One of the liveliest civic-oriented synagogues in the heavily Orthodox LaBrea neighborhood rang the bell for meaningful brotherhood yesterday.
Bais Naftoli recognized Larry Elder, the Sage from South Central, the Prince of Pico-Union, among the hottest properties in talk radio.
His career has boomed locally and nationally since moving from KABC afternoon drive to KRLA (870 AM) in the evenings, 6 o’clock to 9.
A libertarian by pure philosophy, Mr. Elder’s career is rocketing because the Salem Radio Network has vanquished the harness he was saddled with at KABC, a mainly-local-subjects format.
A rare specie in media, a Gibraltar-strong black conservative, homegrown yet, Mr. Elder’s reputation and image have become recognized American staples, on the air and on television, especially within the past year.
His career is hitting its stride since joining the Salem Radio Network after 20 sometimes bumpy years at sometimes bumpy KABC.
One reason is his low-key, comprehensively informed manner. The main distinction is that Mr. Elder, who recently turned 65 years old, has been liberated. Concentrating on contemporary national politics, he has shined.
In a shocking era of unprecedented attacks on the occupant of the White House, Mr. Elder frequently – but hardly automatically – defends President Trump and his administration with a wide and deep bank of well-researched facts and sound, always controlled, reasoning.
Some readers have said he sounds like a new person since being hired by 870 AM.
Mr. Elder steered wide of his staple, politics, when he addressed hundreds of men and women breakfasting at Bais Naftoli (House of Naftoli), named for the father of President Andrew Friedman, and founded by Holocaust survivors.
Surrounded by well-wishers from the 9:30 moment he entered Bais Naftaoli with his girlfriend, Mr. Elder talked about the Jews who influenced and aided his careers, first in law, in college and directly after, and then in talk radio in the early 1990s.
He noted that two Jews, fellow syndicated Salem Radio host Dennis Prager and George Green, retired president-general manager of KABC radio, were responsible for his successful run at the 790 AM during its glory days, which now appear in the past tense.
A Crowd of Opinions
Bais Naftoli produced a truly red, white and blue audience that was non-denominational, politically speaking. And they do speak politically.
It was a sparkling civic roster that included County Sheriff Jim McDonald, County Assessor Jeffrey Prang, Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz and the prize catch, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, now a candidate to succeed Gov. Brown in Sacramento.
Although Orthodox Jews are politically conservative nationwide, Mr. Villaraigosa, as left as Mr. Elder is right, was received just as warmly.
The Bais Naftoli breakfast was no place to be partisan.