News & Events

On the evening of Sunday, August 9th, JOIN Israel supporters virtually joined together for an ‘Israeli Wine Tasting with Carmel Winery’. Over 100 supporters attended from 9 states in the US as well as from England, Canada and Israel. Attendees had the option to purchase a bottle of red and white wine in advance of the tasting.  All proceeds of the event went towards providing immediate assistance to Israelis struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Board of Director, Jeffrey Kleinhaus opened the evening recounting his latest trip to Israel and his visit to a JOIN Lifeline benefactor. He then introduced Roni Jesselson, President of Carmel Winery in North America. Ronni started the tasting with the Carmel Sauvignon Blanc Selected Series and then continued to the Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon Appellation Series.

The tasting was followed by a Q&A with Roni, as well as an interactive game where attendees competed for a complimentary bottle of wine. The tasting ended with a video from JOIN Israel and a quick conversation with Stephen Bisk, JOIN Israel’s Executive Director.

Thank you to Joshua Greenstein, The Israel Wine Producers Associations, Skyview Wine & Spirits, Roni Jesselon and Carmel Winery.

What attendees had to say:

“The host was great! Very informative, not intimidating to those of us who know little about wine and his tips and stories were relevant. Great organization to support and to know more about. Thanks so much!”

“I had to talk my wife into joining the event and at the end, she commented how nice an event it was and how surprisingly good Carmel Wines were.”

Ticket proceeds will go towards assisting Israelis in crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Artist Elazar Hoch provided step by step instructions on how to paint a Tel Aviv sunset skyscape.

The virtual event was attended by Young Leaders across the United States.

The proceeds went towards JOIN Therapy, addressing the immediate mental health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

‍

Steven Eisman engaged the audience with his deep insight into the US financial industry. A portfolio manager who spent over 25 years in the industry. Steve is better known as ‘Mark Baum’ the character played by Steve Carell in the movie The Big Short.

The Big Short Fundraiser was hosted by JOIN Israel’s Young Leadership Board and took place at IEX’s office in the financial district of New York City. Two dozen emerging leaders joined together to raise funds for JOIN’s Literacy Initiative to build a library in an Ashkelon Elementary School, including 240 new books.

Co Chairs: Beth Mlynarzcyk, Daniel Aisen & Stephen Jacobs

‍

JOIN Israel Young Leadership Board hosted a Mixology event at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Brookfield Place. A few dozen attendees enjoyed kosher Hors d’Oeuvres and Mixology: the art of mixing cocktail drink recipes. Professionals from ICE helped the attendee’s make the perfect concoctions.

The Mixology event raised funds and awareness for Project Literacy as well as JOIN’s ‘Book of the Month Club’ ( $10 automated monthly donations). A special thank you to Rick Smilow, Board Member and owner of the Institute of Culinary Education for his generosity.

‍

On Wednesday, June 10^th JOIN Israel supporters engaged in meaningful learning and discussion surrounding the unique mental health issues that Israelis face amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Over 35 attendees from around the globe joined together virtually to listen to and ask questions of Dr. Avidan Milevsky, a renowned Israeli psychologist.

Doug Cohen, a member of the Board of Directors and Managing Director at Athena Capital, opened the event. His remarks were followed by an illuminating presentation given by Dr. Avidan Milevsky on the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the mental health of Israel’s most vulnerable citizens.

Dr. Avidan Milevsky regularly shares his work with the scholars of Ariel University, where he serves as a Senior Lecturer.  As an internationally published author of six books, Dr. Avidan Milevsky’s work has also been prominently featured in publications such as Politico, Fox, Al Jazeera, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

The virtual event was closed by JOIN Israel’s Executive Director, Stephen Bisk, who encouraged the attendees to take part in supporting Israel’s most vulnerable community members during these unprecedented times.

On the evening of Sunday, April 19th, JOIN Israel supporters virtually joined together for ‘Stand-Up Comedy LIVE from Tel-Aviv’ featuring comedian Benji Lovitt. All proceeds of the event went towards the JOIN Lifeline: Helping Israeli Elderly COVID-19 Emergency Campaign. Over 60 participants watched live from around the United States and in three countries.

The night opened on a serious note from a longtime supporter of the JOIN Lifeline project and Board of Directors, Vice-President, Rick Smilow. It was then followed by a much need laugh from the comedian Benji Lovitt. Benji’s comedic perspectives on Israel have been featured on TV, radio and in publications such as USA Today, Time Magazine, The Atlantic & BBC.  

The virtual event was sponsored by Jeff Yoskowitz, Laura Bisk,The Law Office of Melissa L Steinberg, PLLC and Regina Bisk.