FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Natan Pakman
(310) 882-8166
npakman@adl.org
ADL APPOINTS JEFFREY I. ABRAMS AS LOS ANGELES REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Los Angeles, CA, August 18, 2020 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today announced the appointment of Jeffrey I. Abrams, an experienced leader in the legal and philanthropic fields, as Director of ADL’S Los Angeles Regional Office.
A Los Angeles native, Mr. Abrams has been an attorney and mediator for more than 25 years, primarily representing clients in the entertainment industry. Mr. Abrams has extensive experience and long-term relationships throughout the Jewish, civic, and philanthropic communities, having served as a director/trustee of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and the Samuel and Helene Soref Foundation, among other organizations.
“ADL’s mission to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and ensure justice and fair treatment to all has never been more important,” Abrams said. “Working together with our talented staff and dedicated lay leaders, and with the support of the national organization and board, ADL continues to be at the forefront of the battle against hate, here in Los Angeles and throughout the region.”
In his new capacity, Abrams will be responsible for leading ADL’s Los Angeles Regional Office, which provides services and resources to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties.
ADL Los Angeles Regional Board Chair Scott J. Harris said: “The Regional Board is thrilled to invite Jeffrey into the ADL family. He embodies the passion, empathy, curiosity, and character necessary to tackle the important work of ADL in our local communities. Our region is blessed to have a highly-dedicated staff, invested lay leadership, and a strong standing in the community, which Jeffrey will be able to build upon in the years to come.”
Sam Yebri, President of 30 Years After, a local organization that promotes the leadership of Iranian American Jews and works closely with ADL, said “Jeff brings to this new role the tenacity and strategic thinking of a skilled litigator. He will marshal together the broadest imaginable coalition to fight hate and bigotry of all types throughout our diverse city. ADL and Los Angeles are in great hands.”
“I am eager to use my varied experiences and relationships to lead and grow the Los Angeles regional office,” Abrams said. “In addition to our leading anti-bias education programs, including our recent regional launch of ADL’s signature No Place for Hate® program, I am particularly excited about our LA for Good initiative, which will bring diverse communities throughout Los Angeles together.”
Mr. Abrams is a graduate of Cornell Law School and U.C. Berkeley, and a Wexner Heritage Foundation fellow. As an attorney, he has been recognized as a Super Lawyer™ every year since 2013 and is a Peabody Award-winning Executive Producer of “Listen to Me Marlon,” a documentary on the life of film legend Marlon Brando. He and his wife, Michele Breslauer, a children’s rights attorney and former board chair of LA Family Housing (a leading non-profit addressing homelessness), live in Los Angeles and have three sons.
For more than 80 years, ADL’s Los Angeles office has combated antisemitism and all forms of hatred and bigotry by investigating and exposing extremism, protecting and advocating for civil rights and religious freedom, educating children and adults in how to promote diversity and respect through our many programs and resources, and by fostering intergroup relations.
Abrams succeeds Amanda Susskind, who led ADL’s Los Angeles office for 18 years.
ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.