Continuing events commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles Monday will host a program at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills billed as a way to “remember victims and honor the resilience of survivors.”

Organized by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs and Temple of the Arts, doors open at 6:30 p.m. Monday for “L.A. Remembers.” Among those expected to attend are actress Mayim Bialik, Israeli actress Moran Atias, Israeli performer Raviv Kaner, as well as more than 30 elected officials including Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.

There will also be a candle-lighting ceremony and speeches from relatives of hostages.

The event will be livestreamed at https://form.jotform.com/JFedLAForms/LARemembers-waitlist.

“Coming together to commemorate October 7th offers all of us an opportunity to gather strength as we share a sense of community that supports Israel and fights to keep the faces of the hostages front and center in everyone’s hearts until they all come home to their families,” Roz Rothstein, founder and CEO of StandWithUs, said in a statement.

Additionally, Beverly Hills community leaders, elected officials, religious leaders and residents will gather at 6 a.m. near the city’s Israel Flag installation to commemorate the one-year anniversary. Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman and council members John Mirisch, Mary Wells and Craig Corman are expected to attend.

Meanwhile, IfNotNow Los Angeles will gather at downtown’s Gloria Molina Grand Park, which they say will be attended by “hundreds of American Jews” to honor the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, and the ensuing “brutal collective punished by the Israeli government” over the past year. The event slated for 6 p.m. is intended to “remind elected officials and fellow Americans that violence is antithetical to Jewish values and that it will never keep any of us safe.”

On Sunday, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles held a reception and candle-lighting ceremony at the Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles.    

“It was not the last chapter of my life,” Andrey Kozlov, who was held hostage for eight months and a day, said at the event that coincided with the exact moment of the Oct. 7 attacks.

“Something better is coming, and here I am with lots of opportunities. I became some kind of voice of hostages, and I am able to speak.”

Mayor Karen Bass said “Today, we must continue our prayers for safety and peace. As conflict rises in the Middle East, we often see a troubling rise in antisemitism around the world, including here in L.A. So let me be unequivocally clear — antisemitism has absolutely no place in L.A.”

Four adults and two juveniles were arrested in connection with a flash-mob style robbery at the Westfield Topanga Mall, authorities said Sunday.

Around 5:15 p.m. Friday, two stores in the mall, in the 21700 block of Victory Boulevard, were hit by 12 suspects who ran in and stole more than $90,000 worth of merchandise in under a few minutes, the Los Angeles Police Department announced.

Suspects wearing masks and hoodies, caught on video can be seen grabbing and running away with stolen designer handbags and clothes.

The LAPD’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force were able to identify the suspects and vehicles they believed were connected to the crime.

Around 9:40 p.m. Friday, LAPD Southwest area officers located and detained a vehicle with five occupants. They were alleged to be involved in the smash-and-grab.

Three adults and two juveniles were booked on robbery charges. They were identified as

• Joshua Jones, 22, of Los Angeles, whose bail was set at $1,085,000
• Amaya McDonald, 19, of Los Angeles, whose bail was set at $150,000
• Justin Jones, 18, of Los Angeles, whose bail was set at $150,000

About two hours later, officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department located and detained a vehicle, with a female driver.

Officers found allegedly stolen items in the vehicle. Rajene Robinson, 26, of Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property. She was being held without bail.

The identities of two juvenile suspects were withheld. The case remained under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the incident was asked to call the Commercial Crimes Division, Organized Retail Crime Section, Detectives at 818- 374-9437 or [email protected], and 877-527-3247 during non-business hours. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

Many voters in Los Angeles County, one of the most progressive and steadfastly Democratic counties in the nation, may be considering a former Republican for the Los Angeles County District Attorney in November general election as Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, is leading by double digits in a poll against the incumbent, George Gascón.

In an effort to reassure Los Angeles voters that he’s no hard-liner, Hochman, who became independent in 2023, said he too is against mass incarceration like Gascón. But the difference, Hochman said, is that if he is elected, he would look at each case individually.

“I reject extreme policies as any prosecutor actually does,” Hochman said, bashing what he called Gascón’s “blanket” policies. “You have to look at each case individually. Look at the defendant, the defendant’s background. Look at the crime committed and the impact on the victim to determine who the true threats are to our public safety and need to be behind bars and quite candidly the ones that aren’t.”

Despite the endorsements from Los Angeles police unions and law enforcement associations, criminal justice reform advocates including Black Live Matter and the American Civil Liberties Union may be concerned Hochman would try to reverse some of the reforms implemented by  Gascón.

But the one-time California attorney general candidate assured during an interview with NBC Los Angeles’ NewsConference that he too would free wrongfully convicted people and pursue police accountability – only more efficiently than the incumbent 

“I will be the first DA in history that not only has a prosecutorial background, but actually a defense attorney,” Hochman explained “I go into court every single day promoting the presumption of innocence, forcing the government to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury at a unanimous level.”

When it comes to responding to campus unrest led by pro-Palestinian protesters as seen at UCLA and USC, Hochman said he would draw the line.

“A DA needs to say that proactively and say very clearly to the protestors, ‘Here are the lines, I’m going to enforce it, here are the real consequences. And if you cross those lines, yes, you will be held accountable and go to jail.’ Hochman said.

“My fervent goal as being DA is to promote deterrence. I will know I have created an effective criminal justice system if criminals are being deterred from committing crimes in the first place.”