Los Angeles Jews Gain Clout as Power Shifts to the West

Rabbi Harvey J. Fields was sitting in his large, book-lined office at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple last week when he got a telephone call from New York.

A powerful Eastern organization that speaks for the Jewish community on many social and political issues wanted him to evaluate a proposed policy on American Jews and Israel.

“Three minutes later I had the fax of the policy on my desk,” he said. “I talked with people on my committee here, and 20 minutes later I responded to New York.”

New Role for Los Angeles

As the American Jewish Historical Society gathered in Century City today for its five-day annual conference and prepared for a discussion of the future of Los Angeles Jews, observers said that the phone call to Fields symbolized the new importance of Los Angeles Jewry.

“Historically, Jewish power has been in Eastern hands,” said Steven Windmueller, executive director of the community relations committee of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles. “I think that it will increasingly be the case that not only individual but institutional leadership from Los Angeles will show the way.”

The historical society, which has met annually for 96 years, is meeting here this year for the first time with the theme “Under Western Skies: The California Jewish Adventure.” In addition to the region’s growing leadership role, participants and other experts also made the following predictions:

* Despite rifts with other minorities over issues such as affirmative action, Jews will continue fighting for civil rights by joining with other groups, particularly the county’s rapidly growing community of more than 2 million Latinos. “If we are not integrated with them in terms of causes and issues, we are going to be in danger. Jews realize this,” said Gene Levine, a UCLA sociologist specializing in the study of ethnic and racial groups.

* Jews will face social problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse and domestic violence. “Fifteen years ago we seemed immune to the social ills of American families,” said Arnold R. Saltzman, executive director of the Jewish Family Service of the Jewish Federation Council. “Today we meet businessmen who say 20 years ago my business went down the tubes because I had a problem and I didn’t face it. I could not go to the Jewish community because they thought alcoholism wasn’t a problem. I had to go to Alcoholics Anonymous in a church.”

* Synagogues and other Jewish institutions must reach what researcher Steven Huberman calls the “Jell-O Jews. They are sweet and good, but (their commitment is) mushy,” said Huberman, executive director for community services at the federation. “They probably belong to a synagogue but don’t participate. They probably contribute to the United Jewish Fund but don’t participate. . . . We have to reach these people before we lose them.”

The fact that this week’s conference, expected to draw 200 from all over the country, was held far away from the traditional epicenter of national Jewish leadership shows that the power is moving west, experts say.

“The point is, the membership isn’t (concentrated in New York) any longer. It’s shifting. New York used to be the site of all the national meetings, but now we have to locate in places convenient for Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego,” said Mark Talisman, director of the Washington, D.C., office of the Council of Jewish Federations.

Los Angeles’ Jewish population has reached 600,000 and recently passed Chicago to make it the world’s second largest Jewish community, behind New York. In addition, Angelenos now hold major positions in national Jewish organizations and are being consulted on national and international Jewish issues as never before.

“They (Los Angeles Jews) are players in every respect, and their programs are sought after by communities throughout the country,” Talisman said. “That’s how the influence developed.”

Advances in communications also have helped West Coast Jewish leaders increase their influence on national issues.

A satellite receiver dish installed two years ago at the Federation headquarters allows links with New York or Washington meetings. Local leaders in a conference room see the out-of-town discussions on a television screen and address issues through a telephone hook up.

“In the past, your only option was to get on a plane and schlep across country (all night for a meeting the next day) or to choose not to go. Unless you elected to give up a day’s work (and fly during the day),” said Wayne Feinstein, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles.

Windmueller said that not only do national organizations communicate better with Los Angeles but that there has been “an explosion of organizations--more than 20--setting up shop and hiring staff here” in the last five to 10 years.

They include the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major lobbyist for Israel; the Golda Meir Foundation, which raises money for Israeli projects and Agudath Israel, a political arm of the Orthodox community.

“It’s not an accident that all three major Jewish academic institutions have campuses in Los Angeles,” Fields said. “There is only one other place that has happened--New York.

“Every major national Jewish organization has an office here. If you wish, you can attend a dinner for a Jewish organization every night of the week.”

New York leaders also recognize the change.

“Its opinions are more sought and more listened to than they were 15 or 20 years ago,” said Carmi Schwartz, executive vice president of the Council of Jewish Federations in New York. “I see Los Angeles in a very strong leadership role here and globally.”

Experts say Los Angeles’ peculiar history also affects the community’s role on the cutting edge of Jewish ideas and programs.

“This is probably the least traditional Jewish community in the country,” said Bruce A. Phillips, associate professor of Jewish Communal Studies at Hebrew Union College.

“It has grown up quicker and it’s a new community. People here are not all from the same Jewish neighborhood. Maybe they’re from Detroit or Philadelphia or Brooklyn. As a result, they are more likely to follow individual proclivities than to feel pressure from other Jews to conform.”

JEWISH POPULATION IN LOS ANGELES

1900: 2,500