AMIT’s 2017 Annual Dinner will honor outstanding leaders who have devoted their time and energy to the organization’s mission of providing the best possible Jewish values-based education to tens of thousands of children in Israel.
This year’s honorees include Jordana Alpert (Young Visionary Award) of Manhattan; Martin Elias (Boneh Olam Award) of Glenhead, New York; Sharon and Sol Merkin (Presidential Leadership Award) of Englewood; and Audrey and Max Wagner (Guests of Honor) of Woodmere, New York.
The theme for the Annual Dinner is “Heroes.” In addition to the leaders who have gone above and beyond for AMIT and its children, this year’s dinner will also feature four current and former AMIT students who are living, breathing examples of how AMIT transforms ordinary youths into extraordinary ones. Among them are Nili Block, a world champion kickboxer; Hila Yemini, who aspires to be a world-renowned violinist; Yair Ben Yishai, who gave an elderly Holocaust survivor a moving final farewell; and Roni (Ron) Vanunu, who served in the Israeli Army’s Golani Brigade, following the path of her late brother, who was killed in the 2014 Gaza war.
“AMIT stands for all the things that are important to me: educating the children, seeing that they have a future, the state of Israel,” said Annual Dinner honoree Audrey Wagner, a longtime supporter of AMIT and a President’s Circle member.
“When we visited the schools, and had some volunteer opportunities through AMIT is when I really learned about the organization and fell in love with its mission,” said honoree Jordana Alpert, who attended Midreshet AMIT and now serves as a co-president of the AFLI (AMIT Future Leaders Initiative) Board.
“The people I’ve met at AMIT, whether they are staff or volunteers, are incredibly passionate and dedicated to helping AMIT’s children,” said Sharon Merkin, who also remarked that “they are a smart and driven group of people and their enthusiasm is contagious. Our missions to Israel to visit AMIT schools and meet with our students and staff highlight the fact that we are a family and I am honored to be included.”
In addition to honoring our AMIT heroes, the 2017 Annual Dinner will feature a dynamic program, including a performance by a featured actor from the Tony Award-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” with the Ramaz Chamber Choir, as well as a surprise appearance from actors in another hit Broadway musical.
The Annual Dinner will take place at Pier Sixty in New York City on Sunday, November 19. To register, please contact Robin Rothbort at [email protected] or go to www.amitchildren.org/event/amit-2017-annual-dinner.
