Celebrities from throughout the United States attended a gala buffet supper at the New York Hilton last night to mark the beginning of a five-day multi-media festival entitled “Voices of Zion” in celebration of Israel’s 36th anniversary. Afterwards, the celebrities attended the festival’s premiere at the Carnegie Hall Cinema. The festival is sponsored by the World Zionist Organization-American Section.
Bernice Tanenbaum, chairperson of the WZO-American Section, presented awards to 11 distinguished leaders of the entertainment community with the Israel Humanities Achievement Award in recognition of their valuable contributions to their art and to the State of Israel. The awards by the WZO-American Section and the WZO’s Information Department in Jerusalem, were given to:
Elliot Gould, David Steinberg, Stanley Kramer Robby Benson, Lillian Hellman, Alan King, Fritz Weaver, Melissa Gilbert, Tony Roberts, and Roberta Peters. A special award was presented to NBC’s Pia Lindstrom in memory of her late mother, Academy Award winning actress Ingrid Bergman. Raya Savidor, wife of Knesset Speaker Menachem Savidor, represented her husband at the ceremonies.
Guests attending the festival at the Carnegie Hall Cinema were able to view three new Israeli produced photo and art exhibitions. “In My Heart, Jerusalem” is a collection of 53 photographs of the city taken by internationally acclaimed photographer Peri Ferag. “Prisoners of Zion” explores the problems of Jewish dissidents in the Soviet Union. “Drawings in a Moscow Kindergarten” displays the art work of Jewish youngsters denied their religious freedom and identity by the Soviet government. This exhibition was smuggled out from the Soviet Union.
The festival, which runs from today through Friday, will include showings of numerous films, including Exodus, Cast a Giant Shadow, Garden of the Finzi Continis, The Diary of Anne Frank, Last Metro, Fiddler on the Roof, and Judgement at Nuremburg. A video center has been set up in the theater and will run continuous showings of Golda, Image Before My Eyes, and Masada.
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