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Hebrew University President Professor Tamir Sheafer presents the Humanitarian Torch of Learning Award to artist and philanthropist Soraya Nazarian.<\/p>\nAmerican Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) held its 17th annual Bel Air Affaire on Sept. 19 in Beverly Hills.<\/p>\n
The annual event supports student scholarships at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Drawing about 330 attendees, the event raised more than $2.6 million and honored philanthropist and artist Soraya Nazarian with the \u201cHumanitarian Torch of Learning\u201d award.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are pleased to honor Soraya Sarah Nazarian with the Humanitarian Torch of Learning Award in recognition of her unwavering leadership and generosity, which have enriched our community through her commitment to education, the arts, Israel and beyond,\u201d AFHU Western Region President Michael Cypers said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hebrew University President Professor Tamir Sheafer presents the Humanitarian Torch of Learning Award to artist and philanthropist Soraya Nazarian.<\/p>\n
Nazarian is the co-founder of the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation, which supports educational, medical, artistic and cultural charitable causes in Israel and the U.S. She\u2019s also a gifted sculptor who honed her craft at University of Judaism (today American Jewish University) in the 1980s before establishing her own studio. Her work has been featured throughout the United States and Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The theme of the evening was \u201cWings of Opportunity,\u201d inspired by the name of Nazarian\u2019s Carrara marble sculpture, \u201cWings,\u201d which she gifted to Hebrew University in 2014. It\u2019s currently displayed on the university\u2019s Mount Scopus campus in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are two gifts of real value we can give our children,\u201d Nazarian said, accepting her award. \u201cOne is roots, the other is wings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with Cypers, additional speakers included Hebrew University President Tamir Sheafer; event Co-Chairs Joyce Brandman, Renae Jacobs-Anson and Helen Jacobs-Lepor; as well as Next-Gen Chairs Ariel Anson and Marissa Lepor.<\/p>\n
Zvi Mendelsohn, a Hebrew University scholarship recipient and student ambassador, also participated in the program. Appearing as the keynote speaker, Mendelsohn spoke about his upbringing in a deeply religious family in Israel and his decision to leave that community and enlist in the IDF. Out in the secular world, he knew he needed an education. And he was able to get one thanks to H.U. He enrolled in H.U.\u2019s yearlong pre-university Mechina program, which offers intensive instruction in Hebrew and English, equipping those enrolled with the skills needed to pursue higher education in Israel. He later pursued legal studies at both Hebrew University and UCLA. Today, he has his own law practice.<\/p>\n
The event was held at the Greenacres Harold Lloyd Estate, in the Benedict Canyon section of Beverly Hills and began on a large open-air area, where waiters passed appetizers and open bars served up cocktails.<\/p>\n
Dinner took place on a tennis court that had been transformed into a dining area facing a stage and screens that played videos showing student life on Hebrew University\u2019s campus. \u00a0<\/p>\n
An after-party featured a dessert buffet and live synchronized swimming.<\/p>\n
Amid the evening\u2019s elaborate entertainment, the goal showcased the historic past, successful present and promising future of H.U., which is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished academic and research universities in the world. The university is home to more than 25,000 students and more than 1,000 researchers across six campuses and seven faculties.<\/p>\n
Justin Pressman, executive director of AFHU Western Region, spoke to The Journal about the importance of the annual event for raising funds and awareness for the work of the Jerusalem-based university. He called the Bel Air Affaire the \u201cflagship fundraiser\u201d for the western region of AFHU.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cIt was such an honor to work with the Nazarian family.\u201d<\/p>\n
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LAJFF Executive Director Hilary Helstein; Jewish Journal Publisher and Editor-in-Chief David Suissa, who moderated the program; writer\/producer Lisa Stark; writer\/director Steven Pressman; musician Lorin Sklamberg of the Klezmatics; and Mark Katrikh, deputy director at Museum of Tolerance. Photo courtesy of RozWolfPR<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival\u00a0(LAJFF) and\u00a0Museum of Tolerance\u00a0presented the Los Angeles premiere\u00a0of\u00a0\u201cDust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie\u201d\u2014the award-winning documentary by acclaimed filmmaker\u00a0Steven Pressman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hilary Helstein, executive director of LAJFF, said the Sept. 17 screening \u201cwas an unforgettable evening celebrating film, music, history and the fascinating Jewish story behind one of America\u2019s most iconic folk musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n
The evening was made even more memorable with a special live musical performance by\u00a0Grammy Award-winning musician Lorin Sklamberg of The Klezmatics, bringing the spirit and music of Guthrie\u2019s remarkable story to life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) held its 17th annual Bel Air Affaire on Sept. 19 in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[48,52,51,47,50,49],"class_list":["post-482707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}