Getting the (gala) ball rolling

Young Hadassah International is hosting its first upscale fund-raising event.

By SHARON UDASIN
gala dress_521 (photo credit: Reuters)
gala dress_521
(photo credit: Reuters)
Black-tie events, where men wear crisp tuxedos and women dress in their finest gowns, are quite a rarity in Jerusalem, where sneakers and jeans seem to be the more popular wedding and bar mitzva attire.
But on Thursday, volunteers from Young Hadassah International will host an upscale gala ball at the Inbal Hotel, the proceeds of which will benefit the Pediatric Department of the Hadassah University Medical Center at Mount Scopus.
“There are parties all the time, but at the moment I don’t know of any gala-type events that aren’t a wedding or a simha-related event,” says Yoni Wiseman, 33, event coordinator and consultant for the gala. “An event of this caliber will often attract much more exposure to the cause at hand than a small party ever could, and we hope that an event of this nature will translate into greater funds raised.”
The idea for the ball came from Nehama Grenniman Bauch, the event art director and initiator of Hadassah’s Faraway Places project – a collection of works in memory of Timora Avitzour, who died of cancer at 18 a decade ago. The project commissioned art from contemporary international artists, some pieces of which have been on display in the Intensive Care Unit A of Hadassah University Medical Center in Ein Kerem. At the gala, some of the artwork will be on display during the cocktail hour.
During the evening, guests will enjoy dancing, an open bar, a three-course gourmet dinner and a raffle. A journal with dedications to those who have lost the battle with cancer and others who have survived will be on display.
Tickets for the gala cost NIS 320 for an individual; NIS 2,880 for a table of 10; NIS 550 for VIP entrance; NIS 5,400 for a gold-level table; and NIS 6,300 for a platinum-level table, which includes a full page in the dinner guest book.
Young Hadassah is aiming to strengthen its presence in Israel and to encourage young people to get involved with serving their community.
“This is the first event of Young Hadassah in Israel, and we’re hoping this will be annual,” says Tamar Goldman, associate coordinator of the event.
Goldman says she expects to see a mix of Anglo and native Israeli men and women at the event, what she describes as “very typical of the Jerusalem crowd that comprises the young professional scene.”
“We’re trying to create an upscale event and bring young people into it,” she says. “We hope we can get young people involved in Hadassah fund-raising and fund-raising in general.”
Wiseman is impressed to see this happening already. “Almost all the people involved are young professionals who are taking time out of their schedules and opening up their black books (and BlackBerrys) to see who can help,” she says.
“One of the girls said to me, ‘In a world where everyone is talking about people in their 20s to 40s trying to do everything for personal gain, this is a chance to do just the opposite.’”
For tickets, to donate or for more information about how to get involved, visit www.hadassahball.com, call the Hadassah offices at 621-1210 or Yoni Wiseman at 054-723-4614.