Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler spoke at the Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County’s Major Gifts Campaign Kick-Off on Sunday, October 27th 2019. The date was auspicious for the Jewish community as it marked one year since a gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA and murdered eleven Jewish individuals who had gathered for prayer, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in United States history.

DA Hoovler spoke about the rising dangers of internet-fueled hatred among our youth and the need to be vigilant in our efforts to fight back against this hate. The District Attorney’s office has partnered with the Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County on the Speak Up to Stand Up Against Hate initiative, a campaign working to educate the public about the rising tide of hate speech and hate crimes and to provide resources to students and the public on how to stand up against these growing dangers.

At Sunday’s event, which was co-chaired by Raena LOrenman and Carla Wise, the Jewish Federation honored three individuals for their efforts to strengthen and secure the Jewish community in Orange County; Elise Gold, the former Executive Director of Jewish Family Service, Stefanie Kostenblatt the Executive Director of the Newburgh Jewish Community Center and Kol Yisrael, and Ronald S. Kossar, the founder of the Zachor Anti-Semitism Initiative, a program of the Jewish Federation which works to fight and prevent anti-Semitism and bigotry in Orange County.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States are at “near-historic levels.” Sunday’s event provided an opportunity for the Jewish community in Orange County to come together in mourning and remembrance of the victims of last year’s shooting, as well as to re-commit their efforts to fighting anti-Semitism and bigotry in Orange County.

We thank the Lodge at Stony Ford Golf Course for their hospitality and The Eagle's Nest for their fine food. We also thank and appreciate our photographer, Gail Conklin. Please click on a thumbnail for a lareger view.