Honoring Israel & Beverly Hills Preserving Holocaust Remembrance

1317 North Crescent Heights Boulevard,West Hollywood CA 90046

25 April, 2022

Description

A fundraiser benefitting Holocaust education and honoring Israel & Beverly Hills for their legacy in preserving Holocaust remembrance. While Jewish communities across America fight to ensure that Holocaust education is available in every public school, and while we lose survivors and eyewitnesses every day, campaigns originating from Europe in countries where the Holocaust occurred threaten to undermine and roll back our progress through a practice called "state-sponsored Holocaust distortion."  Confronting the threat of state-sponsored Holocaust distortion and denial, this event highlights the special legacy of Israel and Beverly Hills in preserving Holocaust remembrance and protecting Holocaust education. All proceeds from this fundraiser support efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and protect Holocaust education.  Thank you to our host committee: Vered Elkouby Nisim, Sharona Nazarian, Laura Stein, Susan Azzizadeh, Josh Emrani, Jessica Michalov, and Shelhee Gal About the host organizations:  The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN) is dedicated to empowering Israeli immigrants and American allies to create change for a better America, a more secure Israel, and a stronger U.S. - Israel alliance through advocacy education and civic action. ICAN has led several state-level initiatives to strengthen Holocaust education curricula, mandate Holocaust education in public schools, and combat the threat of Holocaust denial and distortion. The Israeli-American Civic Education Institute ("ICEI") is the charitable organization affiliated with ICAN, the Israeli-American advocacy organization. ICEI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering Israeli immigrants and American supporters through civic engagement and advocacy education. ICEI initiatives include nonpartisan voter & election education, civic education courses, issue education, and educational seminars to Israel for elected officials and policymakers.  The Iranian American Jewish Federation ("IAJF") of Los Angeles was founded in 1981, shortly after the 1979 Revolution in Iran, to secure a new life for Iranian refugees fleeing from war and persecution. For the past 41 years, the IAJF has been the centralized address of the Iranian-Jewish community and much of the Iranian community at large in the United States. When many members of our community sought refuge in this country, the IAJF partnered with community and political leaders to further the interests of our new country and adopted home, the United States of America, while protecting the rights of our community and other religious minorities that have been, and remain, under a constant threat of persecution. Entertainment Abiodun Koya (Abi) is a Nigerian-born classical singer, poet, and humanitarian who has performed for US President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush, and recently, performed a Command Performance for the greatest King on the African continent, the Ooni of Ife, the King of the Yoruba people in Nigeria. The youngest of five children, Abiodun grew up in southwest Nigeria where she started her music career at age six playing violin and singing at church and birthday celebrations. She’s since gone on to perform in such iconic settings as The White House, Madison Square Garden, and the Democratic National Convention. Abiodun remains one of the very few female African singers classically trained in opera while also well versed in jazz, oldies, Broadway, and gospel. Through her non-profit, The Abiodun Koya Foundation, Abiodun mentors at-risk children in Nigeria and the United States utilizing her Music Literacy Program Initiative. Part of her work in Nigeria also includes visiting female inmates in prison, encouraging them through music, gifts, motivational speeches, and raising funds to help female inmates start small businesses once released. Abiodun is outspoken about human rights abuses and genocide on the African continent.