Maintaining a constant air bridge to and from Israel since Oct. 7 has been a humbling task for El Al, Israel’s national airline, but for the company, serving the State of Israel during wartime goes beyond that.
Since Oct. 7, El Al has flown more than 615,000 passengers and has transported more than 13,000 tons of essential cargo, even converting a passenger jet to full cargo service for this purpose.
“Flying passengers and equipment is essential, but we know that Israelis and Jews around the world need to be able to celebrate all aspects of what Israel means to them,” says Miryam Greene, El Al regional marketing director for the Americas. “Art, music and sports are intrinsic to the sabra spirit.”
From sending the El Al Spirit Team, comprised of American and Israeli delegations, to Paris this summer to cheer on competing Israeli athletes with special needs, to supporting singer Eden Golan as she represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest, the airline is committed to promoting Israeli cultural expression.
Several recent examples include support for musicians, artists and playwrights in the United States. Earlier this year, El Al sponsored Hanan Ben Ari’s U.S. tour with concerts in Miami, Los Angeles and Brooklyn, N.Y. In New York City, El Al sponsored Ishay Ribo’s 2023 and 2024 fall concerts at Madison Square Garden. It was a historic moment, marking Ribo as the first Israeli to headline and sell out the iconic venue.
In September, El Al sponsored “Contemporary Israeli Art in NYC,” a new Israeli art exhibition at Art Up Nation. The event featured the vibrancy of the Israeli modern art scene, featuring 200 curated works of art by more than 70 artists. El Al flew out many of the featured artists as well as all the art pieces featured.
Simon Newton-Smith, El Al senior vice president of the Americas, said, “This partnership underscores El Al’s commitment to fostering cultural exchange and supporting the global-arts community. By enabling these talented artists to present their work on an international stage, El Al highlights the transformative power of art in connecting people and cultures across the world.”
To further highlight its dedication to the arts, for Art Up Nation, El Al worked with Dreame, a global platform that connects individuals with artists around the world to co-create personalized, transformative and one-of-a-kind artworks. In a custom art piece by Israeli siblings Or and Moran Yogev, you get a “look” inside an aircraft and see the history, present and future of the airlines.
Further north in Boston, El Al helped bring an Israeli musician, Yoni Rechter, and Eli Bijaui, a playwright and translator, to attend an event on Israeli culture at the Vilna Shul, the city’s oldest synagogue, as well as sponsoring the Boston Jewish Film Festival in September.
“El Al’s motto ‘Hachi Babayit Ba’olam,’ roughly translates to ‘your home in the world.’ This concept is more than just about making passengers feel at home in flight,” explains Greene. “El Al is an extension of our cherished country, and since Oct. 7, [it] has become a vital lifeline for Israel, connecting hearts and communities in these challenging times.”
