PNN/Bethlehem

A sold-out Western Region Gala event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills was attended by american and israeli guests this last Friday night. Among the present guests were: actors Jason Alexander, Antonio Banderas, Liev Schreiber, Jason Segel and Mark Wahlberg, as well as the KISS frontman, Israeli-born Gene Simmons.

“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. The overwhelming support from the Los Angeles community continues to amaze me,” said entertainment mogul Haim Saban, a national board member of FIDF (Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces).

According to the israeli media, the event focused on the IOF’s “lone soldiers, who leave their families and native countries behind to serve in the army, and included testimonies from the mothers of fallen soldiers.” Apparently, it also featured a presentation from a US veteran on the impact of Israeli medical technology on the lives of Americans.

FIDF was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors, and provides educational, cultural and recreational programs and facilities for IOF soldiers.