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December 10, 2010 | 12:15 pm

Haim Saban, Andrea Bocelli add up to $9 million-dollar-night for FIDF

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Photo

Haim Saban photo by Peter Halmagyi

It was an evening of money and music.

Which isn’t terribly surprising when media mogul Haim Saban is your host. For one, he’s listed as a Forbes billionaire, but lesser known is his passion for music: In 1966, he played bass in an Israeli rock band, The Lions of Judah, and after that, he made his first fortune composing scores for television cartoons.

So it wasn’t altogether unexpected that by combining his business acumen with his predilection for music that Saban was able to raise almost $9 million for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces western regional chapter during last night’s gala dinner in Century City: First achieve your goal, then reward your team.

The event, hosted for the fourth consecutive year by Saban and his wife, Cheryl, was a lesson in how to throw a party. There was the astonishing entertainment (Andrea Bocelli), the better-than-average food (smoked salmon salad), and syrupy videos of IDF soldiers designed to tug at the heartstrings. All of which proved that no one else in the Los Angeles Jewish community is quite as deft at enticing others to take up a cause than the Sabans.

“At the conclusion of Hanukkah, we remember how the Maccabees triumphed in the face of odds,” Haim said while addressing the crowd. “Let’s not forget that the Jewish people overcame the Syrian-Greeks, the Roman empire, the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian pogroms, the Holocaust. We are a resilient people, a strong people, a successful people.” And with a defiant voice, as if he were speaking directly to Israel’s enemies, he said: “We are here to stay and stay forever.”

And nothing ensures a place at the table like a whole lot of money. If there’s anything Saban knows well, it’s business—and a friendly challenge to his comrades went a long way last night when he kicked off a kind of bidding war that brought the fundraiser’s total from an initial $2.5 million to $8,750,000.

“On the way in, Cheryl said to me, ‘I think we should match what we raise tonight,’” Saban told 1,000 dinner guests from the podium. “I said, ‘You’re the boss.’”

The “unprecedented sum” of $2.5 million—which, until that moment had been the highest amount raised during the Sabans’ tenure as chairs—became $5 million.

“Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, who struck the perfect pitch as the evening’s emcee quipped, “This is better than my temple building fund.”

With pep and wit, Alexander prompted the crowd to follow Saban’s lead, gushing over Saban’s good looks and feigning romantic interest for laughs. “Who wants to become the second most attractive man in the room?”

With that, Leo David, a former Israeli soldier himself and the founder of the FIDF western regional branch, stood up and pledged $1 million.

“Mr. Leo David just became more handsome than Haim Saban,” Alexander said.

Next, Paul Guerin, the president of the west coast FIDF chapter, pledged $1 million and after that, the floodgates opened…

FIDF western regional director Miri Nash, dressed sharply in a black cocktail dress that accented her long blonde hair, began dashing around the room with a microphone in hand, tossing it off to anyone who wanted to pledge more for the pot. A 17-year-old named Dominic pledged $1,000; another family gave $18,000 on behalf of the Persian synagogue Nessah; yet another family promised $100,000; and on and on until the final major gifts—$500,000 from Guess jeans founder Paul Marciano and $1 million more from his brother, Maurice—concluded an exceptionally energizing and effective philanthropic ploy.

Even at four times the amount expected, Alexander pressed on: “If anybody else would like to become attractive… God will write you into the book; you don’t even have to go to high holidays next year.”

The intensity escalated even further when David Foster, the 16-time Grammy winning artist took over the mic and the piano for the musical portion of the evening. Surprisingly boisterous and funny, Foster invited American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee to perform her rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” before introducing “the best singer in the entire world”—Andrea Bocelli—to come on stage for a 6-piece program that included hits “The Prayer” and “Time to Say Goodbye.”

But the most tender part of the night was when 9-year-old piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick took the stage to perform Mozart and turned towards the IDF soldiers sitting in the front row, gushing: “You guys are my new heroes.”


Read my cover story on Haim Saban at jewishjournal.com

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this was a real highlight for my to see my son particpate in this event for which I got a chance to attend. I was so happy to have been there!! Thank you to everyone who made tihs possible!!! Am Israel Chai!!

Comment by One proud mama on 12/11/10 at 4:12 am

This annual dinner which is replicated with even more tax-exempt donations in NY is nothing less than an obscenity given the horrendous situation facing US military veterans suffering not only from massive physical injuries suffered during our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but also the tens of thousands with PTSD, many of them who are already among the homeless in our streets. Oh, yeah, I forgot. Why should Jews about the welfare of the goyim?

Comment by HollywoodJeff on 12/11/10 at 2:17 pm

This is atrocious, first, they get us into the Iraq war, and then they send money to the IDF.  Why not go join the Marines?  We need an end to the special relationship, and we must restore the Constitution and the Republic.  Here is a good article on why this whole relationship is completely one sided http://www.thecactusland.com/2010/08/banging-drums-of-war-iran-and-neo-cons.html

Comment by Robert on 12/13/10 at 3:24 am

Great article, The 17 year old boy’s name is Jonathan, son of Fred and Dina Leeds.

Comment by Andrew Hirsch on 12/13/10 at 8:49 am

B"H
Dear “Hollywood Jeff”. Jews give more money to the “goyim” as you say than to any Jewish Charity.  Look at all the Major American Charities including those who service the homeless, rescue from foster care, City of hope etc etc etc etc just to name a few.  The list and the dollar amounts as well as the leadership roles in establishing these charities are endless. Research your facts before you show your obvious anti semitism. The Jewish Culture is the foundation for the very concept of giving and Charity. It is mandated in our religion and now spread throughout the western culture through the wonderful Christian culture whose foundation is our Old Testiment “The Torah”. Further As Jews we believe to show gratitude to the countries that we live in and and show loyalty and good citizenry.  I for one am a proud Jew and a grateful American. I will service this country with all my ability out of gratitude.  You Jeff, should be better informed and less prejudice.

Comment by Dina leeds on 12/13/10 at 9:54 am

The posters who ranted about giving money to the IDF when US military vets are suffering should direct their protests to the President and the Secretary of Defense, but most of all to the U.S. Congress.  It is true that Iraq/Afghanistan vets are suffering terribly, but that is because OUR government does not take care of them.  This is not a zero-sum, where money given to IDF takes away from US vets.  For many years, vets have had such terrible access to care from the VA that many just give up trying.  Under Bush, it got much, much worse. Those criminals were in denial about the horrors of PTSD.  Under Obama, one hopes for better, but he is such a wimp.  If you want good care for U.S. vets, complain LOUDLY to the U.S. government.  Don’t make the mistake of criticizing people for donating to the IDF.

Comment by Hypatia on 12/20/10 at 3:04 am

I agree with you about Obama but that’s where we part company. We can assume that Israel with its economy undamaged by the recent financial recession albeit, like the US, the gap between it’s rich and poor is growing ever wider, can well afford to take care of its veterans who have had nowhere near the battlefield experiences that US soldiers have experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are far less in need of assistance than are our vets and why they should be the recipients of millions of tax-exempt dollars to help them out is not something most Americans, many, if not most Jews included, would support. Obviously those who contributed to the FIDF dinners care more for Israeli soldiers than they do for our American vets. If it were otherwise they would be holding dinners and contributing money to the USO. As they say in court, res ipsa loquitur. For those unfamiliar with the Latin, it means, “the thing speaks for itself.”

Comment by HollywoodJeff on 12/20/10 at 9:03 pm

Since all of the money donated to the Israel Occupying Forces is tax deductible, I wonder if donations to any other army in the world would also be tax deductible. I doubt it. Why don’t these people donate to the vets from their own country instead of putting the interests of Israel first? The millions donated to the IDF would go far to help vets in our country many of whom are victims of the Iraq war, a war that Israel was thrilled to see the US enter.

Comment by Janice on 12/21/10 at 7:27 am

Hi all,
It is important to note that the FIDF does not support the Israeli military itself. The money raised through FIDF, and the dinner mentioned above, is allocated to provide for Israeli soldiers’ various needs. This could be in the form of educational, cultural or recreational needs, such as university scholarships, financial assistance for “lone soldiers” who have no living relatives in Israel, or even a sponsored holiday break for an entire unit. There is also a bereaved families program that provides for the needs of widows orphans and parents who have lost loved ones in battle.

So while I appreciate the debate about which military to support - the U.S. or Israel - it is critical that readers understand the money raised through FIDF does not support Israeli military activity whatsoever. Military service is a requirement of every citizen in Israel (with some exceptions) and can be an incredible burden to bear. The people who support FIDF have strong ties to Israel and feel compelled to support the young men and women who defend a country that is sacred to them. In Haim Saban’s case, he grew up in Israel and served in the IDF himself, so he feels strongly connected to the country and its military. His loyalty to the United States is not in question; he has strong national ties to both America and Israel. You can read more about his thoughts on dual citizenship in the profile I wrote of him last month, which is linked above.

For more information on the FIDF, visit their Website:
http://www.fidf.org/Page.aspx?pid=295

Comment by Danielle on 12/21/10 at 10:53 am

I’m not as sure as you are, Danielle, about Saban’s loyalty to this country because by his own admission in another profile in the New Yorker, Israel’s interests, or what he perceives to be Israel’s interests are his first and overriding concern. 

By his own admission, he has used his money to further that concern, by contributing billions to AIPAC, by contributing billions to the Democratic Party, including the money to build its new building, by stripping the Brookings Inst. of it former independence when it came to foreign policy, by endowing to the tune of $12.3 million, the Saban Center at Brookings whose meetings now are indistinguishable from an AIPAC conference.

I am unaware of anything that he has done to a similar degree to promote the general welfare of his fellow Americans

Comment by Jeff on 12/21/10 at 11:46 am

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