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By Lieba Nesis
What happens when a group of millennials plan a second formal extravaganza on Thursday March 7th 2024 to raise money for Israel and pledge 100 percent of proceeds to soldiers, widows and orphans of the October 7th massacre? The money actually gets to the suffering parties as opposed to the staff of bloated organizations where few victims have received assistance from the billions that has been raised by American Jewry since October.
Enter Mordechai Weiss, son of prominent Real Estate developers Miriam and Robert Weiss, who finds himself in a bomb shelter in Jerusalem on October 7th feeling scared and angry and texting co-founder Mickael Benichou as to what their next moves should be. The 27-year-old Weiss, an NYU Law graduate, decided to turn “pain into purpose” by galvanizing his colleagues to assist Israel after one of the greatest tragedies in modern Jewish history. And so in a week’s time on October 19th Mordechai planned the sold-out 1,000 Strong where 1,000 Jewish twenty-to-thirty somethings joined forces at 230 Fifth Avenue to say we are sick of hiding and being shamed. Only this time the $200,000 raised that October evening didn’t enter “la la land” where little accountability or oversight exists; but rather receipts were shown documenting each charity that was donated to along with appreciative messages from IDF soldiers one of whom was saved after the organization purchased an armored plate which stopped a bullet from entering his heart. Thousands of pounds of gear for our IDF heroes, baby supplies and child care for the widows who suffer on a daily basis along with interactive experiences for orphaned youths are the recipients of 1000 Strong funds.
The success of the October event made a follow-up inevitable and so in March a heavily choreographed immersive evening which took thousands of hours to produce was held at the midtown Lavan venue-whose location was only revealed that day due to security concerns. Wraps and sushi along with astounding entertainment by Itzik Dadya and Cantor Netanel Hershtik, were all gratis-the money raised was for victims only. Jewish activist Lizzy Savetsky led the Hatikvah as organization co-founder Jillian Chera wowed the crowd with a moving National Anthem.
It doesn’t hurt to have New York mayor Eric Adams kick off the festivities with an impactful speech declaring “we will never surrender to hate.. or create an environment where you have to take off your yarmulke to get on the subway station.” But it was DJ Shalos who flew in from Israel after losing ten friends in the Nova Festival who had the crowd on their feet while declaring “this was the best event of his life.” DJ Matt Dubb and DJ Jordan similarly energized the crowd after Ada Pasternak performed a movingly lugubrious violin performance saluting the 136 hostages.
Sponsor and CEO of Trillium Cares Lee Maschler donated a large chunk of money as he continues to advocate for the right of Israel to defend herself. Nova survivor Nehoray Levy who recorded a farewell video to his parents as Hamas went on their deadly rampage urged the crowd to unify and stay strong despite having lost 10 of his friends on that black Saturday. There were influencers galore including Tanya Zuckerbrot, co-founder Danielle Yablonka, Ari Ackerman, Yechiel Jacobs, Bianca Jade and dozens of others. The palpable energy emanating from every pore of the room could have lit the entire Times Square. As the evening concluded at 11:30 PM the over 1,200 attendees took to their Instagram and social media to document the momentous evening that will undoubtedly be repeated in the very near future-watch out Madison Square Garden.
