The Israeli-American Council’s (IAC) star-studded virtual concert on Sunday night raised $325,000 for personal protective equipment (PPE) and food for health-care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic continues to devastate communities in the United States and around the world. Even in the face of PPE supply shortages, nurses, doctors and hospital staff continue to risk their lives every day.
The IAC Care event was hosted by Israeli actor Shani Atias, and opened with a live portrait painting of photographer Ziv Koren by artist Tomer Peretz. The concert featured songs by Israeli stars Idan Raichel, David Broza, Rotem Cohen, Shlomi Shabat, Keren Peles and more. Due to social-distancing rules, all artists performed from their homes.
“The IAC is grateful to these Israeli artists and more than 400 volunteers of the IAC Care nationwide community who have demonstrated a great showing of solidarity in this time of crisis,” said IAC CEO and co-founder Shoham Nicolet.
“Beyond the direct support to our heroes—the medical teams—tonight also demonstrated the strong bond between the people of Israel and the United States and the role of our community as a living bridge between the two. I’m humbled and inspired by the generosity and spirit of all the volunteers and supporters who made this effort possible.”
In addition to the fundraising concert, the IAC Care initiative has recruited volunteers to deliver supplies such as face shields, N95 masks and hygiene kits, in addition to warm meals, to hospitals across the organization’s 20 regions since the onset of the pandemic.
To date, the organization has adopted more than 60 hospitals nationwide and provided them with thousands of meals and medical supplies.
A sense of collective responsibility is at the core of the IAC Care initiative, which aims to build bridges and foster a culture of giving by matching volunteers with organizations and individuals in need of support.
The IAC has become the fastest-growing American-Jewish organization in the United States, dedicated to building an engaged and united Israeli-American community that strengthens the Israeli and Jewish identity of the next generation and the bond between their people.
This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.
