When Danny Labin, CEO of the Jewish Federation of the Desert, speaks of the recent mission he attended to Tel Aviv with more than 100 LGBTQ+ Jewish leaders from North America, his voice is filled with a mix of faith, concern, and commitment.
One of the goals of that mission, which included several Coachella Valley residents, was to participate and support the city’s annual Pride Parade.
But it turned into much more than that.
“It was a week of very intense site visits to places that had experienced the devastation of October 7,” Labin said of the 2023 Hamas attack from Gaza on Israel. “We visited the kibbutz along the Gaza border, we visited the site of the Nova music festival where 378 people were killed on October 7, and 44 people were taken hostage from the festival.
“It was very powerful and moving,” he added.
Labin and others also met with many LGBTQ+ organizations in Israel fighting for equality within Israeli society, learning about some of their successes and challenges.
“This was all meant to culminate on Thursday the 12th,” Labin said, “and it did but… “
Everything changed on Friday, June 13.
“At 3:15 a.m. local Israeli time, missiles from Iran began falling on Tel Aviv; all of the 100 mission participants, seven of whom are desert residents, were caught in, literally, the crossfire,” Labin said. The week that followed was daunting as the entire world watched to see how far the ripple effects of the incident might stretch.
“It was harrowing,” Labin said, “Jordanian airspace was closed periodically during the 12 days that Iran and Israel were in active conflict. There was no guarantee that going through Jordan was really going to get us home.”
Fortunately, everybody who wanted to leave was able to leave.
“The Federation worked hard and paid about half a million dollars to get everybody out,” Labin said. “I believe this speaks to the commitment that Federation has to the community and to ensuring everybody’s safety and security in every way that we can.”
The eye-opening events occurred during the first year of Labin’s tenure as CEO of the Federation, which, through its extensive programming, outreach, and empowering initiatives, has become one the area’s most revered non-profit organizations.
A recent grant from the Robert and Cheryl Fey Donor Advised Community Fund via Inland Empire Community Foundation will further support the Federation’s future endeavors overall. The organization has long raised funds from multiple donors, including individual donors and private foundations.
“That funding goes to a collective pool of resources that are allocated each year to different organizations across the desert as well as to strengthen and support the needs of Jewish communities around the world, including Israel,” Labin added. “The funds we received went into a pool of funding to fund about 25 different organizations, more than half of which are here in the desert.”
Some of those support educational activities, efforts to combat antisemitism, and/or to promote tolerance, acceptance, and diversity in the desert.
Another portion of the resources goes to senior services, childcare, and other organizations working with children.
“What makes the Jewish Federation unique is that we are looking comprehensively and holistically across a variety of different needs,” Labin said. “We are basically a one-stop shop for the Jewish community. We, in turn, pass along the funds to different organizations that go through a very rigorous application process.”
Looking ahead, one of Labin’s major objectives is to expand and broaden the Jewish Federation, ensuring that it is a welcoming and inclusive place to the community, no matter which desert city somebody is from.
But his recent mission, intended to support the LGBTQ+ community, remains in the forefront of his mind.
“I’d like to also ensure that the LGBTQ+ community here is represented, and that our programming and activities are created in a way that add meaningful value to LGBTQ+ Jewish life,” Labin said. “I really want to help LGBTQ+ Jewish life here flourish in new and exciting ways.”
Learn more at jfedps.org.
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, June 2025.
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