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Holocaust survivor Halina Silber, number 16 on Oskar
Schindler's list, presented Kingsley the newspaper’s
illustrious Warrior For Truth award. In 1993
Kingsley embodied Itzhak Stern in the movie, Schindler's
List. Kinglsey was welcomed to the stage with a standing
ovaion. He thanked his wife, Daniela Lavender, in the
audience before recalling the many roles he’s acted that
draw a spotlight on Judiasism and antisemitism. “When I met
with the great Steven Spielberg to discuss playing
Itzhak Stern I asked him ‘what is my narrative function in
this role?’ and he said ‘Conscious. Witness’. As I was
filming, I had in my pocket a photograph of Anne Frank and I
would say to this beautiful photograph ‘dear girl, I’m doing
this for you’. Everyday on the set I would say that. Well,
dear friends, tonight I can assure you that if given another
opportunity to tell your story I can say whole heartedly,
‘I’m doing this for you’.
Riley’s award was presented by Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart,
President of the World Jewish Congress Diplomatic Corps. The
U.K. star, glowing from her preganancy and joined by her
husband Pasha Kovalev, told her story on how just a
year ago she thought “antisemitism
wasn’t a ‘thing’ anymore”. And now, she says “It’s
probably the biggest honour of my life to be here with you
tonight. In the face of hate, there is a moral duty to act.
I have a voice and I am going to use it. But I also have a
brain too, and I’m going to use everything I have. We must
speak out. If we’re quiet, the conversation is by default
dominated by extremists. We have to speak with intelligence
and not in ways that compound the evil, give it new life and
amplify it, or lend it credibility. I’m supporting a Bill in
the UK Parliament that would make administrators of social
media forums, such as Facebook groups, filled not just with
hate speech, but also with fake cures for autism that
physically harm young children, with material that incites
violence against women, against Muslims, indeed against any
group they seek to target with their bile, to make them
civilly and criminally liable for the content they
recklessly allow to be published there. I’ve made a
commitment to do one thing above all else. I’ll not cower in
the face of hate.”
CEO of Talent Resources, Michael David Heller, was
also honored. Kelly Bensimon gave her dear friend the
award saying “I have seen and developed great respect for
his passionate support for Israel and pride in the Jewish
heritage”.
The evening's Master of Ceremonies was CNN journalist Bianna
Golodryga. Speakers included Consul General of Israel
in New York Ambassador Dani Dayan, David Sterling and Ben
Newhouse. Guests included Ira and Ingeborg
Rennert, the Mayor of Beverly Hills John A. Mirisch,
Sima and Morad Ghadamian, David Steinmann, George Farmer,
Joseph and Deborah Aronow, Sam Herzberg, Shalom and Iris
Maidenbaum, Gail Propp, Michael and Dana Cohen, Richard
Miller, Mark Moskowitz, Ariel and Aleta Grunberg, Michael
and Tanya Grunberg, Martin Sanders, Sol and Meri Barer,
Jeffrey H. Rosen, Jonathan Holtzman, Ron Agam, James Taranto,
Rickie Freeman, Buck Sexton, Dominic Green, Marty Peretz,
Jere Van Dyk, Sir Clive Gillinson, Tuvia Tenenbom, Tunku
Varadarajan, and Erwin Pearl. Event Chairs were Robert
H. and Amy Book, and Neil and Sharon
Book. Honorary Chairman was Bernard-Henri
Levy.
THE J100 LIST
The Algemeiner newspaper releases an annual list of 100
significant individuals who influence Jewish life, called
the J100 List. Billed as the Jewish answer to the TIME 100,
the 2019 list includes Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sacha Baron
Cohen, Julian Edelman, Karlie Kloss and Jared Kushner, U.S.
President Donald Trump, Jake Tapper, Lachlan Murdoch.
The full list, and a description of why they were chosen,
can be found at Algemeiner.com/the-top-100-people-positively-influencing-jewish-life-2019
ABOUT THE ALGEMEINER
Now celebrating its 47th anniversary, The Algemeiner has
recently been labeled the "fastest growing Jewish newspaper
in the US" by CNBC. It has been described by former Israeli
Ambassador Ron Prosor as “the voice of the Jewish
people and Israel” and hailed as “brave and relentlessly
accurate” by longtime New Republic editor Marty Peretz.
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