A Sense of Israel
The Israel Ministry booth opened with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony with Israel’s top ministers and Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz. More than 100 people gathered to watch at the 75th annual United Jewish Communities General Assembly as the ministers cut the ribbon and welcomed visitors into the Israel booth.
The interactive booth stimulated the senses, as videos and music of the country were played. Views of Israel adorned the walls, and guests were invited to taste the country’s celebrated chocolates, wine and cheese.
High Marks to TENS
On a recent Sunday, TENS, Temple Emanuel’s New Sisterhood members and their spouses laced up their sneakers for a great cause. Team TENS joined more than 1,000 participants at the starting line for the second annual Run for Her to raise much needed funds for ovarian cancer research, as well as to raise awareness for the deadly disease.
TENS co-founders Johanna Besterman, Lisa Rosenblatt and Sydnie Suskind welcomed the sisterhood sponsors and said, “Ovarian cancer is an important issue that women need to understand better. TENS is all about educating and empowering women.”
“I’m thrilled that Team TENS raised $4,000 for a cause that touches so many of us in so many ways,” said Suskind, who explained the event was a personal issue, because she was walking in memory of her grandmother, who died of ovarian cancer.
Other TENS members who participated in the event included team organizer Beth Lieberman, Sydney Turk Porter, Nessa Weinman, Bonnie Gottlieb, Lynda Barrad and Temple Emanuel President Sue Brucker.
Brucker was joined by her husband, Beverly Hills City Councilman Barry Brucker, in walking to honor his sister, Linda Dreyfuss, a 10-year ovarian cancer survivor. Brucker’s other sister, Michelle Millstone, and niece, Anna Millstone, flew in from Tucson to participate with Team TENS.
Also joining the lineup were Cantor Yonah Kliger, Noa Kliger and Steve Bell.
Each year, nearly 70,000 women die from gynecologic and breast cancers. Run for Her was created to promote greater awareness of ovarian cancer. Proceeds benefit the Cedars-Sinai Women’s Cancer Research Institute, part of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Stand for Healthy Hearts
United Hostesses’ Charities (UHC) proved once again that everyone loves a good party when they hosted their 64th annual Dinner Dance at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. The charity donates the proceeds of the evening to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center United Hostesses’ Charities Cardiac/Stroke Emergency Care in the emergency department division of cardiology and the groundbreaking research of Dr. Prediman K. Shah.
The evening was highlighted by the presentation to of the United Hostesses’ Humanitarian Award 2006 to Shah and a wild and outrageous performance by The Village People.
UHC Vice President Sheryl Weissberg co-chaired the dinner Barbara Price. UHC president Marilyn Gilfenbain’s presence in the planning and execution of the affair could be distinctly felt.
Seen enjoying the revelry of the evening and bouncing on the dance floor to the strains of “Macho Man” were UHC supporters Lillian and Stuart Raffel, Nancy and Bernie Nebenzahl, Michelle and Allan Kaye, Nancy Kipper, Claudia Resnikoff and Karen Kay Platt.
TreePeople Spreads Love
It was a night to celebrate the tree huggers at TreePeople’s annual gala fundraiser, An Evening Under the Harvest Moon. The event honored Mr.-Good-for-anyone’s-environment actor, director, producer Peter Horton for his numerous contributions. The eco-friendly celebration held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire raised over $400,000 to support urban forestry programs.
The event was hosted by long-time environmental supporter Ted Danson and attending were such environmental activists as Jimmy Smits, David Zucker and Treepeople president and founder Andy Lipkis.
Proceeds benefit TreePeople’s forestry, environmental education and sustainability programs in Southern California. The evening included live and silent auctions, music and special guests. Also recognized was the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
“We’re grateful to our friends and supporters who have helped TreePeople make major strides in healing our environment,” Lipkis said. “Together we’re taking action to make Los Angeles a healthier place for all of us.”
The organization, started by teenagers in the 1970s, TreePeople has planted more than 2 million trees in the L.A. area with the help of hardworking volunteers and benefits TreePeople’s forestry, environmental education and sustainability programs in Southern California. The group’s latest project is to help Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in his Million Trees LA Initiative.
For more information, call (818) 753-4600 or visit www.treepeople.org.
