New Jewish Agenda
The Los Angeles branch of the New Jewish Agenda (55430 West Pico Boulevard) was formed 1981 with the intention of serving as a progressive voice the Jewish community. By the mid-1980s. the New Jewish Agenda had become heavily involved in efforts to preserving the existing ethnic character and composition of the Fairfax District.As New Jewish Agenda public affairs chair Joel Gayman warned, “Fairfax is one of the most livable communities in Los Angeles. It is unique, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, a place where people walk on the streets and know each other and where small shopkeepers know their customers and have done so for decades. Now these commercial developments may spell its death. Instead of Jewish butchers shops, it will have yuppie cupupinco bars."
Reflecting the group's left-leaning philosophy, New Jewish Agenda’s “Economic Justice Task Force” sought to fight the wave of gentrification and commercial development consuming the Fairfax District and surrounding areas. They also touted the fact that, unlike the Jewish Federation or the Vitalize Fairfax Project, they had no ties to developers and was singularly concerned with the needs of the community’s current residents. To this end, the organization received a $3000 grant from Liberty Hill Foundation to pursue a community organizing project that would educate residents about the threat of overdevelopment and protect the low and moderate income residents from a proposed CBS/Farmers Market retail project that would raise property values, incentivize evictions, and increase neighborhood congestion. While the New Jewish Agenda’s anti-development projects initially received much positive publicity in Jewish and non-Jewish newspapers, the organization’s sympathy for the cause of the Palestinians abroad eventually hurt its legitimacy and reputation within the local Jewish community.
Reflecting the group's left-leaning philosophy, New Jewish Agenda’s “Economic Justice Task Force” sought to fight the wave of gentrification and commercial development consuming the Fairfax District and surrounding areas. They also touted the fact that, unlike the Jewish Federation or the Vitalize Fairfax Project, they had no ties to developers and was singularly concerned with the needs of the community’s current residents. To this end, the organization received a $3000 grant from Liberty Hill Foundation to pursue a community organizing project that would educate residents about the threat of overdevelopment and protect the low and moderate income residents from a proposed CBS/Farmers Market retail project that would raise property values, incentivize evictions, and increase neighborhood congestion. While the New Jewish Agenda’s anti-development projects initially received much positive publicity in Jewish and non-Jewish newspapers, the organization’s sympathy for the cause of the Palestinians abroad eventually hurt its legitimacy and reputation within the local Jewish community.
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- Revitalization and Gentrification Max Baumgarten
