I am an Israeli (US citizen), and like most immigrants, when I came to this country, I naturally gravitated toward others from my own community, but living in Los Angeles forced me to communicate and negotiate with so many people I had nothing in common with; it made my life more interesting and diverse. I recognized that goodness and natural curiosity in most people I met; I saw a need, and in 2004 cofounded Pages LA, an online ethnic business directory that nurtures multiculturalism and encourages tolerance. Our mission is the growth of local and global economy by building bridges between businesses and the myriad of ethnic communities around us.
I had my share of racism; over the years, people told me number of times they do not like to work with Israelis – but I was happy to represent my people, as there is good and bad in every group. Instead of avoiding interaction with people from other backgrounds, through our unique platform, we had to meet so many individuals from other cultures, and in order to be successful, we had to respect them and find ways to agree with them. Many times we made friends.
By providing an excellent forum to reach these millions of people, all in one place, Pages LA is the leading umbrella of multicultural directories, and plan to raise community awareness, bridge language and cultures gaps, and connect the seemingly isolated communities, starting in Los Angeles.