JNS Spotlights ‘One Day,’ Which Raised $1M for Israel
JNS Spotlights ‘One Day,’ Which Raised $1M for Israel
September 24, 2024
Current events, Leadership, Awards & Events
Matisyahu performs at “One Day,” A4BGU’s Annual NY Benefit on September 22, 2024, at the Zeigfeld Ballroom in New York City.
JNS – A new must-read piece by Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) quotes A4BGU CEO, Doug Seserman, who noted that the $1 million raised from “One Day,” A4BGU’s Annual NY Benefit, will go to the rebuilding and recovery of the south with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) leading the way as the Negev’s anchor institution and engine for growth. He said he was overwhelmed by the attendance and the need for an annual event “to build a strong presence and leadership structure in the tri-state area and to engage a wider audience of Americans who support the university’s essential mission.”
The Jewish world is holding its collective breath as the days inch forward to mark an entire year of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the terror group infiltrated the border on Oct. 7 and wreaked havoc in communities in southern Israel.
So it’s not surprising that about 350 Jewish and pro-Israel supporters were drawn to a concert in New York City on Sunday night aptly titled “One Day”—a small break from the barrage of sober news that keeps coming out of the Middle East. They didn’t venture too far, theoretically, choosing to hear the American Jewish singer Matisyahu, who was performing as part of the inaugural New York benefit for the Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU). They also came to honor Gary DeBode, outgoing board chair, for the work that he and his family have done in the past four years and more to support the university based in Beer-Sheva.
In addressing the audience after dinner and before the show, Doug Seserman, CEO of A4BGU, noted that due to its proximity to the terrorist attacks, the university was significantly affected on Oct. 7. Some 1,200 people were killed that Shabbat and Simchat Torah morning—364 of them at the Nova music festival, many of them in their 20s and early 30s—with thousands wounded and 250 men, women and children kidnapped and taken to Gaza. He said that “10% of the dead belonged to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).” Others were abducted, injured and evacuated to other areas of the country.
With hundreds of faculty, staff and students living in the communities bordering Gaza, thousands on active reserve duty and nearly everyone within the range of Hamas rockets, the threat has been close at hand and very real, according to “Strong and United: We Will Prevail,” the university’s emergency response impact campaign report issued in January.
“While we already understood how crucial this was before Oct. 7, the attacks and their aftermath have made it clearer than ever that the future of Israel is in the south with BGU leading the way as the Negev’s anchor institution and engine for growth,” Seserman told JNS. “A4BGU is at the forefront of rallying Americans around this mission by championing unprecedented fundraising goals in support of BGU’s global $1 billion campaign, ‘Way Forward.’”
BGU President, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz noted that “our role is not only in higher education and groundbreaking research.” He said it’s also about “building a cosmopolitan, attractive society the youth of Israel want to be a part of.” He quoted David Ben-Gurion—one of Israel’s founding fathers, first prime minister and the namesake of the university—saying: “If we don’t make a stand in the Negev, we won’t make a stand in Tel Aviv.”
On Sunday night, Matisyahu featured “Ascent” after his first song, “Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light),” released in 2006. Along with his guitarist, he played some extended tunes before concluding with “One Day” (2009) and a plea to “free the hostages.”
He said he is often asked if he really believes the optimistic lyrics of the final song that headlined the event. His response: “We never lose sight of the hope that peace can be achieved. It’s what the Jews bring to the world … and we will never give up on it.”
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