Eitan Sasson, Dan Hotel marketing director in North America; Tova Weiss of Tova Gilead Tours; and Michael Rosin, EL AL northeast sales manager

Dan Gillerman, former Israeli Ambassador to UN, and Maled Abdelaziz, Egyptian Ambassador to UN

Diane S. Abrams, senior vp of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales, and husband Robert Abrams, former New York State attorney general

Shari R. Michels, New York City Criminal Court justice, and Robert Abrams

Ron Prosor, Israeli Ambassador to UN (from left); Zeev Rubinstein, executive director of American Council for World Jewry; and Dan Gillerman, former Israeli Ambassador to UN

AMERICA ISRAEL FRIENDSHIP LEAGUE
Peter Yarrow Tells School Kids
To Stop Bullying Each Other

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TIM BOXER

O

N a trip to Israel Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary fame) brought his guitar and message to schools in Lod and Petach Tikva. His aim was to bring Jewish and Arab kids together to prevent bullying and intimidation among schoolchildren.

At a recent America Israel Friendship League dinner at The Plaza, Yarrow performed the song that most resonated with the kids:

The dinner featured a panel discussion on Israel as an incubator of high tech innovations. The speakers included Dan Senor and Saul Singer, authors of Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle.

Former Mayor Ed Koch was especially animated when he discussed the rise of anti-Semitism. "Of course, you can criticize Israel," he said, "but I believe the attacks on Israel are anti-Semitic. You think you can count on the French. They can’t count on themselves. They voted in favor of the Palestinian Authority in Unesco. And that 81-year-old lady on the flotilla who wanted to break the Gaza blockade – why doesn’t she go to Syria if she wants to help persecuted Arabs?"

The evening’s honorees were Idan Ofer and Shai Agassi, chairman and CEO, respectively, of Better Place, a global provider of electric vehicle networks and services. Two years ago Better Place introduced Israel’s first electric vehicle.

AIFL was founded in 1971 to bring state legislators, business leaders, campus newspaper editors and architects to visit Israel and strengthen the bond between the Jewish state and the U.S. Early on, when Robert Abrams was the New York state attorney general, he brought colleagues from various states to Israel.