Date: May 20, 2009
Contact: Lisabeth Lobenthal
Title: Los Angeles Area Director
Phone: 818-905-5099
Email: Llobenthal@afmda.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM HONORS THE LODZER ORGANIZATION
Cantors Sing for Life
Los Angeles, CA – On May 31, 2009 at 5:00PM in the beautiful, historic sanctuary of Congregation Beth Israel, The American Friends of Magen David Adom will honor the decades of tzedakah by the Lodzer Organization. Some of the most talented cantors in the community will celebrate the tradition of the Jewish people and the Lodzer Organization’s dedication to Israel.
The Lodzer Organization rose from the ruins of Lodz to perform mitzvot. This philanthropic organization began by donating a bowl of borscht or plate of kugel to those in need and has grown to being able to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Jews in Israel, the U.S. and around the world.
Chartered in 1423, Lodz developed a Jewish presence around 1780. In 1939, Lodz was the second largest city in Poland, and had the second largest Jewish population on the continent – about 223,000. It took the Germans 1 week to occupy the city; 8 months later, Lodz was a sealed Ghetto. In 1942, the transportation of Jews to camps began and in 1945, when Soviet soldiers liberated the ghetto, only 877 Jews remained.
A Lodz survivor, William Friedman came to L.A. where he formed the Lodzer Organization of California in 1959. Since then, according to Kal Berson, the mission of the organization has been simple: “making the most out of making mitzvahs.†The Lodzer Organization is no longer made up of members from Lodz, but represents Holocaust survivors from all of Europe.
Of the many mitzvot, the Lodzer Organization has donated 10 life-saving ambulances to the people of Israel through American Friends of Magen David Adom; just one of the many reasons they are being honored.
Some of the top voices of Los Angeles will be paying tribute to the Lodzers. The concert is being produced by Marcelo Gindlin of Malibu Jewish Center and Mariana Gindlin of Temple Sinai of Glendale. It is being hosted by Cantor Herschel Walfish and Cantor Steve Walfish of Congregation Beth Israel. Joining these talented voices are Cantor Joseph Gole of Sinai Temple, Cantor Linda Kates of Stephen S. Wise, Cantor Nathan Lam of Stephen S. Wise, Cantor Danny Maseng of Temple Israel of Hollywood, and Rabbi/Cantor Allison Wissot of Temple Judea.
Tickets are $54/person and several levels of sponsorship are available.
Magen David Adom in Israel is the only emergency service in the country, answering every call 24/7. Whether it is a birth, heart attack, or terror attack, the heroes of MDA are there. MDA serves as the combined equivalent of our “911,†Red Cross, and disaster service. Because MDA receives no government funding, AFMDA was established 70 years ago to ensure the vital work of Magen David Adom could continue.
For more information, please contact Lisabeth Lobenthal at 818-905-5099 or Llobenthal@AFMDA.org.
# # #
