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August 1, 2007 | 8:14 am

Justice just another ball

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

Bet Tzedek’s annual gala fundraiser, The Justice Ball on Saturday, July 28, was like an aesthetically pleasing salad that failed to set my tastebuds on fire.

All the ingredients for a fabulous fest were there:

- A worthy cause: Bet Tzedek is a highly esteemed three-decade-old legal organization founded by altruistic Jews to serve those in desperate need of free representation, such as Holocaust survivors, victims of elder abuse, and tenants in dispute with landlords. Their sterling reputation impresses and attracts even the most cynical of lawyers.

- An incredible venue: The Lot, formerly the Warner Hollywood Studio, is steeped in movie history and located on still up-and-coming Santa Monica Blvd. in WestHo. The sheer size of the outdoor grounds allowed for endless creative potential.

- A big-name performer: The Violent Femmes, recognizable though clearly past their prime, headlined the evening. Their biggest hit is the rock classic and karaoke favorite “Blister in the Sun,” which still had everyone crouching and whispering…then jumping and screaming.

- Great press: Los Angeles magazine confidently declared it one of the “top ten coolest things to do in July” and LA Weekly selected the fundraiser as a “pick of the week.”
- Super attendance: The Justice Ball website promised over 3,000 attendees and from the looks of it, I wouldn’t argue with that number. The crowd was unquestionably large and decidedly lovely. Women were dressed in chic summer dresses and men (mostly) in sharp dress shirts.

- Glam amenities: Casino tables, silent auction, exclusive VIP lounge with private cabanas, complimentary dessert and coffee, food garden and karaoke bar.

So what was missing from this large, colorful salad?

SPICE.

Those tiny finishing touches that make all the difference between mediocre and magnificent. Here are some things that could have made the party even more palatable:

- Friendly and attentive volunteers. More than a few seemed flustered by the lack of organization and therefore were just focused on doing the minimum to keep things operating, instead of concentrating on making guests feel welcomed and appreciated.

- Extended VIP benefits past 9:30 p.m. Free drinks and munchies were passed around early in the evening for those who could get it together before the sun set, but after that, there was no apparent advantage to having paid an extra $75.

- Food options for Jews and vegetarians. The Italian sausage and chicken quesadillas seemed strangely incongruent with the Jewish L.A. scene.

- Cheaper drinks. $9 for a small mixed drink?

- Better lighting and more creative decorations (I can’t recall if there were any at all) to bring the entire venue together. Dark walkways and deserted areas made the party seem disjointed and uneven.

- Enviable swag bags. And enough of them. They ran out before the party had even ended. I have to admit, I was very excited to see what would be in the VIP gift bags. My mom called me Sunday morning to find out what was in the bag. They’re legendary for being the cherry on top. Here is what was in the Justice Ball swag bag (you decide whether it’s worth writing home about):

1) A can of Lost Five-o energy juice
2) Two packets of Alterna Ten moisturizer
3) Wonka Bottle Caps
4) A can of Izze sparkling juice
5) A gift certificate for a haircut at Lance Christopher Salon
6) $50 gift certificate to Petit Tresor children’s furniture store
7) A CozmoCard with discounts to shops, restaurants and spas (not sure which ones)
8) A deck of Cozmo Cards with discounts to restaurants
9) A free ticket to Pros in the City’s summer mixer
10) 10% off discount card to Tarina Tarantino
11) A Damien Rice CD                                                    
12) A DVD of Batman Beyond
13) A bag of peanuts
14) The Jewish Journal (yes, we are a proud sponsor)
15) A Sees Candy butterscotch pop
16) Lawdragon magazine

In the end, it was a nice event. I had a good time and I’m sure most other people did too. And of course, most importantly, tons of money was raised for an excellent charity. I ate the proverbial salad and left satiated, but if I had to pay for it with a journalist’s salary, I would have to think twice before ordering that dish again. Since I generally prefer to donate something more precious than money - my time - maybe next year I’ll volunteer to prepare the salad.

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I’ll have to disagree with you - I’d call it Justice Served Spicy!! The VIP area was plenty spicy: there were a lotta hot boys there, and my friends and I had a spectacular time making some great new introductions (not to mention, great memories!). It was packed with happy people, and g-d knows we need more good causes to celebrate in Los Angeles! Next year, I’m getting on the ball early and reserving one of those sexy cabanas. So hot, with the black chandeliers and stripes!

Comment by Anonymous on 8/01/07 at 11:19 am

Tsk, tsk…Lashon Hara alert, as I like to say to my bubbe.  The justice ball is was a GREAT EVENT for A CHARITY - and a JEWISH CHARITY at that. We should be celebrating, not criticizing—look at all the money this raised for poor people in LA…not how you wish you’d gotten a “spicier” swag bag. 

I just don’t get the criticism.

I’d never been before, but my lawyer friends managed to get me there despite my skepticism. I LOVED IT. It was good to feel good about going out. It was great to have something really fun to do that also felt jewish…I’ve avoided “young jew” events for years but will make an exception for this one.

Comment by Jada Baxter-Tananbaum on 8/01/07 at 11:31 am

I agree with Jada.  Had this been a for profit event I might expect a smokin’ hot swag bag, but this was a charity event!  The items were, most likely, all donated from various companies.  Frankly, an over-the-top swag bag would leave ME wondering why they spent their efforts (and/or MONEY) getting cool items for me rather than concentrating those efforts on raising more money for the event/charity.  Besides, when you consider the retail value of a CD, DVD, deck of Cozmo Cards (did you open those up? the discounts are for VERY high-end restaurants!) it’s not as though the swag bag was filled with junk!

Also, the VIP lounge did not stop serving free drinks at 9:30…  There were stations sponsored by Pravda Vodka throughout the lounge offering free drinks until the event ended at 1AM. 

All in all, my friends and I had an amazing time.  Sure, our swag bags weren’t filled with designer clothing and expensive jewelry, but knowing I helped raise money for a truly extraordinary cause - and had fun doing it - was the best gift I could ask for!

Comment by Kristin Arnold on 8/01/07 at 12:16 pm

I’ll just go ahead and say it: THIS ARTICLE IS PATHETIC. I’d suggest the JJ get a life, but your journalists should start with getting a soul or at least a heart—

Doesn’t the half-million or so raised from this event go to impoverished holocaust survivors?

And you’re criticizing the quesadillas?

Come on, Jewish Journal—you should be ashamed of yourselves for posting this. 

Steven K.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Comment by Anonymous on 8/01/07 at 12:39 pm

After reading this article I am absolutely IRATE.  The Justice Ball is a charity event that benefits some of the most vulnerable members of our Los Angeles community.  How DARE this chazzer (or khazer) of a journalist suggest that people reconsider attending an event that raises 500K for poor LA residents because she “only received free liquor for the first hour”, the decor was somehow not up to her standards, and she was dissatisfied with her party favor.  Does she think our community is better served by telling people not bother buying tickets next year?  Shame on you, Jewish Journal, for publishing this garbage.

Comment by Irate in Encino on 8/01/07 at 7:28 pm

I agree with the journalist.  It was a GREAT event but was missing a personal / welcoming touch.  I am not familiar with what Bet Tzedek does (except in theory) and still don’t know their actual accomplishments after the event.  I was glad to support a charitable cause but still couldn’t tell you where the $75 actually went.

Comment by Lemor on 8/02/07 at 7:49 am

As a staunch supporter of Bet Tzedek, I couldn’t agree more with “Irate in Encino.” Maybe, Ms. Kadosh, if you didn’t show up at charity events for the sole purpose of “mixed drinks” that you expect to be free and swag bags, you would be a little more informed about the incredible work that Bet Tzedek does. They serve the neediest people living in our city- the elderly, Holocaust victims, and the impoverished. Mitch Kamin, the phenomenal Executive Director of Bet Tzedek, holds a degree from Harvard Law School and left a comfortable position at O’Melveny and Myers to work for (comparative) chump change. Matt Scelza, Bet Tzedek’s Director of Development, graduated from Stanford and chose to focus his gifts not on making money for himself, but for a non-profit organization. Do you really expect Bet Tzedek to comp your margaritas? The approximately $500,000 they made in profit from this event goes to paying Bet Tzedek’s amazing staff of nearly 500 volunteers and dozens of in-house lawyers (many of whom hold law degrees from the country’s best universities), not to mention a dedicated development and event planning staff, all of whom work for next to nothing, not because they can’t find jobs at major law firms (in fact, many of Bet Tzedek’s attorneys left those law firms, not to mention six figure salaries, to work for the organization) but because they want to help those less fortunate than themselves. What did you expect in your swag bag, a solid gold toilet and a Marc Jacobs purse? Bet Tzedek relied on the kindness of donations, either through connections of those involved in the organization or just from companies and stores that wanted to do their part, for their swag bags. Your ignorance is truly an insult to this charity and their selfless workers, not to mention their clients. You are perfectly within your right to criticize aspects of the event. I certainly agree with your observation that some of the volunteers seemed slightly misinformed, but that can be chalked up to the fact that this was the biggest Justice Ball ever in a massive, spread-out venue- some things were bound to be lost in translation. What possessed you to feel the need to bash the decorations and lighting? I guess those “dark walkways” must have really detracted from your enjoyment of the event, not to mention the dreaded chicken quesadillas. In response to your harsh words towards the non-Kosher food, this event was clearly not intended for the observant Jewish community. The majority of the attendees were either upper-middle-class Reform Jewish professionals and party-hopping L.A. scenesters, and it is highly unlikely that either group considers the avoidance of mixing milk and meat a high priority. If you keep kosher, Ms. Kadosh, there were plenty of options for you. Your criticism of food that you did not taste and was not intended for you, if you are indeed Kosher, when there were plenty of vegetarian options is totally unwarranted. To conclude, I feel you did a great disservice to your newspaper (which has been nothing but generous to Bet Tzedek in the past). In fact, you are practically defaming your employer. The Jewish Journal was a sponsor of this year’s Justice Ball! I doubt that the board members of the Jewish Journal would be happy to read this blog post- many of them have been devoted supporters of Bet Tzedek for years. Or your advertisers- I’m sure many of them would be less than thrilled, seeing as a number of them support Bet Tzedek as well.  Ms. Kadosh, I don’t know you personally. However, I can conclude that you are an incredibly uncharitable and ignorant human being. To say that you wouldn’t come back to a charity event that supports those that surely have far less than you do and have far more integrity in one bone than you do in your entire body (Why don’t YOU try dealing with slumlords that raise your rent to absurd levels in a decaying apartment while you work for minimum wage trying to support your children, or being a physically impaired elderly woman living in an assisted living facility that was mistreating you, or working at a car wash where the only money you make is from the limited tips of your customers because your employer is a felon that assumes your limited proficiency in English means that you are stupid) simply because this year’s Justice Ball, according to you, lacked “spice,” an incredibly vague term that you fail to describe in your blog post? You refered to the event as a salad- so you like spicy salads? Do you ask for cayan pepper on your Caesars? The aforementioned clients have nowhere to turn but to Bet Tzedek, which provides them all with legal services free of any charge whatsoever. So next time you think about how tough it is to live off of the “journalist’s salary” you refer to, think about the laborers that are getting paid mere cents per hour in the United States of America and how the staff of Bet Tzedek fights for their rights every day- and always wins.

P.S. I am not a staff member or board member of Bet Tzedek- simply an admirer and supporter of their phenomenal work that occasionally volunteers my services to them.

Comment by Anonymous on 8/02/07 at 4:06 pm

D-

May I inquire as to why you changed the end of your post? Was it your thorough reflection of the Justice Ball? Or was it the uproar that ensued from your little salad analogy as evidenced on this comment board and in the Jewish community? My guess is the latter. There are 14 million Jews in the world. Anti-semitism is rampant and detestation directed towards Jews is unbelievably common, so from a standpoint as a Jewish and Israeli person, rather than a club-goer, shouldn’t you be praising BT for their work, rather than ripping apart a Jewish cause? Maybe you should consider these aspects before you post. But really great attempt, Dikla, I’m sure NOBODY ELSE noticed your minor alteration, you found a way to put toothpaste back in the tube! Mazel tov!

Comment by Anonymous on 8/04/07 at 12:24 pm

What kind of publication has their writers reviewing CHARITY events?!  I’ve never heard of something so blatantly asinine. And the fact that you would write and post a NEGATIVE review just goes to show what an ass you truly are.  This piece serves no positive purpose for your readers.  None. On the contrary, it actually HINDERS this charity’s fundraising abilities in the future.  Do yourself a favor: go Google justice ball and read what comes up.  Is that your idea of hard hitting journalism?  For shame.

Comment by Anonymous on 8/04/07 at 7:03 pm

moderating posts is cowardly. you certainly dish it out in your blog, but you can’t take it. get a spine.

Comment by madonna cuccione on 8/06/07 at 1:41 pm

Wow, changing a post? When it’s a REVIEW? You shouldn’t be a writer.

Comment by Anony on 8/08/07 at 8:20 am

I need ball!

Comment by Abdel on 6/10/08 at 5:37 am

simply an admirer and supporter of their phenomenal work that occasionally volunteers my services to them.

Comment by ram on 8/01/08 at 5:16 am

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