October 19, 1936 - October 27, 2018 Anita Hirsh, activist, philanthropist, and business woman, passed away at her home in Studio City on Saturday evening, October 27th. She was 82 years old. Throughout her life, Anita worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others in underserved and immigrant communities, in the Jewish diaspora, and in Israel. She was also an avid supporter of the Democratic Party. In the 1970s Anita advocated for persecuted Jews from the Soviet Union by bringing diplomatic attention to their plight and helping imprisoned Jews immigrate to Israel. Anita owned the landmark Cooper Building in Downtown Los Angeles. She lead the establishment of five nursery schools for underserved families in Tel Aviv for Jewish, Christian and Arab children. She also founded the Hirsh Family Early Childhood Development Center in Jaffa to promote coexistence between Israeli Jews and Arabs. Anita and her late husband, Stanley, were long-term supporters of Jewish Family Services. They built The Hirsh Family Kosher Kitchen that provides food for hundreds of thousands of elderly and needy Angelenos of all religions. Most recently, Anita supported the construction of the Gunther – Hirsh Family Center, a flagship location for JFS' social services on Fairfax Blvd. She was a longtime supporter of Chimp Haven, a rescue facility for retired laboratory chimps in Louisiana. Anita's parents Natalie and David Freedman, Russian refugees escaping the Bolshevik Revolution, settled in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Anita attended Fairfax High and after school, she worked as a fashion designer. She loved Los Angeles and developed the Hirsh Family Native Habitat Walk in the LA River Greenway Trail. Anita is survived by her four children: Steven, Adam, Elizabeth, and Jennifer, and five grandchildren: Talya, Noa, Aaron, Eden and Kobe. Services will be held at Mount Sinai Memorial Park on Tuesday, October 30th at 3pm. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her honor to Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles.