Hollywood stars read letters linking Jews to Israel at Los Angeles unity fundraiser
The sold-out Oct. 19 event, organized by Jewish Federation Los Angeles, blended readings, music, and storytelling to trace that relationship across generations.
Hollywood stars Dustin Hoffman, Gene Simmons, Jon Voight, and Bob Odenkirk gathered at UCLA's Royce Hall for an event called "Letters, Light and Love." The one-night show celebrated the historic connection between Jews and Israel using letters penned by historical figures and regular people. The sold-out event, organized by Jewish Federation Los Angeles, included readings, music, and storytelling that traced that relationship from Maimonides and Julius Caesar to Golda Meir, Albert Einstein, and Leonard Bernstein.
Ticket sales will help support the Sha'ar HaNegev Resilience Centre, an organization providing emotional and therapeutic assistance to individuals and families in southern Israel recovering from the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of Jewish Federation Los Angeles, noted the significance of the event's location. Three years prior, UCLA hosted a pro-Palestinian encampment that left the campus marred by damage and graffiti. Now, Royce Hall was used to bring the community together, with UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk and his wife, Felicia Knaul, among the attendees.
The celebrity readings featured humor alongside serious reflections on Jewish history and ties to Israel. Gene Simmons, the KISS co-founder born in Israel, joked about his name before singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and reading a letter by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the late British chief rabbi. Jon Lovitz also provided laughs with his comedic reading of a letter by David Ben-Gurion recounting his arrival in Jaffa.
Bob Odenkirk, whose wife is Jewish and children are being raised Jewish, read a letter by Leonard Bernstein about performing in Israel.
The night's most emotional moment came when Eliya Cohen, a former hostage held for 505 days, appeared with his new bride, Ziv Abud, also a survivor of the Oct. 7 Nova music festival massacre. Their appearance elicited the only standing ovation of the evening. Abud, who lobbied for Cohen's release while he was in Gaza, emphasized the shared struggles of Jews in Israel and those living in the Diaspora, stating that the fight for a Jewish homeland is connected to the rights of Jews everywhere to live safely in the countries they call home.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
