Flanked by some of the most powerful and prominent Jews in entertainment — including clients like sitcom creators Chuck Lorre and Steven Levitan — United Talent Agency vice chairman Jay Sures was feted Thursday at a gala dinner held by Jewish Federation Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The occasion: honoring his commitment to the Jewish community in the face of historical rates of antisemitism.
The glamorous event unfolded as a ceasefire tenuously holds in Gaza, following a two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas. The truce, brokered by the U.S. and other international partners, has allowed for aid delivery and a hostage-detainee exchange, but the situation is fragile and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains dire.
Introduced by billionaire real estate developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, who praised Sures as being a “devoted family man” and “a heavy hitter in the world of television and entertainment,” Sures accepted the honor with a quip, saying the only thing that would make his 92-year-old mother, in attendance, any prouder was “if I were receiving an award for being a Jewish doctor.”
But matters quickly turned serious, as Sures has experienced firsthand what it feels like to be targeted and intimidated for being unapologetically Jewish.
His home was swarmed by a group of about 50 masked protesters last February. The operation was undertaken by Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA, who accused the power agent of harboring ties to organizations they claim support “genocide and weapons manufacturing” — in other words, supporting Israel.
The group gathered at Sures’ home and vandalized it, leaving red handprints and caution tape on his garage door and scattering pamphlets on his front lawn. They wielded placards that read, “Jonathan Sures you will pay until you see your dying day.”
At one point, protesters surrounded Sures’ wife Linda’s car. Despite the terrifying situation, she stood her ground. “Don’t mess with a recently converted 5-foot-10 Slovakian Jew,” Sures noted.
In his remarks, Sures saluted his late father, who fought in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. But it was his mother, in attendance, who earned the most credit for his support of Jews and Israel.
“My mother has a strong sense of right and wrong,” he said. “She’s been talking about antisemitism for years. And honestly, I turned a blind eye. I didn’t think it really existed, but she was right. And it’s because of her that I use my various platforms to stand up for what’s right, no matter if it’s popular or not.
“Antisemitism has reared its ugly head in places we never mentioned,” he continued. “My family saw it firsthand and was horrified by what happened at our home. But it just made me more resolute to fight back. My hope is that in tonight’s gathering we find power to counter hate and ignorance through education. We all must be fighters.”