In Century City, a Gathering Honors Civic Heroism and Israeli Independence

Members of the community were invited to an event honoring civic heroism and the 76th anniversary of Israeli independence. Held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on Sept. 8, the afternoon kicked off with comments by Israel Bachar, consul general of Israel in the Pacific Southwest. He emphasized that, “nobody is free until all of the remaining 101 hostages currently held captive by Hamas in Gaza are brought home.”

Among the well-known participants who spoke during the evening were Tal Ramon, son of Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon; Congressman Mike Garcia (R-Palmdale); actress Patricia Heaton; and Eli Wininger, an American who served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Ramon shared memories of his father and the tragic day in February 2003 when he and his family were expecting his return aboard the tragic Columbia space shuttle. The family returned to Israel, where they endured two more tragedies: In 2009, Tal’s brother Assaf, 21, was killed in a crash of an F-16 fighter bomber during a training exercise, and nine years later, his mother, Rona Ramon, passed away at 54 after a battle with cancer.

“I’ve had to try all my life to find a way to continue living fully, as my parents would have hoped for me,” said Ramon. “My story involves great loss, but I can honestly say it’s not the biggest part. I insist that my family’s name will never become a symbol of tragedy or grief. The bigger part of my family’s story is about overcoming, growing, fulfilling dreams, exploring and making memories, knowing that we live once and should make the most of this journey.” Ramon, a singer-songwriter, performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” in honor of his parents, a song they both loved.

Garcia, a former U.S. Navy pilot who served in the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom, delivered a speech stressing the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance. His remarks were met with enthusiastic applause and cheers.

“Israel has the right to defend itself,” Garcia said. “Few people appreciate the value of the shared interests between our two nations as much as I do, and no one is more aware of the consequences of failing to ensure mutual support.”

In today’s environment, he said “it is absolutely critical that all elected officials, at every level of government — and in fact, all governments, including the U.N., which should be ashamed of its behavior as of late — be 100% clear in their stance toward Israel. They must be either hot or cold, not tepid. And if elected officials are not supportive of the nation of Israel, you deserve to know that.”

Patricia Heaton, who starred in “Everybody Loves Raymond,” spoke about how she immersed herself in the Jewish community. Although she is Irish Catholic, she explained that Oct. 7 truly shook her. Troubled by the lack of outrage in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, and after questioning local pastors, Heaton and a close friend founded O7C, the October 7th Coalition, to encourage Christians to be more supportive of the Jewish people.

Eli Wininger, born in Los Angeles to Israeli and American parents, shared his experiences as a lone soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces. After graduating from USC in 2015, he moved to Israel, serving in the IDF from 2016 to 2019 in an Elite combat unit. 

“It was never a question in my home — Israel must exist, because we knew what happened when it didn’t,” Wininger, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, said. “I wanted to make sure that what happened to my family and millions of others would never happen again.”

When the war broke out, he immediately called his commander, who informed him that, as an American, he wasn’t obligated to return to his unit, Sayeret Egoz.

“It took me two seconds [to decide],” he said. “I knew with my body and soul that I had to go. I couldn’t conceive that my brothers were fighting while I was living comfortably in L.A. As a Jew in the Diaspora, Israel may not be our physical home, but it feels very much like home. It’s our spiritual home, our safe haven in case history repeats itself.” As he was packing his bags on Oct. 7, “scared and wondering if I would return home, I couldn’t help but think of Menachem Begin’s quote: ‘I’m not a Jew with trembling knees; I’m a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history.’”

“I knew with my body and soul that I had to go. I couldn’t conceive that my brothers were fighting while I was living comfortably in L.A.” – Eli Wininger

This quote from former Israeli Prime Minister was delivered in 1982 during a closed-door meeting with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Joe Biden, then a senator, had threatened to cut military aid over Israel’s campaign in Lebanon. In response, Begin said: “Don’t threaten us with cutting off aid to make us give up our principles,” continuing with the words that left a lasting impact on Wininger, who never forgot them.

He continued quoting Begin. “Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid.”

The event concluded with over 500 audience members joining Ameet Kanon and her band in singing “Am Yisrael Chai,” as they proudly waved Israeli flags.