News

December 2022

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JCRC releases groundbreaking survey of Bay Area Jewish identity

This week, the JCRC announced the results of the first-ever Survey of Bay Area Jewish Identity. JCRC will use the data to reframe public understanding of Jewish identity in the Bay Area, transforming its work moving forward by centering the diversity and complexity of the Bay Area Jewish community.

November 2022

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USC Shoah Foundation debuts redesigned Visual History Archive

The launch marked the release of several updates that deepen the search capabilities of the Visual History Archive (VHA) and its 55,000+ testimonies. The Visual History Archive is the world’s largest collection of primary source video testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides.

October 2022

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San Francisco

Koret President Dr. Anita Friedman honored with Light Unto the Nations Award

Koret President and Jewish Family and Children’s Services executive director Dr. Anita Friedman was presented with the Light Unto the Nations Award at AJC’s 2022 Global Advocacy Gala. The award is AJC’s highest honor bestowed on world leaders who exhibit leadership, courage, and principle.

September 2022

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United States

Ken Burns explores America’s inaction during the Holocaust

“The U.S. and the Holocaust,” coming to PBS September 18, examines the reasons behind the country’s inadequate response to Germany’s persecution of Jews.

July 2022

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Israel

Honeymoon Israel resumes trips after two years of pandemic delays

Two Bay Area cohorts went on trips in May, with more couples going later this summer. “As an interfaith couple, this trip was important to us to learn more about what it means to be Jewish and what traditions we want to carry forward or establish with our future family,” said Tara and Alexander, a Bay Area couple who recently returned from their trip.

July 2022

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United States

Jewish Story Partners announces spring 2022 grantees

Jewish Story Partners, a Los Angeles-based non-profit film funding organization, announced its third round of grantees today, with $468,000 in new grants distributed among 16 projects. The films traverse a rich variety of Jewish experiences, among them powerful stories from award-winning filmmakers like Michel Franco, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, Julia Mintz, Pierre Sauvage, Jason Osder, William Youmans, and Joshua Zeman.

March 2022

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Blending Holocaust testimony with music and technology

“The Children of Willesden Lane” is a true story. It begins in Vienna in 1938, when it quickly becomes dangerous to be Jewish. The heroine of the story is a young girl named Lisa Jura, who dreams of becoming a concert pianist. Her family is Jewish, and her parents are able to secure her a […]

March 2022

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Buffalo, NY

Director hopes Rywka’s story inspires exhibit visitors and motivates them to be involved

Prior to the official opening of The Girl in the Diary Exhibit – Search for Rywka from the Lodz Ghetto at the Karpeles Manuscript Library in Buffalo on Jan. 27, 2022, Jakub Nowakowski, director of the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, answered a few questions for the Am-Pol Eagle. Read the full interview below:

December 2021

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United States

Willesden Lane Project: The power of music in education

The Jewish Journal published a spotlight of The Willesden Project, Koret’s global initiative with USC Shoah Foundation and Hold On To Your Music. Read the full article to learn more about Koret’s Holocaust education work.

November 2021

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United States

Jewish Story Partners commits $500,000 in new grants to Jewish filmmakers

Jewish Story Partners (JSP), the rapidly growing, Los Angeles-based non-profit film funding organization, announced its second round of grantees today. This new slate brings JSP’s 2021 granting total to $500,000, distributed among 27 projects. JSP supports the highest caliber independent films that use fresh, nuanced perspectives to tell stories about the diverse spectrum of Jewish experiences, cultures, and encounters.

November 2021

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San Francisco Bay Area

The Healing Power of Music

As educators continue to move through this time of uncertainty and loss, they are seeking ways to support students. This special program of The Willesden Project, the Koret supported global education initiative, will bring the power of music, story, and testimony to young people globally as it reshapes Holocaust education and fosters resilience in youth.

October 2021

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Israel

IsraAID coordinates evacuation of 167 vulnerable Afghan nationals

125 vulnerable Afghans arrived in Albania after being evacuated from Afghanistan to a neighboring country following a weeks-long collaborative humanitarian effort from IsraAID alongside governments, aid organizations, activists, and donors. This is the second evacuation from Afghanistan the group has coordinated, following the arrival of 42 vulnerable women, girls, and family members to the UAE on September 6th. Read our grantee story to learn more about IsraAID’s work globally: