On Saturday, March 29th, a crescent moon glinted off the water at Del Rey Yacht Club as 130 members gathered for the 41st Annual Jewish Federation Dinner. With everyone dressed in their evening finest, the energy in the room was festive as club members united to show their commitment to The Jewish Federation and their generous support of the life-changing work we accomplish together.
The evening began with remarks from Event Co-Chair Pauline Dror, who welcomed Del Rey’s Commodore Ilona Fellows, Vice Commodore Peter Glick, and Rear Commodore Joshua Merel. Thanking Co-Chair Harvey Prince, Pauline went on to remind everyone in the room about the thousands of lives they’ve touched by supporting our Federation, from the children our KOREH L.A. volunteers are teaching to read, to the hungry Angelenos that are being fed, to the local Holocaust survivors who are receiving in-home care. Tootsie Veprin led the room in the motzi and dinner was served as friends reconnected in an elegant atmosphere.
During the event, our Federation’s President & CEO Jay Sanderson spoke passionately about the impact our Federation is making because of the past generosity of all of the Del Rey members. And that night, $155,000 was raised for The Jewish Federation’s 2014 Annual Campaign, an amount that will go a long way in fulfilling our mission of building and sustaining our community, and ensuring our Jewish future.
Later, keynote speaker Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Vice President for Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, spoke about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Israel’s defense challenges in the region. Noting that there are struggles beyond Israel in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and other neighboring countries, Dr. Schanzer reminded the club members of the ebb and flow of political turmoil and noted that, while not impossible, the road to achieving peace in the Middle East may be quite a long one.
Featured performer Larry G. Jones lifted everyone’s spirits with comedy and songs. His impersonations of Cher, Rodney Dangerfield, Lady Gaga, the Rat Pack, Sammy Davis and other celebrities were spot-on and had the crowd roaring.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this magnificent event!
