Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Gala Raises $31 Million

More than $31 million dollars has been raised to benefit the soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces, organizers of a gala event in Beverly Hills announced today.

The annual Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Western Region Gala was held Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, was sold out and drew more than 1,200 supporters from the United States and Israel, a statement said.

It said Jason Alexander, Antonio Banderas, Liev Schreiber, Jason Segel, Gene Simmons and Mark Wahlberg were among the attendees, and the event featured performances by David Foster & Friends, The Beach Boys and Asanda Jezile.

For the ninth straight year, Israeli-American media mogul Haim Saban and his wife, Cheryl, served as chairs of the gala.

“For the past nine years I have watched this gala grow into the preeminent charity event it is today, and I am truly humbled by the funds raised yesterday, which are a testament to the importance of the FIDF organization and its mission,” Saban said. “The overwhelming support from the Los Angeles community continues to amaze me.”

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors as a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing and supporting educational, social, cultural, and recreational programs and facilities for the men and women of the Israeli armed forces.

FIDF says it has more than 150,000 supporters and 15 regional offices throughout the United States and Panama. FIDF also supports the families of fallen soldiers, and wounded veterans through a variety of programs.

City News Service