Special Events
Friends-in-Deeds
In March 2020, AIFL launched a new campaign to provide deeds to our friends and bring much-needed joy and nourishment to people’s lives in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Since most of the world was suddenly staying at home, we came up with unique ways to bring Israel to everyone’s homes through donations of Israeli snack foods and goods and new virtual programs.
Past Recipients of Friends-in-Deeds
- The Campaign Against Hunger, 2010 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 11233 – April 1, 2020
- Concrete Jungle, Ariel Bowen United Methodist Memorial Church 384 Arthur St SW Atlanta 30308 – April 9, 2020
- Evanston Hospital, IL, Mercy Hospital Respiratory Therapy – April 16, 2020
- The Oscar Litwak Foundation, 19736 Anandale Drive, Tarzana, CA 91356 – April 20, 2020
Virtual Activities
AIFL encouraged our friends to share photos and videos of their Israeli-inspired meals that our world-class chefs designed for people to cook at home and to bring Israeli flavor to their kitchens on our virtual programs. AIFL started hosting webinars twice a week that brought our friends together through health and wellness classes, sports, virtual tours, musical entertainment, medical and economic discussions, art tours, and more to provide good deeds to our friends, give them a break during the day, and maintain their connection to Israel.
Weekly Donations
Each week our friends could submit their local charity, food bank, or organization to receive a $500 donation of Israeli food, treats, and beverages from AIFL. Our goal was to provide a good deed to local communities to lift people’s spirits during this crisis.
Dishing Out Israeli Solidarity Recipes
Here are the three recipes from our “Dishing Out Israeli Solidarity” webinar on March 29, 2020!
Falafel Waffles – Chicago Master Chef Lamar Moore, who has been featured on the Food Network show, Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay
Fish Filet with Asian Sauce on a bed of Quinoa – Chef Golan Gurfinkel, Executive Chef at the Dallal Restaurant and Dallal Group in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv, Israel and who has been in the Israeli television version of Iron Chef, known as “Battle of the Knives”
Sugared Grapefruit Peels – Ambassador Lironne Bar-Sade, a career diplomat with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an amateur home chef
Dishing Out Israeli Solidarity Webinar
Live Demonstration of Home-Cooked Israeli Dishes Brought to You from Kitchens Across Israel and the United States
Sunday Sun Salutations — Yoga from Mediterranean to Pacific
Join us for an hour of Sun Salutations and Shivasana Yoga streamed from Tel Aviv, Israel and Bridgeport, CT. Start the day by de-stressing with Yoga from the comfort of your home with new friends around Israel and the U.S.
U.S.-Israeli Bi-National Approach to Combating COVID-19
Leading Medical Professionals & Researchers Share Insight from the Covid-19 Battleground
Related Events
Bon Appetit — A Taste of French Cuisine
A Frenchman and an Israeli walk into a bar—this sounds like the start of a culinary joke but truthfully, they are both notable chefs and one owns a Michelin and Zagat rated restaurant, Excuse My French and Arba, in New York.
Chef Johann Giraud and Chef Nir Zook are two master chefs with extensive culinary experience brought together for this program by their passion for good food and love of French cuisine. Their unique approaches and flair for creativity allows each to leave their mark through the ambience and great food they create for their clients.
What inspired their love for the culinary arts? This gift for creating a gourmet paradise from simple dishes created from fresh ingredients with herbs and sauces that create a rich smooth flavor for the epicurean appetite.
These chefs will take us on a gastronomic adventure sharing:
- Their personal stories on what inspired their love for the culinary arts
- A sample of the recipes unique to their restaurants and the quality of the meals they prepare for clients every day
- The difference between authentic French cuisine and French inspired cuisine
- Their future goals having made it to the top of their field
Streamed live, the program will feature:
Johann Giraud
Founder / Chef
“Excuse my French”
Host:
Wayne Firestone
Executive Director
America-Israel Friendship League
Please share with your friends and family and register on Zoom or watch live on AIFL’s Facebook page.
Nov 10 @ 12:00 EST
REGISTER NOW
Shenkar — An Historical Review: The Melting Pot Of Israeli Fashion
Fashion and identity are inextricably linked. Each of us has our unique sense of fashion, which as self-expression allows us to showcase our authenticity and individuality. Throughout history, apparel—like other self-expressive products—have inspired aesthetic professionals such as clothing designers, cosmeticians and photographers.
During this webinar we will look at Israeli fashion through the ages while straddling that line of individuality and national identity. We will look at Israel’s textile industry and the trend fusion of East meets West through the Rose Archive of the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan.
We will hear from fashion historian and Director and Curator of the Rose Archive, Tal Granovsky Amit, and learn about these iconic pieces which were donated and, in some instances, restored to their former beauty:
- Who wore these items and where?
- How do students at the college feel when they see the archive on display?
- How does the archive inspire future design and foster discussions on sustainability in fashion?