Sept. 9th, 2007 – More than 150 supporters of Democrats for Israel assembled at the home of Robert Nieto and Todd Bloom in the Beverly-Fairfax area to honor LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Democratic National Committee Member and UFCW Local 324 Vice President John A. Perez and legislative sponsors of AB 221, a bill that proposes to divest state pension funds from companies doing business with Iran’s oil industry.

“For over 50 years, the Democratic Party has been at the forefront of the American commitment to Israel, and now with a Democratic Congress that has already passed over six pieces of pro-Israel legislation, including expanded aid to Israel, and 38 Jewish Democratic members of Congress, we have more friends than ever in Congress.” Said DFI-LA President Andrew Lachman.

The day before the State Assembly voted unanimously to approve the final amended version of AB221 and two days after the State Senate voted unanimously to support AB221, DFI recognized fifteen legislators behind the bill including local Assemblymembers Mike Feuer, Lloyd Levine, Anthony Portatino and Ted Lieu and Senator Jenny Oropeza by giving a donation on their behalf to the Los Angeles Jewish Federation’s fund to help the children of Sderot, an Israeli city near Gaza that is attacked daily by Qassam rocket fire from Islamic militants in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Democrats for Israel offered similar recognition for L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti, L.A. City Councilman Jack Weiss and Beverly Hills Mayor Jimmy Delshad who passed similar city pension divestment ordinances in their municipalities.

Mayor Delshad, the only Persian-American mayor in the United States spoke eloquently about the need to hold Iranian President Ahmadinejad accountable for his unexplained nuclear program and threats to “wipe Israel off the map.”

Democrats for Israel President Andrew Lachman pointed out that the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, federal enabling legislation that would support AB221 by ordering the Department of State to create a list of companies that do business with the Iranian oil industry, was put on hold by U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) at the request of the Bush Administration.

Yaroslavsky, a long established leader in the Jewish community, focused on Israel’s leadership as a progressive democracy in the Middle East, supporting universal health care, universal education and support of rule of law.

Yaroslavsky pointed out that the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to reroute the security fence to protect minority rights would not have happened in many of these other countries in the region because there is not the same checks and balances.

John A. Perez, a member of the Democratic National Committee who sponsored a successful resolution opposing church and educational divestment from Israel, talked about how Israel and Jewish values impacted his work as a Democrat and with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. The Republican Party has no official position opposing divestment from Israel by religious or educational institutions.

Democrats for Israel Los Angeles is a chartered Democratic Club that advocates for the support of Israel and Jewish values in the Democratic Party and advocates for the Democratic Party in the Jewish community