Charles Bronfman Hosts Birthright Israel Celebration in Palm Beach

On March 27, supporters of Birthright Israel gathered for a powerful evening at the Palm Beach home of Co-Founder Charles Bronfman and his wife Rita, celebrating 25 years of one of the most transformative Jewish initiatives in modern history.

Ronnie Pertnoy, Chair of Birthright Israel for Palm Beach, spoke about the program’s global reach — more than 900,000 Jewish young adults from 70 countries have participated — and stressed the urgency of meeting rising demand. “We are poised to launch the next 25 years and beyond,” he said.

Among the evening’s distinguished guests were National Board members Lori Komisar and her husband Morrie Silverman, Sara Aronson, Mindy Schneider and Michael Lesser, Mike Rashes and his wife Dena, along with Foundation President and CEO Elias Saratovsky, Mike Leven, Co-Chair Boca Raton Cabinet and Andrea Leven, and a Canadian delegation including Wendy and Elliott Eisen, Lillian Vineberg and Morris Goodman, and Lori and Jeffrey Rosenthal.

Carole-Ann Levine, Vice President for the Southeast Region, presented Distinguished Alumni Honors to Jeff Dawson, Sasha Aronberg, Brooke Pertnoy, Holly and Chad Sokoloff, and Isabella Katzenberg.

Ashley Waxman Bakshi, an alumna and Israeli activist, delivered one of the evening’s most poignant moments. She spoke about the October 7 kidnapping of her cousin, Agam Berger, by Hamas, and her ongoing efforts to advocate for the release of Israeli hostages. “Birthright Israel helped give me the foundation and the voice to be the advocate I am today,” she said. “We must continue to speak up, to act, and to stand together.”

Charles Bronfman brought the evening to a close with a heartfelt reminder of why our continued support matters. “There is nothing more important than ensuring that every Jewish young adult who wants to go on Birthright Israel can go,” he said. “That’s what this is all about. The Jewish future.”