Navigating Chaos and Division Together: Finding our Shared Humanity

Join us for a community conversation featuring panelists:

Jordanna Gessler, Vice President of Education and Exhibits at Holocaust Museum LA

• Jordanna, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, provides strategic leadership for the education and archive departments. In addition to providing leadership and curating exhibits and signature programs, she develops key initiatives to respond to and educate the public on the rising hate and antisemitism facing our society. Jordanna has written articles and presented internationally on topics including contemporary antisemitism, fiction and the Holocaust, art and resistance, and teaching empathy.  Passionate about animal rights, civic engagement, and education, she is an active member of several organizations and acts as co-chair of the New Leaders Project steering committee at the Jewish Federation.

Aziza Hasan, Executive Director of NewGround

• Aziza has extensive experience in program management and coalition building. An experienced mediator and conflict transformation practitioner, she has co-facilitated multiple groups. Aziza’s work has been featured on National Public Radio, Yahoo News, MSN, “Speaking of Faith” with Krista Tippett, the United States Institute for Peace, Arabic Radio and Television, the Forward, and the LA Times. Her two years of AmeriCorps service gave her hands-on experience in community organizing and group problem-solving. She earned the “President’s Volunteer Service Award” in 2006 under President George W. Bush. Aziza served on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships from 2015-2016. Aziza currently serves on the Los Angeles Civil and Human Rights Commission.

Joumana Silyan-Saba, Director of Policy and Discrimination Enforcement for the City of Los Angeles

• Joumana is an accomplished public leader, with a career in public service spanning 18 years of experience in non-profit, city government and academia. With a sense of optimism, Joumana is committed to diplomacy, inclusion and bringing about social change to expand equity and inclusion.  Through her extensive work in intergroup relations, religious pluralism, and social integration she has fostered long-standing relationships with leaders in community based organizations, academia, public agencies and the private sector. In her role at LA Civil Rights, Joumana is instituting the discrimination enforcement operation aimed at implementing the LA Civil Rights Law.  She previously led efforts in Mayor Garcetti’s Office for Public Safety, and served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission where she led city-wide multi-faith engagements and advocated to advance various social justice policies.

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