Celebrity Hosted Charity Events Are Still The Lifeline For Those In Need!

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of being in attendance at the stunning Beverly Wilshire for the 45th Anniversary celebration of the Sheba Medical Center! The medical center is what I would call the last bastion of cooperation of Palestinians and Jews in the Middle East.

The Medical Center doesn’t turn away anyone in need and has the most advanced medical facilities under 150 acres in the world! To hear the stories of wounded Israeli soldiers after stories of children from small towns across the border was inspiring and I was honored to be there. I was not there as a guest although I did have an invitation. My firm, CelebExperts was contracted to find the best MC/comedian to be the man of the evening without dampening the very serious business of fundraising that needs to go on to support this wonderful medical facility.

The event organizers wanted someone who could identify with the Medical Center and its great work on a personal, cultural and financial level. After a lot of discussions about many people, it became very clear that the perfect MC/celebrity for this event was comedian extraordinaire, Jason Alexander from Seinfeld and Broadway fame. His impeccable timing, knowledge of the conflicts in the region, cultural understanding being Jewish himself and his deft hand at being inclusive not preachy, was just incredible. Mr. Alexander started with a comedic song he wrote just for this event which brought in everything from the Iranian nuclear deal to historic peace accords to the frigid relationship between the current Israeli/US administrations. The crowd was in his hand and he knew it. His level of showmanship harkened back to a past time when Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr’s of the world ruled supreme on stages all over the world.

I felt like I was at a White House press corp dinner but didn’t have to go through a metal detector or fake smile anyone. I walked away from this event thinking several things:

* Charity events still matter and if you haven’t been to one lately, you should. It doesn’t matter what the event is, supporting those who are making a difference in other’s lives is something we should all do more of.

* I love what I do. I am not one of these guys who has a Facebook page full of pictures with the A list celebrities I have worked with. In fact, I find that obnoxious and seems to underlie a certain insecurity. Just being there was enough. The fact that I was in the same room with Jason Alexander and 10 former Israeli soldiers who were wounded in various conflicts was more than enough for me.

* Lastly, I truly am in awe of talent, not just celebrity and Jason Alexander is a world-class talent who has me as a bigger fan now then when he brought me to tears laughing every weekend on Seinfeld. Very few people have a second act after such a successful TV run, well Mr. Alexander not only has achieved that, he did it in the context of helping thousands of others. That to me is not just the sign of a true star but an amazing human being!

Well done Jason! Bravo……