It’s fascinating how tiny and vast the world can be at the same time. One day I might be watching The Office on TV; the next day, one of those actors is in my friend’s living room. One day I’m following Hillel Fuld on social media; the next day, he’s fanboying over people I’m introducing him to.
Hillel was quite well known in the tech world, but it was only after October 7th that he shifted his life focus as one of those voices we could consistently watch from within Israel. Throughout the Jewish world, he has become a bit of a celebrity, and I’ve had the pleasure of creating and maintaining a friendship from thousands of miles away over the past few years. When our mutual friend Ariel Jalali called and told me Hillel was coming to town for one brief night, I called Hillel and told him I would host about 20 people who I wanted him to meet.
Over the course of a few short days, I managed to gather some awesome individuals who I knew Hillel would appreciate meeting as much as they were excited to see him. In true Boaz fashion, this ended up being filled with such amazing leaders and artists, that I moved it to a bigger space at the home of my friends, and Ariel arranged a lovely spread of sushi and drinks.
Tabby Refael, Mark Feuerstein, Noah Blumofe (host), David Waghalter, Kimberly Plotnik, Ben Gleib, Andy Buckley, Ariella & Yehudah Pryce, Roz Rothstein, Sarah Idan, Natalie Marciano, Rania Dean, Soraya Deen, Miki Yamashita, Salvador Litvak, Ariel Jalali (co-organizer), Michael Drath, Jamie Elman, Nina Litvak. Not pictured: Rachel Grose, Tehran Von Ghasri & Sandy Blumofe (host)
He discussed Israel, his making Aliyah years ago from America, his beloved and tragically murdered brother, and a new series of housing developments called Eden Hills.
But here’s what makes the world fascinatingly small: before the event, I found out from my wife that she not only knew his brother Ari, but was quite close to him. Suddenly, like the last scene of The Usual Suspects, pieces came together in my mind, and I remembered years ago when she was working with Sheba Medical Center, and there was a friend who was killed in Israel, and she spent days crying. I had no idea who that man was at the time, but lo and behold, it was Ari Fuld.
As if that wasn’t enough, my best friend in Israel Kevn Lev messaged me after the event that, oh, Hillel Fuld? I went to yeshiva with him; we’re old friends!
As I said, the Jewish world is a dichotomy of being vast and intimate at the same time. And it was lovely to facilitate a fun night of connections.
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Boaz Hepner works as a Registered Nurse in Saint John’s Health Center. He moonlights as a podcaster, leading a large, friendly, bipartisan gathering on Zoom, allowing everyone to speak freely, just as if they were at a Shabbat table. He is a Pico/Robertson native, where he has led an annual neighborhood cleanup since 2009. He enjoys spending time with his wife Adi and children Natalia and Liam, and pursuing his passions of movies, poker and traveling.
