ADL’s Los Angeles Region held its 2018 Annual Gala Celebration on December 4 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The spirit of inclusion pervaded the evening and several speakers highlighted the recent upticks in hate incidents and crimes.
The event raised $1.1 million to support ADL’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of hate and bigotry.
Actress Lisa Edelstein served as MC and opened the evening with a call to action. “Through ADL we can be vigilant, we can shine a light on words that lead to deeds that lead to danger and we can be part of the change.” The UCLA Bruin Marching Band gave a lively performance and their rendering of the national anthem was followed by a beautiful interpretation of Hatikvah by Cantor Lizzie Weiss from Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills.
Jurisprudence Award recipient Meredith Jackson, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at TCW, spoke about the importance of fighting all forms of hatred and bigotry. She recounted a story from her childhood. Hiking with her father, she pointed at a twig in a pond and asked why it looked bent. He gave her a comprehensive physics lesson about light refraction. What she took away was “the surface does not always tell the whole story.” Jackson implored the audience to look deeper at the signs and counteract the bias even if it is hidden beneath the surface.
Meyer Luskin introduced Humanitarian Award recipients Shirley and Walter Wang, pointing out that the room was filled with people of all faiths supporting an organization that believes in tolerance, justice, and acceptance. Shirley Wang is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Plastpro Inc., a leading provider of fiberglass doors with Hydroshield Technology, polyfiber door frames, patented snap-on doorlite frames, and plastic wainscoting. Walter is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JM Eagle, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic pipe.
Shirley encouraged the audience to support ADL, because “no matter who you are or where you come from, you are vulnerable to injustice.” She described ADL’s work as teaching us “that working together yields results that could never be accomplished alone.” Walter spoke about his faith and how it matched the goals of ADL to seek “righteousness, peace, and joy before anything else and for all,” and to give a voice “to those who do not have one.”
New ADL LA Regional Board Chair Scott Harris vividly described threats to American democracy and implored the group to contribute in every way they can to fight for a world without hate, by using their voices, their platforms and their pocketbooks “to advocate for the rights and morals we hold closest to our hearts.”
Also expressing the theme of inclusion and collaboration was Felipe Carrera Aguayo, Consul for Protection at the Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles. He touted ADL’s decades-long partnership with Mexico and its consulates in the U.S., including three recent ADL LA trainings on responding to anti-immigrant hate crimes and interrupting cyberbullying.
During the evening, ADL surprised former LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell with a beautiful menorah, thanking him for his decades of service and commitment to ADL goals. McDonnell chaired ADL LA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Committee and served on the selection committee for the region’s annual Sherwood Prize. He spoke of his gratitude to be part of the “ADL Family.”
Honorary Dinner Co-Chairs were Jody and David Lippman, and Renee and Meyer Luskin.