Tonight Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles addressed the Biennial. Here is a brief piece from his speech:

There is a central idea that justice and opportunity exists for noe of us if it fails to reach all of us.

And there is the faith that our best days are yet to come.

I may have be Catholic, born and raised. But the lessons of my life and a career in public service, have always found their clearest articulation in Hebrew: Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, and Mitzvot.

His message was warmly received. The Mayor went on to mention pieces of both his life and the Reform Movement's actions that fit into these "pillars of Jewish life."

He concluded with this passage:

The pillars of Jewish life form the foundations of [my city's] cultural vibrancy and give substance and meaning to our heritage of diversity.

Here, at the largest gathering of Jewish in North America, we have come together to build on the achievements of the past and set a course toward a better future.

I can only hope that we all have the opportunity to gather once more at the next Biennial to celebrate the triumph of justice over inequality, the victory of hope over fear, and the success of peace over violence.