Providing a Voice to Everyone

Photo by cnynfreelancer via Flickr

The 11-part no-kill animal shelter workshop series has gotten quite a buzz around town already, so we decided to talk to the man who is helping to facilitate the dialogue at these workshops, Rabbi Allen Freehling. For a little background, Rabbi Freehling was first asked to serve as the Director of the Human Relations Commission by then-Mayor Jim Hahn in 2002 and was asked to remain in this position by existing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Rabbi Freehling said that the role of the Human Relations Commission is to try to bring different viewpoints to the same table.

In the case of L.A.'s no-kill shelter workshops, Rabbi Freehling feels that it is important to hear even more of each local community's views because each community may have a few unique issues that everyone should be educated about.

A lot of people want to see animals lives spared, but are they adopting animals from shelters or from breeders? Rabbi Freehling and his wife have adopted two dogs, each from a rescue group and Rabbi Freehling speaks of each as if they are his children. He said how he even took one of the dogs to the synagogue with him everyday when he worked at the University Synagogue prior to taking on his position with the Human Relations Commission.