Los Angeles: Jewish history TV program

Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, founded 1942 in Southern California, has announced its partnership with “The History of Jewish LA,” a television program examining local Jewish life and culture produced by the Blazer Media Group.

Hillside will sponsor 26 episodes on channel 18 at 9am Sundays from February 1, 2009.

The program will spotlight various Los Angeles personalities, and feature segments with historians and profiles of organizations that have shaped the community’s Jewish history. The show will serve as a model to inspire other North American Jewish communities to create similar local programming.

“We’re grateful that Hillside is making it possible for us to share these important stories about our past and how they continue to shape our lives today,” said the program's host Phil Blazer.

The first Los Angeles charity was the Hebrew Benevolent Society (now Jewish Family Services), established in 1854 - more than 150 years old. Blazer said that the Jewish population of Los Angeles is about 10%, but contributes 70% of the region's charitable giving with 90% going to non-Jewish organizations.

For more information, click here or here.