Announcing Our 2018 Celebration of Life Concerts
Celebration of Life brings energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to the stage as our Israeli heroes tell their stories of strength, determination, and triumph – accompanied by dynamic musical talent.
Join us in support of Israel’s disabled veterans
We will honour four remarkable heroes, direct from Israel:
Brigadier-General (Res.) AVIGDOR KAHALANI, though seriously injured in the Six-Day War, also served as an Armored Commander in the Yom Kippur War. His battalion’s defensive fighting on the Golan Heights against a daunting Syrian force was a turning point in the war. He received the Medal of Valor, Israel’s highest military honour for his actions. After retiring from the IDF, Kahalani entered politics, serving as Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv and Member of Knesset as the Minister of Internal Security.
TZAHI BERKOVICH was a paramedic in the Paratroopers Brigade during the second Intifada, a time of escalated terror attacks. Following his compulsory military service, he became a Border policeman, again encountering multiple mass casualty terror assaults. Today, despite living with severe PTSD, Tzahi is married, a father of two, and manages the Ein Gedi Field School.
ITZIK DADUSH served in the Engineering Corps during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In an instant, his leg and eyesight were lost in an explosion while marking a mine field. For over 30 years, he was in charge of information systems at Bank Leumi. He has been a volunteer distress centre phone counsellor for the last 15 years. Itzik has twice received the Israel Ministry of Defence’s “Exemplary Rehabilitation Commendation” honouring achievements of Zahal Disabled Veterans.
SUSANA SEMENDUEV was a commander in a combat unit of the Border Police. In 2008, she was seriously wounded in a terror attack at a checkpoint on Jerusalem’s outskirts. Following major cranial surgery and months in hospital, she continued her rehabilitation at Beit Halochem. Susana graduated with a law degree and, today, is a practicing lawyer in Haderah.
Our musical performers from Israel will join CANTOR ALEX STEIN, Senior Cantor at one of North America’s largest congregations. Born and raised in Australia, his family’s Jewish musical tradition spans four generations. He has delighted audiences around the world performing on stage with some of the world’s greatest cantors, symphonies, and choirs. Cantor Stein, internationally renowned for his unique and powerful tenor voice, is firmly established as one of today’s up-and-coming “Great Cantors”.