Jewish 100 Gala with Dean Cain, Gary Kasparov, Ambassador Gilad Erdan

 

The Algemeiner newspaper held its 10th annual J100 Gala last night, beginning with a moment of silence in memory of all those who were murdered on October 7th in Israel. Ambassador Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, said, “The Jewish people have experienced the worst tragedy since the Holocaust. Over 1,400 have been slaughtered, thousands more injured, and there are still over 200 hostages. This battle is not only being waged from the air, land, and sea. There is another battle, and it’s being waged in your living room, on your smartphones, on your hearts, and on your minds. Immediately, nearly every news channel began repeating Hamas’ lies, taking their word before even checking the facts. They are not only murdering our children, but they are also murdering their own children. The Algemeiner is a beacon of truth where lies are being exposed. The Algemeiner is fighting the good fight for the sake of Israel and for the sake of the truth.”

Actor Dean Cain, politician Natan Sharansky (introduced by chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov), and journalist Irit Tratt were the evening’s honorees. “Some things in life are complicated. Other things are simple. What has happened in Israel is quite simple: good versus evil, humanity versus evil. There can never be an excuse to murder innocent people, including 30 beautiful children”, shared Dean Cain. He continued, “I wear many hats in my life. Sometimes I wear a costume under my shirt—not tonight—but there are few things that I’m prouder of than producing an Emmy award-winning documentary called Hate Among Us, which documents the rise of antisemitism in Europe and the United States. That was done in 2019. I wish we had been wrong. I’m also very proud of my work with From the Depths, with my good friend Jonny Daniels. We’ve taken numerous members of the United States Congress to visit sites of the Holocaust, like Auschwitz. I took my own son because I thought it was very important for him to learn what he didn’t study in school. We all stood there in Auschwitz, and we promised that we would never be indifferent again. We promised never again. But it did happen again. I’m here tonight to tell the world that we will not be silent. We will not be indifferent. Israel, we stand behind you, beside you, next to you, and with our Jewish friends here in America and around the world.  God bless America. God bless Israel. God bless the brave servicemen and women of our countries.”

“For us growing up in the Soviet Union, the only Jewish thing that existed was antisemitism”, said former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky. “Today, many political leaders and academics talk about Israel as an apartheid state. Israel does to Palestinians what the Nazis did to Jews. Palestinian refugee camps are the Auschwitz of today. Cartoons of the Israeli Prime Minister eating Palestinian children as blood drips from his chin. I say, wait a minute, that is antisemitism. They say we all love Jews; we will do everything for Jews, and we are not antisemitic. They say they are against pogroms. But they are paving the way for the legitimacy of pogroms. That is something that we have to learn here today. We don’t need more lectures and more definitions; anti-zionism is antisemitism today.”

Algemeiner Honorary Chairman Dovid Efune, a veteran journalist of four Gaza wars, shared, “Today, the decision to wear a kippah or a star of David in public, to attend a synagogue, or to keep a Jewish school open, requires courage. We must not give up one inch in the battle for identity. There is also a raging battle for truth on the front lines on which The Algemeiner stands. We are witnessing in real time the propagation of monstrous blood libels on a scale the world has never seen. We are gathered here now, all of us as soldiers in this battle for truth. We are one person with one heart. Israel’s tears are our tears. It’s our anger. Its fight is our fight. We will be its voice.”

The Gala heralds the highly anticipated J100 List of the top 100 individuals positively influencing Jewish life, referred to as the Jewish answer to TIME100. This year’s list includes Ina Garten (who shared Rosh Hashanah recipes on the high holiday), Ambassador Nikki Haley (a stalwart supporter of Israel), Ben Platt (who spoke out against protestors in front of the Broadway play ‘Parade’, a true story of a Jewish businessman), Sunny Sandler (Adam Sandler’s daughter and star of her father’s hit film ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah), and Jessica Seinfeld (who has been vocal against Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks).

Dana Arschin, an Emmy Award-winner and TV journalist, hosted the gala. Publisher Simon Jacobson, and Dovid and Mushka Efune were co-chairs, and Bernard-Henri Lévy served as honorary chairman.

Now celebrating its 51st anniversary, The Algemeiner is a global news destination published online and in print that serves as an independent media voice covering the Middle East, Israel, and matters of Jewish interest around the world. The Algemeiner has been identified as the “fastest-growing Jewish newspaper in the US” by CNBC.

Meyer Harroch, New York Jewish Guide