Former Agoura Hills city attorney takes position with Anti-Defamation League




Amanda Susskind

Amanda Susskind


By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Amanda Susskind, a former city attorney for Agoura Hills, is the new director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Pacific Southwest regional office, ADL officials announced last week.


Susskind, 45, served as the Agoura Hills attorney from 1996 to 1999. She also was an attorney for the city of Hidden Hills.


Susskind returned to private practice after running unsuccessfully for the state Assembly in 2000. She currently serves an alternate member of the California Coastal Commission.


"I went to law school to go into public service," said Susskind, a Los Angeles resident and a graduate of Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. "This is a very natural progression for me."


Susskind is a former member of the Los Angeles County Park and Recreation Commission and the Los Angeles County Housing Commission. She’ll work out of the ADL’s Los Angeles offices.


"Her knowledge of the local Jewish community, legal expertise and strong commitment to Jewish values and issues make her a tremendous asset to our organization," said Bruce Einhorn, the ADL regional board president.


The ADL was founded in 1913 to fight not only anti-Semitism, but discrimination, prejudice and bigotry against all groups.


Susskind said the organization stepped up its role in the fight against hatred following Sept. 11.


"We’ve been involved post-9-11 in a number of ways," Susskind said. "We are the premier community-based fact-finding organization monitoring extremism and terrorist activities … We had more information about the groups being investigated in some cases than the federal government."


Susskind said contrary to the belief of some, the ADL hasn’t turned its back on discrimination against Muslims.


"We were the first organization to be on the front lines in denouncing hate crimes against Muslims," Susskind said. "It is part of our charter to speak out against hate crimes and extremism and hatred against any group."


She also said the ADL shouldn’t be confused with the more extreme JDL, the Jewish Defense League.


"I think people know the difference," she said. "Our diversity message is quite broad."


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