Holocaust Museum LA honored philanthropist and supermodel Cindy Crawford and Holocaust survivor Ella Mandel with its prestigious Award of Courage at the museum’s annual gala Tuesday evening at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, recognizing their joint efforts to combat antisemitism and preserve Holocaust memory through intergenerational advocacy.
The event brought together community leaders, descendants of survivors and celebrities to support the museum’s education programs, raising $1.3 million toward its mission to fight hate through remembrance.
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Holocaust survivor Ella Mandel, who turns 99 in November, and philanthropist, entrepreneur and supermodel Cindy Crawford receive the Award of Courage at the LA Holocaust Museum's annual gala Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel
(Photo: Al Seib/Holocaust Museum LA)
Crawford, who has increasingly used her platform to speak out against antisemitism, was recognized for her partnership with Mandel in this year’s Borrowed Spotlight campaign. The initiative paired influential public figures with survivors to amplify the importance of Holocaust education and personal testimony.
“I want to be a voice for light, love and acceptance — for seeing the humanity in one another,” Crawford said in her acceptance speech. “This museum, and survivors like Ella, remind us where hatred leads when we stop seeing each other as part of the same human story.”
Mandel, who will turn 99 next month, lost her parents and two sisters in the Holocaust. She continues to speak to students and museum visitors, offering personal testimony and messages of resilience. “‘Never again’ is not just my promise — it must be yours, too,” she said. “Together, we can make sure that the world remembers, and that the future is safer than the past.”
The museum also presented the first-ever Roz and Abner Goldstine Advocacy Award to Jonah Platt, Broadway actor and creator of the acclaimed podcast Being Jewish with Jonah Platt. The podcast explores modern Jewish identity and history. “The work that the Holocaust Museum LA does is telling our story, which is so vital in a world that has a very short memory,” Platt said.
Marissa Lepor, president of the museum’s 3G@HMLA board and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, received the Jona Goldrich Visionary Award. “If we aren’t the stewards of survivors’ stories, who will be?” Lepor asked. “The burden doesn’t rest solely on descendants — it’s on all of us.”
Founded in 1961 by survivors, Holocaust Museum LA is the oldest Holocaust museum in the United States and home to the West Coast’s largest collection of Holocaust-era artifacts. Its mission is to educate future generations about the dangers of antisemitism and all forms of hate.
The museum’s new expanded campus, currently under construction and set to open in June 2026, will double its size and allow for up to 500,000 annual visitors, including 150,000 students. New permanent exhibits will use advanced technologies to preserve and share survivor testimonies.