Party Pics – FIDF Gala
FRIENDS OF THE IDF LAS VEGAS GALA RAISES $1M TO BENEFIT ISRAELI SOLDIERS
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 7 – More than 450 members of the Las Vegas community and out-of-town guests and supporters gathered at The Venetian last week for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Las Vegas Gala and raised more than $1 million – with help from a matching gift by Sheldon and Dr. Miriam Adelson – to support well-being and educational programs for the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo attended the Nov. 1 gala, which has become one of the Las Vegas Jewish community’s largest events and honored leading defense attorney David Z. Chesnoff.
Also speaking at the gala were active-duty and former Israeli soldiers, including Staff Sgt. Reno, a Lone Soldier – one who enlists in the IDF without having any immediate family in Israel – who lived in Las Vegas and who finished his high school education during his military service, thanks to FIDF; Yaakov Daniel, who plays a counterterrorism operative in the hit Israeli Netflix series “Fauda” and whose college education was sponsored through FIDF’s IMPACT! Scholarship Program; and Staff Sgt. (Res.) Sharon, a sharpshooter in one of the world’s only coed combat infantry battalions who engaged and neutralized terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israel.
Chairing the gala were FIDF National Board Members Dana and Michael Werner. Human rights attorney, author, and award-winning filmmaker Brooke Goldstein presided as the evening’s master of ceremonies. The gala also featured a musical performance by Kol Esperanza.
Goldstein, whose documentary “The Making of a Martyr” examined the recruitment of children suicide bombers, spoke of FIDF’s critical role in helping provide humanitarian programs to those who serve in the IDF.
“By providing crucial support systems for Israeli soldiers, FIDF ensures they are treated like the real heroes that they are,” she said. “Because these young men and women are fighting for the survival not just of Israel, but for the Jewish people. For us, for everyone right here in this room and for our future!”
Other distinguished guests included boxer and celebrity Mike Tyson; Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson; Nevada Supreme Court Justice Lidia S. Stiglich; Judges Mark Bailus, Joe Bonaventure, Elissa Cadish, Douglas Herndon, Abbi Silver, and Michael Villani; FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir; Rabbi Mendel Mintz, founder and director of Chabad Jewish Community Center in Aspen; Todd Polikoff, president and CEO of Jewish Federation of Las Vegas; Joshua Abbey, director of the Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival; Dr. William Bolt, vice president for advancement at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Nevada Assemblyman Stephen H. Silberkraus; Nevada State Treasurer Dan Schwartz; and Brian Watson, Republican candidate for Colorado state treasurer.
The funds raised at this event will go toward FIDF well-being and educational programs for IDF soldiers. For more information or to support FIDF, please visit: www.fidf.org.
