(Courtesy of Emunah of America) On November 11, hundreds of Emunah friends and supporters gathered together to celebrate 70 years of our Emunah story. Keeping the crowd entertained was social media personality and filmmaker Meir Kay, who served as the emcee of the evening.
This year, Emunah was privileged to honor individuals who wholeheartedly devote themselves to the creation of a better and safer future in Israel. We were proud to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Myrna Zisman for her outstanding commitment to the Emunah cause. Our newest award, Man of the Year, went to Rubin Margules for his unwavering support of Emunah’s mission. Lisa and Johnathan Schechter are most certainly the deserving recipients of the Dor L’Dor Award, for their remarkable work on behalf of Emunah’s families in Israel. An exemplary role model, Samantha Bryk was the recipient of this year’s Young Leadership Award and serves as an inspiration to youth worldwide. Each honoree was a celebration of Emunah’s illustrious history.
The gala’s unique venue, The PlayStation Theater, lent the perfect opportunity to tell our Emunah story. Taking advantage of the many multimedia images and screens, presentations were displayed all around the theater to showcase and celebrate 70 years of Emunah’s history.
The evening started off with an Emunah balloon raffle, “Balloon for Good.” The guests were encouraged to purchase balloons to generate awareness about the balloons and kites of destruction that are terrorizing our Jewish brothers and sisters in the South daily. All funds raised from the raffle will go to our Family Crisis Counseling Center in Sderot. The staff in this Emunah center work around the clock to provide much-needed therapy to the people of Sderot and neighboring areas.
The guests were then moved to hear from Orel Nissan, a former resident of the Emunah children’s home in Afula. Orel recently finished her service in the army, and currently studies in Tel Aviv University. Orel’s story of perseverance and resilience was truly an inspiration to all.
“This evening is a celebration of where we’ve been, of who we are, of 70 years of carrying out our mission,” said Emunah’s national president, Johanna Guttmann Herskowitz. “Now more than ever, with the security of Israel and the Jewish people at the forefront of our minds, we need to do everything in our power to help our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel.”
Emunah of America is an organization dedicated to the betterment of Israeli society through a wide range of educational programs and social services. The evening was a truly inspirational one—one that celebrated Emunah’s life-changing work and our strong bond to the people of Israel. Each and every one of Emunah’s supporters and attendees plays a critical role in helping Emunah’s children and families heal, thrive and live productive lives.
