Jewish Federation Reaches Out to 50,000
In its 18th annual fund-raiser Sunday, volunteers for the Jewish Federation called about 50,000 Los Angeles-area residents, hoping to drum up $4 million in donations for its community and international services.
Local and state political leaders, including county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Assembly Speaker-elect Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, made some morning calls for the organization during the “Super Sunday Phone-A-Thon,” which ran from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., said Bonnie Somers, a federation spokeswoman. Calls were made from sites in Los Angeles and West Hills.
Gathering about 10% of the group’s yearly donations, the telethon is the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles’ single largest fund-raiser, Executive Vice President John Fishel said.
More than half of the money collected is used locally for Jewish groups’ programs, such as those that feed the poor and care for the elderly, Fishel said.
The rest is used in international efforts to aid Jews in Israel and 58 other countries, Somers said.
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