In the presence of the President of the State and senior figures in the economy: The annual gala evening of the Taglit-Birthright project was held today (Monday) at Trask Tel Aviv Port. The festive event was held this year under the theme of "Strengthening Israel", Birthright's contribution to the resilience of the State of Israel, the connection with the IDF and the building of an array of "ambassadors in the Diaspora". During the ceremony, philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson (full disclosure: publisher of Israel Hayom) received an award of appreciation.
President Herzog spoke during the event. "When we are here tonight today, marking a project that put together a million young Diaspora Jews, this is an impressive and amazing thing, issues experienced by every nation in an era of deep issues of identity within our peoples, the Jewish people, very deep issues of connection to the nation-state, the State of Israel," Herzog said.
President Herzog at the annual Taglit-Birthright Gala marking 75 years of Israel // Moshe Ben-Simhon
"This connection is physical, it's huge, it's deep. It is building a very important layer in the Jewish people, the small people, which faces enormous challenges both externally as small and large communities all over the world, and between it and its nation-state, which itself, as you know, suffers from quite a few challenges, and there is a need to integrate the story of the Jewish people into the story of the State of Israel."
Dr. Miriam Adelson said after receiving the award, "Jewish continuity and the Jewish National Home are at the top of Birthright's list of goals. This is a miracle that will live on for generations to come." Adelson described her deep connection to the project, saying: "It is not for nothing that the late Sheldon and I used to say that Birthright is the best investment we have made – an investment in the eternity of the Jewish people. The rebirth of the State of Israel has put us on a safer path, but it is a path that must always be nurtured and preserved, and the more people who walk it, the better. A discovery brings people on this journey. It is a great privilege to be contributors of Birthright. A great mitzvah."
The award is awarded to Dr. Miriam Adelson, Photo: Coco
Birthright CEO Gidi Mark said during the event, "This year we see greater importance than ever in holding the annual Taglit-Birthright Gala – we are experiencing unprecedented demand for registration for Birthright, and in addition to the 25,25 participants who will come on a tour of Israel by the end of the year, there is a waiting list of about 850,000 additional young people that we are unable to bring in without raising additional resources." To date, some <>,<> young people have participated in the project, and it is the main body connecting young Jews from around the world to Israel.
The event was attended by many senior figures from the Israeli economy, including: Mivtach Shamir's controlling shareholder and Chairman of Birthright's Israeli Executive Committee, Meir Shamir; Chairman and owner of Super-Pharm, Leon Koffler; Foreign Minister and former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi; El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganencia; Bank Leumi CEO, Hanan Friedman; Discount Bank CEO, Uri Levin; The controlling shareholder of the Shlomo Group, Atalia Schmelzer and more. The event concluded with a performance by Rami and Meshi Kleinstein.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us