New LA Mural Celebrates Local Jewish Community as Part of ‘Summer of Solidarity’ Campaign to Highlight Cultural Diversity

A mural in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, that celebrates the Jewish community in the area was unveiled on Sunday as part of the new “LA vs. Hate: Summer of Solidarity” campaign that will continue throughout the next few months.

The mural by Iranian-Jewish muralist and native Angeleno Cloe Hakakian is on the wall of The Mark banquet hall in Pico-Robertson, which is an area with many Jewish residents and establishments. The artwork was presented by the “LA vs Hate” initiative, led by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, in partnership with the Los Angeles chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

Titled The Common Thread, the mural shows a mother praying and lighting Shabbat candles whose flames illuminate the Hebrew script for “L’dor V’dor,” which means “from generation to generation.”  The woman wears a headscarf with folds that show different generations of Jewish women and their diversity. Also depicted in the mural are pomegranates that sit next to safflowers, which are commonly used in Iranian cuisine, to highlight fruits and spices from different regions. The woman’s headscarf includes Stars of David and the background desert horizon with footprints is “a metaphor for migration, healing, and resilience within the Jewish community,” explained Hakakian in a news release. She added that the mural also features silhouettes of Los Angeles landmarks, such as the Hollywood sign, “reminding the viewer of the greater community within which the Jewish community thrives.”

“The vibrant neighborhood of Pico-Robertson is known for being a beacon of light and connection to the Jewish community in Los Angeles that we are celebrating today,” said LA County Third District Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “We’re honored to have this talented artist create a piece that articulates a beautiful expression of love, family, and heritage.”

The Common Thread is the first of five artist-led murals that will be completed in all five Los Angeles County districts through September that celebrate each community’s culture and history. They will be unveiled as part of the “LA vs Hate” campaign, which aims to unify different communities and highlight Los Angeles County’s cultural diversity.

The “LA vs Hate” campaign, which began in mid-May, will host events throughout the summer in partnership with community-based organizations across all five County districts in an effort to “utilize culture, dialogue and connection to address the root issues of hate and division,” according a press release about the initiative.

The campaign further aims to remind Los Angeles County residents of the area’s hate reporting system, in which anyone can report a hate crime by calling 2-1-1 or by filing a report online at www.LAvsHate.org.

There were a total of 3,697 antisemitic incidents throughout the United States in 2022, according to a report by the ADL that was cited by the Los Angeles County in a news release. The number is a 36 percent increase from 2021 and the highest number ever recorded by the ADL since it began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.

Los Angeles had its own share of antisemitic incidents last year, including the shootings of two Jewish men in Pico-Robertson and the display of an antisemitic banner over a highway overpass that said “Kanye is right about the jews [sic],” which was a reference to rapper Kanye West’s antisemitic comments against Jews.

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