ARTS AND CULTURE

Jonathan Lipnicki

Actor and activist

Actor Jonathan Lipnicki first became known as a child star, appearing in movies like "Jerry Maguire" (1996) and "Like Mike" (2002). Now 30-years-old, Los Angeles resident Lipnicki is centrally involved with a local volunteer group that helps Jews safely go to and from their synagogues following a slew of antisemitic attacks. “There have been a lot of antisemitic hate crimes and violence towards Jews,” Lipnicki – a jujitsu black belt – said in an interview. He said that his group’s purpose was “to make sure people got home and to the synagogue safely… families, women, children, because everybody should have the right to worship without being discriminated against.” Lipnicki’s efforts were warmly praised by Yaakov Hagoel, the chairman of the World Zionist Organization, who told him, “the work of you and your colleagues to assist Jews in openly and safely practicing their faith, while raising public awareness of the threat to Jewish communities, is extremely important.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)