THE LOUNGE
1. Adopt a Fighter
Yahad – United for Israel’s Soldiers recently held its annual gala event at the IDF’s Kiriya headquarters in Tel Aviv, in which they honored participants in its Adopt a Fighter program. The evening was titled, “Made in Israel – Israel and the IDF turn 70,” and was attended by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot; Maj. Gen. (res) Yoram Yair, Yahad chairman; Avi Fischer - chairman and CEO of Clal Industries and president of Adopt a Fighter; Ika Abarbanel, the chair of Adopt a Fighter; Maj. Gen. (res.) Avi Mizrahi – the incoming chairman of the project; Brig. Gen. (Res.) Ilan Tal – CEO of Yachad; Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yechiel Gozl, director-general of Yahad; Brig. Gen. (Res.) Efi Idan, director of the American Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) in Israel; Effie Hellerstein, president of FIDF in Britain; and Varda Drucker, project manager for Adopt a Fighter.
2. Mahuti
Jason and Elital Arison, the co-chairs of the Young Friends of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, recently hosted an event at Mahuti, which belongs to the Arison Foundation. The Young Friends of the Museum were invited to meet international artist Nir Hod, who provided a glimpse of some of his new works during a discussion with Sivan Sabag, the daughter of businessman and art collector Doron Sabag.
3. Big Sur
Last weekend in the California town of Big Sur, the son of Haim and Cheryl Saban, Ness, married his beloved, Brynn Jones. Big Sur has become a prime location for celebrity weddings, such as that of Internet billionaire Sean Parker. The father of the groom – Israeli-American tycoon Haim Saban – made his fortune as a TV and film producer in the US. He is also involved in businesses and philanthropy in Israel.
4. JIFF
Thousands of people attended the opening of the Jerusalem International Film Festival premiere screening at Sultan’s Pool in Jerusalem last Thursday of
The Unorthodox, the first feature film by director Eliran Malka. The evening began with a reception in honor of the film in the Jerusalem Cinematheque garden. There to celebrate quality international films were Nechama Rivlin, the president’s wife; Anat Tzur, director of the Jerusalem Foundation; Eyal Haimovsky, secretary-general of the Jerusalem Development Authority; and Noa Regev, executive director of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the Festival.
5. Israel Squash
This past weekend, the final playoffs for Israel Squash were held near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Hundreds of spectators came to watch Israel’s top squash players in the showcase game, including last year’s world champion Grégory Gaultier of France and Paul Coll of New Zealand, who is ranked the tenth best squash player in the world. The event was organized by businessman Aviv Bushinsky, chairman of the Israel Squash Association, who competed in his age category in the world championship and won.