chair.
REFLECTIONS ON GIFTS THAT MATTER “For more than 35 years, The Foundation has facilitated our philanthropy with professionalism and extraordinary sophistication.”
“The Foundation recently offered new investment options that make giving through our Donor Advised Fund even more impactful.” “It’s been only two years since mom’s passing. The Family Support Organization she established allows us to continue her legacy to the community.”
Herb & Sharon Glaser
Bill & Cece Feiler “The Foundation offers outstanding financial expertise and skilled investment management to meet individual donors’ needs.” Abner & Roz Goldstine
Tony & Catherine Chanin
Photo Credit: Howard Pasamanick Photography
Would you like assistance with your philanthropy? Please call us at (323) 761-8704.
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Sixty years of dedicated leadership have established The Foundation as a multifaceted institution helping philanthropists with all aspects of charitable giving, in the Jewish community and beyond. The Foundation is truly the leading charitable asset manager for LA Jewish philanthropists. — Marvin Schotland, President and CEO
Jewish Community Foundation past and present leaders. (L-R) Marty Appel (served 1989-1992), Allan Cutrow (served 1985-1988), Annette Shapiro (served 1997-2000), Marvin Schotland, Foundation president and CEO, Cathy Siegel Weiss (served 2005-2008), Mark Lainer (served 2001-2004), Larry Rauch (serving 2013-present) and Lorin Fife (served 2009-2012).
“As someone who created a Lion of Judah Endowment through The Foundation, it’s humbling to know that they’re managing what’s important to me, they understand my values and commitments, and they’re helping me achieve my goals.”
“There is no one else we would trust to help facilitate our Family Support Organization. The Foundation is a true partner with us.” Larry & Joyce Powell
Heidi Monkarsh (R) and mother-in-law, Joyce Monkarsh
“We bring our philanthropic questions to The Foundation— from complex transactions to how to open Donor Advised Funds for our grandchildren, so that we can engage our entire family in giving back.” Ed & Peggy Robin
“The Foundation has handled virtually every type of financial transaction for us and did an outstanding job of handling the logistics of our complicated buyout and charitable transactions. They streamlined the process, made it very efficient and cost effective, and minimized any brokerage fees.” Mark & Lisa Schwartz
“As a cofounder of the nonprofit 30 Years After, I started my association with The Foundation as a grant recipient. I then wanted to be a part of its good work and joined its Board of Trustees. Recently, we opened a Donor Advised Fund and are very glad we did!” Raymond & Karen Zolekhian
“Opening a Donor Advised Fund was a great vehicle to help me facilitate my giving.” Alan Nussenblatt (L)
“We are confident The Foundation will utilize our endowment to best ensure the future of a vibrant Jewish life in Los Angeles.”
“The Foundation has the ability to handle a host of philanthropic services. I am happy to serve on its Finance Committee.” “Creativity is fostered at The Foundation.”
Karen Sandler
“The Foundation has created a unique and meaningful brand in the philanthropic marketplace. They’re a great partner to work with. They really simplify the process of giving.”
Ruth Weisberg (R)
Bruce & Myra Newman
To see video from our 60th anniversary event, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org/60years
Cliff & Mandy Einstein
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NEW ISRAEL GRANTS RECIPIENTS Grants totaling nearly $1 million were recently awarded to nine programs in Israel. These programs address a variety of important aspects of life in Israel including responding to emergency needs, promoting economic self-sufficiency among diverse Jewish populations, and strengthening Jewish identity among students.
ADDRESSING EMERGENCY NEEDS
Grants to nonprofit organizations addressing emergency needs in Israel are helping those affected by the recent rockets strikes in Israel from Gaza.
The Association for Children at Risk for Autism and Resiliency Program $102,400 To create a trauma prevention and intervention program geared for the autism community that will provide parents and children with tools and strategies to navigate through challenging times.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for Israel Terror Relief Fund $100,000 To provide relief and respite to families who live within 25 miles of Gaza including counseling and trauma services, medicine, homedelivered meals, vital care to seniors and those with special needs and cash assistance for property damage from rocket strikes.
PROMOTING ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY Olim Beyahad: Rising Up Together for Employment, Empowerment, and Leadership for Ethiopian Israeli University Graduates and Students $144,000 To provide job search, placement and integration services, as well as mentors, leadership training, and more to up to 100 new Ethiopian Israeli university graduates and students, and continued services to hundreds of current students.
Temech for Employer-Based Training Program
Milbat for “Amlan” Emergency Kits
$200,000
$93,120 To help thousands of disabled and elderly people maintain their dignity and independence during emergencies by providing 300 “Amlan” kits (portable, accessible toilets) to bomb shelters throughout Israel.
To provide job training and placement services to 750 unemployed and underemployed ultra-Orthodox women throughout Israel.
NATAL for NATAL’s Children and Families Mobile Unit Natal’s Mobile Unit provides psychological assistance in schools and homes to reduce trauma symptoms and help people develop coping and resiliency skills.
$119,200 To provide psychological treatment to 100 families and their children, primarily those living in Israel’s conflict zones.
Yachdav Association of Be’er Sheva for Respite and Shelter Needs $10,000 To improve the condition of existing shelters and provide therapeutic support to families living in Southern Israel.
STRENGTHENING JEWISH IDENTITY
Yeruham Foundation for Portable Cement Shelters
Reut Sderot Association for Touching the Jewish Spirit
$120,000
$100,000
To construct 40 portable cement bomb shelters in vulnerable neighborhoods of the Yeruham-Dimona area and improve access to shelters for the elderly and people with special needs.
To strengthen the Jewish identity of up to 600 secular Israeli students in Southern Israel through activities that engage them in Jewish texts and customs and to promote tolerance and understanding toward Israel’s various religious and racial sectors.
More Support for Those in Need In this difficult year for Israel, The Foundation and its donors contributed more than $600,000 to the Jewish Federation’s Israel Terror Relief Fund, which raised nearly $3 million to support emergency needs in Israel. The Fund was used to provide counseling and respite services to Israelis in the crisis areas during the Gaza conflict and to establish a business loan fund to help affected businesses.
To learn more about our Israel Grants recipients, please visit www.jewishfoundationla.org/grantsawarded.
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A SMART STRATEGY FOR YEAR-END PLANNING GIFT PLANNING OPTIONS
Year-end is an ideal time to think about the kind of impact you’d like to make in the coming year. Fortunately, there are valuable things you can do to design a smart, strategic plan for year-end gift planning. The Foundation is here to provide effective strategies and solutions as the year comes to a close, including the following option by 12/31/14:
Establish a Donor Advised Fund and Enhance Your Philanthropy • Conduct your giving in a more efficient and convenient manner by creating a Donor Advised Fund with an initial contribution of at least $5,000. If you own appreciated assets like stock or real estate—or if you plan on selling a business—a Donor Advised Fund is an ideal way to maximize your tax benefits. It’s a quick and easy process, and you’ll receive an immediate charitable tax deduction. • You’ll have convenient, 24/7 online access to your fund enabling you to make grants to the nonprofit organizations of your choice—both in the Jewish community and beyond. • You will be able to review your fund’s balance and giving history, whenever you wish. • If your minimum balance is $50,000, there are several types of investment options providing diversity and potential growth for your fund’s assets. • You can even consider opening a Donor Advised Fund for your children and/or grandchildren to engage your family in philanthropy and teach them by example the value of giving back. • As a Foundation donor, you can receive complimentary guidance, consultation and invitations to educational programs related to how to give more strategically, how to involve your children and grandchildren in your family’s giving and how to magnify the impact of your giving through The Foundation’s Center for Designed Philanthropy.
Try Our Gift Illustrator Use this online calculator to help you determine the benefits of various gift options. www.jewishfoundationla.org/calc
We can help make year-end planning easy, convenient, and beneficial for you. Please contact us before December 31st at (323) 761-8704 to maximize your charitable gift opportunities.
(L-R) Dan Rothblatt, Senior Vice President, Philanthropic Services; Baruch S. Littman, Vice President, Development; and Elliot B. Kristal, Vice President, Charitable Gift Planning. Photo Credit: Max Gerber Photography
The Foundation does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult your professional advisors.
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6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1200 Los Angeles, CA 90048
IN THIS ISSUE • Voices of LA: The Krupnick Festival of the Arts • Reflections on 60 Years of Gifts That Matter • Israel Grants Recipients • Year-end Gift Planning
Continued from page 1
and vitality. The Krupnicks keenly understood the connection between our Jewish community and its relationship to the broader world. Their endowment fund, which made Voices of LA possible, seeded an array of exciting initiatives in the decade since its inception (see sidebar, p.2). These endeavors serve as models for 21st-century Jewish-American life and the role connectivity can play bridging divergent communities and beliefs. Endowments established at The Foundation enable a mission that remains unchanged since our establishment in 1954. They allow The Foundation to meet emergency needs locally and in Israel and to help maintain a vibrant local community; they also perpetuate legacies and fulfill charitable wishes far beyond their creators’ lifetimes, such as in the case of the Krupnicks. Reflecting on 60 years, The Foundation’s strength, stability and constancy begin and end with the families who have placed their confidence in us as partners in their philanthropy. At its core, The Foundation exists for both the benefit of our donors and the communities we support—locally, nationally and in Israel—with nearly 2,000 organizations receiving grants in the last year alone. It is a service we fulfill with much pride and a deep sense of responsibility—for this generation… and generations to come. May you and your family have a joyous Chanukah.
The Foundation recently co-sponsored an event, held at Sinai Temple and hosted by the USC Casden Institute, where Ambassador Dennis Ross gave an engaging and insightful talk to over 400 attendees about the evolving Middle East, Israel and the Jewish Diaspora. Pictured above are (L-R) Foundation Chair Larry Rauch, Foundation Trustees Alan Gindi and Tony Chanin, Catherine Chanin, Ambassador Dennis Ross, Foundation Trustee Raymond Zolekhian, Karen Zolekhian, and Barbara Gindi. Photo Credit: Steve Cohn
Legacy NEWS Chair
Senior Vice President, Philanthropic Services
Lawrence Rauch
Dan Rothblatt
President and CEO
CFO/Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration
Marvin I. Schotland
Michael J. Januzik
Vice Presidents
Elliot B. Kristal
Anthony Chanin William R. Feiler Abby L.T. Feinman Harold J. Masor Evan Schlessinger Michael G. Smooke Adlai W. Wertman
Vice President, Charitable Gift Planning Vice President, Development
Baruch S. Littman Secretary
Selwyn Gerber Treasurer
Scott H. Richland General Counsel
Susan Mattisinko
FALL 2014 / Vol. 24 No. 3
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