Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones	Anne and Kirk Douglas
Leah Adler and daughters Sue and Nancy Spielberg
Leah Adler and Kirk Douglas	Jon Voight and Nina Boxer
Paul Lubetsky of Marina B, the jewelry company, meets Jon Voight
Everyone wants to be in the picture with Issur

CHILDREN OF CHERNOBYL
Michael Douglas Honors His Dad
The World Famous Superstar Issur

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TIM BOXER

T

HE Spielberg matriarch, Leah Adler, was here. Her daughters Nancy and Sue Spielberg, were there. But son Steven Spielberg was nowhere to be seen at the annual Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl (CCOC) dinner in November at Chelsea Pier 60 in New York.

Emcee Jon Voight explained that Spielberg was in Richmond, Virginia, shooting Lincoln.

"I thought Lincoln was shot already!" Nancy exclaimed.

The spotlight that evening fell on Kirk Douglas, who was to reach 95 on Dec. 9. His son Michael Douglas presented him with an award on behalf of CCOC. The organization rescues children exposed to radiation following the1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown in Ukraine. Since 1990 it has airlifted 2,786 stricken children to medical facilities in Israel. More information at www.ccoc.net.

Addressing his dad, Michael said, "I’m honored to present the Children at Heart Award to Issur Danielovitch Demsky. Issur’s father came to the United States from an area in Belarus downwind from Chernobyl."

"That’s my boy!" Issur, aka Kirk, exclaimed.

Michael said it’s particularly special to stand here to aid children because his parents, through their Anne and Kirk Douglas Foundation, have built 400 playgrounds in the Los Angeles school district. He announced that the 401^st playground will be built at Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl campus in Israel.

Kirk said he lost track of all his relatives in Ukraine and Belarus during the Second World War. For all he knew he could have had a niece who was contaminated by the Chernobyl radiation and came down with cancer. "Chabad would have found her and given her a new life."

On videotape, Steven Spielberg said, "As a Jew, as a parent, I want to congratulate Kirk Douglas for the work you do."

CCOC also honored sisters Elle and Dakota Fanning, Joshua Chaitovsky and Elaine Gold.