It was a triple header birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall. Israel’s 33rd, Carnegie Hall’s 90th and Jewish National Fund’s 80th! What better way to celebrate than with the deluxe Israel Ballet Company under the direction of Berta Yampolsky and Hillel Markman, artistic directors, with the JNF playing host. Rabbi William Berkowitz, its president had so noted in his welcoming address on the mammoth stage of Carnegie Hall.
George Balanchine, the noted choreographer, present in vi the first row was recipient of a special award for his artistic x achievement. In proper tribute the first dance work, “Serenade”, was his, an arrangement born in 1934 as the first ballet designed by him in the United States for Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings.”
The performance of the Israel Ballet was richly mated to it and the other works performed. They were sheer, fluid magic on stage with steps of heavenly, design. Their performance was of the quality toasted by the most renowned and older companies that have graced the world’s theaters of dance. Roy M. Cohn was chairman. Present in the Hall were Israel Ambassador Efralm Evron, Mrs. Yehuda Blum, Dr. HaCohen, executive with Bank Leumi of New York, one of the ballet’s sponsors. Over $150,000 was raised by the event and by the subscription of a number of Patrons and Sponsors that includedDonald Trump,the real estate king in New York City: Victor Potamkin of the Cadillac auto dealership; Jerry Finkelstein, Wall Street Journal owner; Chase Manhattan Bank, Israel Discount Bank and Pspildky Caterers, among others.
Trump donated toward settlement evacuees. The US president-elect contributed money toward creating infrastructure in new communities in Israel to absorb Jews evacuated from the Sinai in the 1980s and from Gaza in 2005.
Sinai was evacuated as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt which Gush Katif in Gaza was done so at the behest of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a unilateral withdrawal. According to various estimations, Trump’s financial donations amounted to millions of shekels.
It also turns out that Donald Trump contributed some of his wealth in 1980 toward evacuating settlements in the Sinai and his name appears on a list of donors in the Hevel Shalom region which absorbed the evacuees from Sinai and Gaza.
The Trump Tower, 68 floors of elegant steel shooting up into New York’s skyline on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, and the Pitchat Shalom region in the western section of the Negev accelerating development of the Donald J. Trump Project — thousands of miles and lifestyles apart — but joined together irrevocably by a 38-year-old business whiz name Donald J. Trump, who was honored by Jewish National Fund’s Tree of Life Award.
The affair was the most successful of JNF’s history and one of the most fabulous that we have covered. The scene, The Grand Hyatt Hotel, on 42nd and Lexington Avenue renovated into modernity by Trump a few short years ago. The grand ballroom sported a replica of the New York Horizon skyline featuring the Trump Tower outlined in glowing light bulbs a la Broadway theatres.
The decor in black and white for dramatic beauty where even each chair was fitted with a white-back slip covering; where each black table cloth had white napkins in fan shape splendor encased in a lucite napkin holder, each black flower vase sprayed two dozen white long-stemmed roses and each guest received a white carnation in plastic green holder for dress or jacket. Entertainment was continuous by The L’CIique Players — mimes and assorted acts in costumes from a Hollywood version of “Over The Rainbow,” a full band and entertainers with a Liza Minnelli lookalike and soundalike.
At the reception, I greeted George Klein, Republican national Jewish liaison leader and real estate industrialist; Dr. Mordecai HaCohen, a top executive of Bank Leumi who was introducing the new president of the bank in the U.S., Israeli David Novick. The Hon. Jerome Becker, who recently resigned as a New York City Criminal Court Judge, quite active on the Jewish scene and on JNF’s N.Y. board along with Roy Cohen, another prominent attorney who wore a gray tuxedo among the many black tuxes.
Former Governor Hugh L. Carey, pounds lighter since leaving as head of New York State, with luscious wife Evangeline Goulelas Carey, who looked regal in a long black velvet gown outlined in gold braiding, which also in a lighter version was threaded through her hair braid. The Carey’s were the dinnermates of the Leonard Goldensons, ABC-TV president who has just retired. Both couples, guests of Donald Trump, he told all. Gov. Cuomo’s newest appointee, Dr. Israel Mowshowitz, liaison to the Jewish community, delivered greetings from Gov. Cuomo and also gave the invocation. Mowshowitz is now rabbi emeritus of the Hillcrest Jewish Center.
Hank Sopher, JNF N.Y. Region head was dinner co-chairman, sharing the introductory honors with Ben Holloway, a close friend of the Trump family. Donald Trump, appearing even years younger than 38, with a boyish grin, told the 1,500 guests that he accepted the JNF bid to honor him — noting that there had been numerous requests rejected from many notable organizations “because a dear friend, Bunny Lindenbaum, who passed on several years ago was such a strong supporter and taught us what the initials JNF has meant in the growth of Israel. …” (Lindenbaum was a prominent attorney involved in real estate, a Brooklyn resident, lifetime member of the Brooklyn Jewish Center.
A number of his family and law associates were present ‘sheping nachus’ . Dr. I. Cohen, JNF executive, represented the group, as President Charlotte Jacobson was in Israel where the JNF was holding its annual meeting. Dr. Cohen explained about the Donald Trump project in Pitchat Shalom named in honor of this young man who heads one of the top, if not the top real estate developing firms in the USA. For his dedication and commitment, JNF is naming its project in Pitchat Shalom for him. Located less than ten kilometers from the newly-created border with Egypt, it was created to provide those settlers relocating from the Sinai with homes, industry and security.
Donald Trump had his wife, sister, brother, parents (Fred Trump who built thousands of Brooklyn homes over 40 years ago where Jews were the principal buyers) stand up for recognition. Of the 150 tables of ten, headed by leaders of many of the industries doing business with Trump, or associates in the building empire, or friends of JNF, we found our seat at the Rapid American Corporation table, a firm that is headed by Israeli-born Meshulani Riklis, who was not present although his parents Pinchus and Batya Riklis were.
We were glad to be part of the 8th annual Sports Award affair by American Friends of Hebrew U. Baseball great Lee MacPhail, who has floated over the sports scene for over 40 years. What we found particularly laudable was that no-one of the least hosts, Howard Cosell, spoke of Russia or its pulling out of the Olympics along with the string of satellite lands that did the same.
Each one here just ignored the boycott, instead of weeping or offering recipes for this crowd. The annual dinner was conceived and developed by AFHU to commemorate the 11 Israelis who were senselessly slain at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Each year, Cosell, who was assigned to the tragedy in Munich, recalls that act of infamy. Without attempting to veil his emotion, he denounces the action. At the same time, each year, he repeats the resurgence of his Jewish faith, of the pride in his roots and of the more profound feelings that then surfaced and remained as strong as ever “being a Jew.”
Cosell’s love towards Israel, he notes, takes on a peculiar glory because AFHu has established the “Howard Cosell Center of Physical Education at the Hebrew U.” Sonny Werblin, head of Madison Square Garden, is the National Chairman and Bowie Kuhn, former Commissioner of Baseball, is the Deputy Chairman of the Cosell Centre. The dinner is always a fabulous, colorfully decorated event… Team pennants stained all around the room, real Yankee and Mets caps atop miniature baseball bats blazoned by guests of honor (MacPhail-Louisville Slugger).
Sanford Weill, President of the American Express Company, chaired the affair. Robert S. Savin, Westchester County business exec, heads the AFHU National Sports Committee. Beamon, an Olympic Champion, admitted to his guests that before his winning event in the history of sports,’ I ate a bagel and a lox breakfast, and they did wonders for me…’ Howard Cosell “kvelled” his arm around Beamon with smiles shining forth like he said: “Never allow them to downgrade bagels and lox. It’s an ethnic meal to be proud of!
“Another famous international sports and dignitaries present in honor of the memory of Munich 11 Israeli athletes were former New York governor Hugh L. Carey, Donald Trump, Immobiliary tycoon and owner of the General Football Team, ex-Mayor John Lindsay of New York City. Also: Howard Samuels, Israel Bond Chair of New York City and former Off Track of Betting Czar; AUie Sherman; Joe Walton; José Torres; Angel Cordero; Robert J. Corny; Frank Gifford; Nat Holman; Mrs. Elston Howard; and GoHe Howe, among others. “Honoree Lee MacPhail is regarded as one of the prime movers and shapers of major league baseball for the past 40 years,’ said Robert Low, who gave the AFHU lecture to MacPhail.”
The Tree of Life Award, the most prestigious award of the Jewish National Fund went to Benjamin D. Holloway, chairman and chief executive officer of Equitable Real Estate Group, Inc., at its annual Real Estate Divisions dinner dance in the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Donald Trump, JNF’s 1983 awardee, was chairman. The Holloway Park and Recreation area is being established at the Hazorea Forest, Haifa, in his honor.
Trump, in lauding Holloway, pointed out that the Hyatt Hotel was renovated by him (Trump) with the financial backing of Holloway’s Equitable group “What better place to hold this gala affair,” the young wizard of the New York real estate scene noted. More than $700,000 was realized at this JNF’s largest fundraising affair in this division or any other,” Dr. Cohen, executive vice president of the JNF told me. The Tree of Life Award was seeded in 1981 with Evangeline Gouletas Carey (wife of then New York Governor Hugh Carey) and her brother, Nicholas Gouletas, to officially launch JNF’s real estate benefactors.
That this set of builders should by their interest and concern be responsible for the continued upbuilding of a land 6,000 miles away is a welcome development. More than half of the guests were not of the Jewish faith. But this JNF affair was introducing them to Israel in the language they understand best — upbuilding barren areas. Hank Sopher, the New York area president, seemed to sum it up and tie up the strings well from USA to Israel, in his brief address. In praising Holloway, he noted that he gave more than financial support, “but also your time, your energy and your ideas.”
Then referring to his American creative genius, “I also want to express the appreciation of your colleagues and friends in the real estate industry for your vision and imagination, which have transformed the skyline of New York and dramatically improved the architecture of cities across the United States…It is exciting and encouraging that when Israel is faced with so many problems today, we can count on your support and commitment to the cause of Zionism and to the work of the JNF.” Then referring to the park in Haifa that will bear his name,” and the residents of Haifa and all of this great little land, will enjoy its environment.” Enjoying the evening were the almost 1,000 guests.
In 1984, Trump was Chairman and Host of a Charity Dinner Held in Honor of the 11 Murdered Israeli Athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympics
Donald Trump was Chairman and Host of the American Friends of Hebrew University 9th Annual Sports Fundraising Dinner
SOCIAL CALENDAR BY JEAN HERSCHAFT Peter V. Ueberroth, commissioner of baseball who was active in solving the player’s strike recently was the honored guest at the American Friends of Hebrew University’s ninth annual sports dinner recently.
Ueberroth, former president of the Lou Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, was Time Magazine’s selection for the 1984 “Man of the Year Award” for his supreme skill in “making the Games work and work brilliantly.” Under his direction the Los Angeles Olympic Games resulted in a $150 million surplus, which goes to youth and sports’ programs throughout the United States.
His selection as AFHU Torch of Leaning Laureate was announced by S. Slavin, chairman of the AFHL National Munich Eleven Sports program. The Munich Eleven dinner has become a major annual event for athletes, sports figures and enthusiasts. Among those involved each year are Bowie Kuhn, Ueberroth’s predecessor as baseball commissioner; David “Sonny” Werblin, president of Madison Square Garden: Edward Bennet Williams and Lee MacPhail.
Proceeds from the dinner provide aid for needy students at the HU Jerusalem.
Chairman of the affair and host of the evening was the young business tycoon, Donald Trump. He had introduced the Westchester Jewish Center’s Rabbi Irving Kosslow, who requested the guests to stand for a “moment of prayer” for the 11 athletes killed by terrorists at the Munich Olympics, in 1972.
Each year noted sportscaster Howard Cosell shares the same recollection of the Munich massacre with guests at the sports dinner, titled “A Tragedy Recalled”.
“I lay there, on top of that little slope, forty, maybe fifty feet from building 31.
The hours passed, and my feelings of helplessness, frustration , outrage, and despair grew. How many, if any were still alive? How could this have happened? Where were the West German police? The whole thing was a dream.
But it wasnt. Occasionally there were those Arab faces at the windows. Suddenly, there were dozens of West German police (where were they last night?) strapping on their guns, encircling the building, climbing to the roof.
I thought of a thousand things, Dachau only a few miles away. Hitler. Six million. Emmy, who I knew was at Barnathan’s Bungalow, ABC’s operations headquarters just outside the athletes’ entrance to the village. Was she all right? Was she worried? What the hell was going on? How the hell did this horror happen? I just wanted her safe.
I thought of my girls, Jill and Hilary, at home. How frightened and unbelieving they must be. And of David Berger, in that building, the kid from Cleveland for whom moving to Israel was a lifetime crusade. Would they ever stop killing Jews, I wondered bitterly. I looked behind me. I could see athletes in the distance, from many countries, playing pingpong, basketball, fun and games. ‘God damn them,’ I thought, ‘their goddamn games.’ But, I realized, they don’t know. They don’t haves clue as to what’s happening-not yet anyway. They were all killed – all 11 of them. Make it six million and eleven. And how many more only God knows. But they’ll never kill us all. Sept. 6, 1972, the Games went on – Avery Brundage saw to that.”
Former Israel Ambassador to the United States Simcha Dinitz, now president of Hebrew University, was in for the dinner as well.
Dinitz spoke of Israel’s severe economic measures. “Our University faculty, “he said, “took an 8 percent cut in salary in order that services at Hebrew University won’t he cut, assuring all students maintenance of the same high Standards in education.” He referred to terrorism assuring that Israel will stand with the United States together against terrorism.”
The grand ballroom of the Hilton Hotel was studded with stars of the sports world, leading Ueberroth to remark, “It’s the finest group of athletes ever assembled anywhere- in memorial tribute to the Munich 11.”
Among the sports greats. Nat Holman, Floyd Patterson, Rusty Staub, Jerry Cooney, Lee McPhail, Mel Allen, Jose Torres, Herschel Walker, Wesley Walker, Gordie How, Al Sherman, Eddie Mo and Ralph Kiner.
June is the month of weddings, graduations and the American Friends of the Hebrew U. Sports Dinner that annually recalls the Israeli 11 Olympic stars who were cut down by Arab terrorism at the 1972 Olympics in Germany.
Howard Cosell, media sports commentator who was in Germany at that sorrowful hour covering the games, recalls it here each year, and though most of us know it by heart, the pathos is still there, the sorrow never diminishes, Israeli athletes stand as heroes. The Sports Center at Hebrew U. in Jerusalem is named after Cosell in tribute to a caring luminary.
1989 saw more than 500 guests stream into the New York Hilton Hotel
For the dinner, a shining affair with each table decorated with ornaments of a particular sports game: football with miniature football and baseball with the midget bat and ball; hockey with colorful wall pennants and so on, and on, with sports souvenir bags for the children attending with their parents. But the special treat for the youngsters and the dads, one can reasonably be assured, was the presence of more than 100 nationally famous sports stars who graciously attended and gave autographs freely (with no charge — in this area that has grown to big business.)
This year, San Francisco Giant President and GM Rosen, former slugger Orlando Cepeda, National League President Bill White, with U.S. Olympic Committee President Robert H. Helmich were honored for their contributions to education and sportsmanship. U.S. Ambassador Max Kampelman and New York business leader Howard Kaskel were co-chairmen. However, Kampelman was called away on diplomatic duty that very morning. Cosell presided as toastmaster.
A very special guest on the dais, not an athlete, was Donald Trump, new owner of the Plaza Hotel, owner of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue and most recently acquirer of Trump Airlines, formerly Eastern.
Well, the big news is that Trump is making a visit to Israel to advise how to turn its “economy into profits and/or set up some new Trump establishments in the Jewish State. This night he could only praise the Hebrew U. and its work in educating young scholars. He was delighted that the funds raised at the affair go into a special scholarship fund.
On April 30, 1997, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was purchasing the famous Mar-a-Largo club in Palm Beach, Florida, and opened it to Jews and African Americans, putting him at odds with rival clubs at Palm Beach, writing that the cultural clash began approaching a climax last fall, when Mr. Trump’s lawyer sent the town council members a copy of the movie “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.”
Mr. Trump then approached the city council to lift the restrictions placed on the club. He also asked certain members of the Council not to vote on the request because their membership in other clubs created a conflict of interest. Last December, after the council refused to lift the restrictions, Mr. Trump lodged a lawsuit. District Court Palm Beach, alleging that the town discriminated against Mar-a-Lago, partly because it was open to Jews and African Americans. The suit is seeking $100 million in damages.
The former ADL leader, Abraham Foxman, praised Trump, as WSJ reported: Mr. Foxman was pleased that Mr. Trump has raised the issue of discriminatory policies in social clubs. “He’s put the light on Palm Beach,” says Mr. Foxman. “Not on beauty and glitter, but on its more seamless side of discrimination.” In recent weeks, Mr. Foxman says the league has received calls from Jewish residents about the changes in Palm Beach clubs.
Donald Trump, honoree at the UJA Federation of New York Dinner, was awarded the “First Visionary of the Century Award”.
Donald Trump, honoree at the UJA Federation of New York Dinner, was awarded the “First Visionary of the Century Award”.
Black tie lovers included hotelier Jonathan Tisch, publicist Howard Rubenstein (who said the Hamotzi), his wife Amy, Broadway producer and founder of the Red Ball, Martin Richards, and actor Alec Baldwin (who seventeen years later would represent him on “Saturday Night Live! “). ” I’m from “Cheers” and “Murphy Brown,” Thomas said. For me, “being a visionary” means looking into the future and seeing thousands of people paying Mr. Trump ‘s rent.
“Once the laughter diminished, award presenter [then New York ‘s district attorney] Robert Morgenthau said: “Donald is a great New Yorker who has made this a great city.” He recalled an event that the New York-based Museum of Jewish Heritage: “they never served kosher food! One call to Donald who called back immediately: “We serve kosher, of course!” “Donald is a great friend,” said Sol Kerzner, CEO and developer of the Bahamas-based Sun International.
“It was the first kosher meal ever served in Mar-A-Lago.”
Fran Weisler who produced Broadway hits “Chicago” and “Annie Get Your Gun” with husband Barry at the time said: “We have our own way of paying tribute. Because Donald is a great fan of Broadway and comes to all our openings, we thought we’d produce a show about Donald’s life on Broadway. Here are some working titles: “A Building Inspector Calls”, “Fiddling With The Roof,” “A funny thing happened on the road to the foreclosure,” and of course the most obvious: “Rent.”
Although his presidential bid was short-lived, the emcee suggested, “it may be because of his campaign slogans, “one of which was “Give me freedom or give me the Statue of Liberty and I will build condos in her head.” “This was the best year of my life in a business sense,” Mr. Trump said. He paid tribute to his late father and brother in recognition of his mother and sons [Donald Jr. and Eric Trump]. “
“40 to 50% of the people helped by UJA are not Jewish,” said Trump, who told a battered woman who had come to his office ten years earlier after three suicide attempts. She now credited UJA with her recovery and, as she left, told me:’ I’m not Jewish.’ Forty to fifty percent of the people helped by UJA are not Jewish. Tony Bennett rang down the curtain that evening by performing a medley of his signature hits that ended with the classic title: “Who can I turn to when no one needs me?”
The morning after a historic victory in the US presidential Donald Trump, are exposed to large parts of the president-elect’s relationship to Judaism and Haredi public. ‘In the ultra-Orthodox “has learned that Trump was one of the donors of the meeting Rozin – Bayan Jerusalem.
As is known, Trump’s obvious connection to Judaism Was born first and foremost with his daughter Ivanka, who converted to Judaism after marrying her Jewish husband, who appeared during the election campaign in a Chabad synagogue in the United States and even came to the Lubavitcher Rebbe and her husband.
As noted above, it turns out that Tramp has deep ties with a group of Jews who support the yeshiva of Ruzin Bayan in Jerusalem, who have great admiration and close connection with the Baian Rebbe, and thus, Who is chosen in those events and gives them his support, and sometimes even publishes pages of greetings in various journals.
One of the Bahian Hasidim told Behadrei Haredim today: “It is clear that he is connected to the heart of the Jewish people and there is no doubt that he is one of the righteous gentiles who will only bring good to the people living in Zion
