5,000 Spots Open For Sifriyat Pijama B’America, The IAC Free Hebrew-Language Children’s Book Program

Source: Jewcity Los Angeles, CA, February 20, 2014 – The Israel-American Council (IAC) has opened Sifriyat Pijama B’America’s (SP-BA) registration for the 2014-2015 school year. There are now 5,000 spots available for families to join the highly popular free Hebrew-language children’s book program on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to popular demand, IAC has made a total of 15,000 registrants possible this year with additional funding. SP-BA, a partnership of the IAC, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, is the Hebrew version of PJ Library and provides free monthly Hebrew children’s books to thousands  Read More…

Israel Hayom: Israeli American Council Aims To Boost Israel From The US

Source: Israel Hayom Adam Milstein, the Los Angeles businessman who was among the founders of the Israeli American Council, says the goal of the group is to contribute to the Israel-U.S. relationship and strengthen the Jewish and Israeli identities of future generations. Milstein described how the IAC was founded and listed reasons why it has succeeded while other similar ventures have failed.Adam Milstein, the Los Angeles businessman who was among the founders of the Israeli American Council, spoke on Monday on a panel called “The Untapped Strategic Asset: Israeli-Americans” at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in Jerusalem.  Read More…

The Times of Israel: Why we set up the Israeli-American Council

Source: The Times Of Israel In 2006, during the Second Lebanese War, Ehud Danoch, Israeli Consul General of Los Angeles at that time, was organizing a support rally for the State of Israel. He confirmed the attendance of political leaders, such as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and he reached out and invited the close to 700,000 local Jewish and Israeli community members. Ehud was deeply disappointed that only a few thousand Jews showed up at the rally and even more frustrated that despite the approximately 200,000 Israeli’s living in Los Angeles, only a handful  Read More…

Israeli Leadership Council Changes Name

Source: Jewish Journal When the chief executive officer of the Israeli Leadership Council announced at the group’s March 10 gala that the nonprofit’s name is changing to the Israeli American Council (IAC), the reaction from the 900 people in attendance was modest. As animations of the group’s new logo flashed on screens around the Beverly Hilton ballroom, polite applause briefly drowned out the clink of silverware against plates. But for the leadership of the ILC — now the IAC — the message embodied in the new name is significant, signaling the group’s increased comfort with its dual Israeli-American identity. “We  Read More…

AISH: Reaching Israelis In America – Adam Milstein Is Using Hebrew To Stem The Tide Of Assimilation Amongst Israelis Living In America

Source: AISH Adam and Gila Milstein initially moved to the United States from Israel with their two youngest daughters over 30 years ago. Their plan was to stay for a couple of years to allow Adam to complete his Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. When he graduated he started working to pay off his college loans and before they knew it 20 years had passed and they never came back to Israel. The Milsteins joined what Israelis call the “yerida” or descent (the opposite ofaliyah or ascent – i.e. moving to Israel). Adam  Read More…

Jewish Journal: Ahad Ha’am 2.0: Hebrew Literacy for Israelis in America

by Rabbi Yonah Bookstein Source: Jewish Journal Ahad Ha’am, a great Zionist thinker and icon, knew that one of the keys to creating a thriving Jewish culture in Palestine, and among assimilating Jews in Europe, was reviving the ancient Hebrew language. While Hebrew had been relegated to books of law and philosophy for centuries, Ahad Ha’am and his contemporaries wiped away the dust, and revived the spoken language, creating a modern Hebrew culture. More than 100 year’s later Hebrew is again at the center of cultural transformation, with a novel program bringing Hebrew into Jewish homes—again. Can a bunch of free  Read More…

SP-BA: Keeping Israelis Jewish by Meredith Jacobs of the Washington Jewish Week

Two area day schools are the local hosts for an innovative new family program aimed at connecting Israeli families living in the U.S. to the American Jewish community. Sifryat Pijama B’America is the brainchild of L.A. businessman and philanthropist, Adam Milstein. Based on the PJ Library program, modern Israeli children’s books, published in Hebrew, are distributed free to area families during monthly programs at 30 day schools across the country. Locally, Gesher Day School in Fairfax and the Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital are Sifryat Pijama B’America sites. Milstein came to America from Israel when his daughters  Read More…

Celebrate Israel Festival

Source: Celebrate Israel Festival Celebrate Israel Festival’s mission is to bridge between communities by celebrating the State of Israel and educating through music, arts and culture. This spectacular 15,000-person celebration took place on April 29th at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center to celebrate Israel’s 64th independence day. The day started with a 1.5-mile “Salute to Israel Walk” escorted by the “9/11 Tribute Cars” at 8:30am. 5 stages with performances throughout the day; “Positively Israel” pavilion showcased Israel’s innovations in technology; massive 5-foot art installations; official ceremony with local and state dignitaries took place at 1:00PM hosted by Michael Medved of KRLA  Read More…