Golfers Swing Big for Charity in Pacific Palisades

August 1 event raised record funds for Jewish National Fund-USA at Riviera Country Club 

Jewish National Fund-USA recently announced record funds were raised at its annual LA Golf Classic — now the David Frank Memorial Golf Classic, presented by Advanced Nutrients. 

The sold-out tournament was held on August 1, 2022, at the renowned Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades for the seventh consecutive year, and was hosted in memory of the late David Frank, an active and engaged member of the Los Angeles Jewish community and a member of the organization’s National and Greater Los Angeles Boards of Directors for more than three decades. 

The event featured guest speaker, Lt. Col. (Res.) Tiran Attia, founder of Jewish National Fund-USA’s Special in Uniform program, who shared how attendees’ philanthropic dollars are enabling young Israelis with cognitive disabilities to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Often referred to as the Israeli military’s “secret weapon,” this life-changing program empowers people with disabilities to find a place in the IDF and serve their country, just like any other Israeli. After undergoing basic training, the IDF assesses each soldier’s unique skill set and assigns them to a service that aligns with their strengths.  

Thanks to the generous support of Jewish National Fund-USA’s partners (donors), including Los Angeles cannabis entrepreneur and philanthropist, Michael ‘BigMike’ Straumietis, the founder of the tournament’s title sponsor, Advanced Nutrients, Special in Uniform has incorporated more than 500 disabled soldiers into the IDF with over 200 on a waiting list.

On a recent trip to Israel, Straumietis visited a Special in Uniform army base and was so inspired that he adopted an entire unit on the spot. At the tournament, VP of Business Development for Advanced Nutrients, Gil Cohen, joined Attia on stage to discuss why Advanced Nutrients invested in the program.

“I’ve always been driven to help others achieve what may seem at first like an impossible feat, and I am a huge advocate of inclusion,” Straumietis said. “Jewish National Fund-USA’s mission is extremely close to my heart, and it is so meaningful to have Advanced Nutrients sponsor this incredible annual golf classic for the second year in a row. I know first-hand the type of people and projects our philanthropic dollars will support, and I am honored to play a part in the future successes of these young adults.”

Proceeds from the event will go toward Jewish National Fund-USA’s One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade, which has raised more than $941 Million in support of critical environmental and nation-building activities in Israel’s Negev and Galilee regions.

This year’s tournament winners included: Keith West; Jeremy Canter; Ryan Lynch; and Harris Siskind, as well as runners-up, Jewish National Fund-USA Greater LA Board Member & Event Co-Chair, Joe Rosen; Michael Rosenmayer; Tyson Parsons, and Ben Posen.

The 2023 David Frank Memorial Golf Classic will take place on July 31, 2023, at the Riviera. For more information contact Lou Rosenberg, JNF-USA Executive Director, Los Angeles, at Lrosenberg@jnf.org. 

Jewish National Fund-USA, the leading philanthropic organization for Israel that supports critical environmental and nation-building activities in Israel’s north and south, recently announced record funds were raised at its annual LA Golf Classic — now the David Frank Memorial Golf Classic, presented by Advanced Nutrients. 

The sold-out tournament was held on August 1, 2022, at the renowned Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades for the seventh consecutive year, and was hosted in memory of the late David Frank, an active and engaged member of the Los Angeles Jewish community and a member of the organization’s National and Greater Los Angeles Boards of Directors for more than three decades. 

The event featured guest speaker, Lt. Col. (Res.) Tiran Attia, founder of Jewish National Fund-USA’s Special in Uniform program, who shared how attendees’ philanthropic dollars are enabling young Israelis with cognitive disabilities to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Often referred to as the Israeli military’s “secret weapon,” this life-changing program empowers people with disabilities to find a place in the IDF and serve their country, just like any other Israeli. After undergoing basic training, the IDF assesses each soldier’s unique skill set and assigns them to a service that aligns with their strengths.  

Thanks to the generous support of Jewish National Fund-USA’s partners (donors), including Los Angeles cannabis entrepreneur and philanthropist, Michael ‘BigMike’ Straumietis, the founder of the tournament’s title sponsor, Advanced Nutrients, Special in Uniform has incorporated more than 500 disabled soldiers into the IDF with over 200 on a waiting list.

On a recent trip to Israel, Straumietis visited a Special in Uniform army base and was so inspired that he adopted an entire unit on the spot. At the tournament, VP of Business Development for Advanced Nutrients, Gil Cohen, joined Attia on stage to discuss why Advanced Nutrients invested in the program.

“I’ve always been driven to help others achieve what may seem at first like an impossible feat, and I am a huge advocate of inclusion,” said Straumietis. “Jewish National Fund-USA’s mission is extremely close to my heart, and it is so meaningful to have Advanced Nutrients sponsor this incredible annual golf classic for the second year in a row. I know first-hand the type of people and projects our philanthropic dollars will support, and I am honored to play a part in the future successes of these young adults.”

Proceeds from the event will go toward Jewish National Fund-USA’s One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade, which has raised more than $941 Million in support of critical environmental and nation-building activities in Israel’s Negev and Galilee regions.

This year’s tournament winners included: Keith West; Jeremy Canter; Ryan Lynch; and Harris Siskind, as well as runners-up, Jewish National Fund-USA Greater LA Board Member & Event Co-Chair, Joe Rosen; Michael Rosenmayer; Tyson Parsons, and Ben Posen.

The 2023 David Frank Memorial Golf Classic will take place on July 31, 2023, at the Riviera. For more information contact Lou Rosenberg, JNF-USA Executive Director, Los Angeles, at Lrosenberg@jnf.org.