The Israel Conference in L.A. assembles high-tech ventures and investment capital

The Israel Conference™ May 31 & June 1, 2012 ~ Los Angeles, CA The Israel Conference™ is a fast-paced business conference showcasing the vitality and growth of Israel-facing business through a variety of panels on hot industry topics and trends with world-class speakers and high-quality networking. The Israel Conference™ brings together leading innovators and investors High Tech / Entertainment Media / Advertising / Mobile / Content / Gaming / e-Commerce / Energy / Clean Tech / Security / Medical Tech / Consumer Products that are coming out of Israel that are market-making and in demand. Check out their program and register.

Sharona Justman

Yossi Vardi

Co-Chairs Yossi Vardi, chairman of International Technologies and Sharona Justman, principal in Step Strategy Advisors, assemble top executives interested in investing in Israel-related businesses.

Watch an excerpt from our coverage of the venture pitching in front of a critical, evaluation panel and the full audience.

Organizer, Sharona Justman, endorses the quality of the sponsor hotel, the Luxe Sunset Hotel, and the services of its proprietor, Mr. Efrem Harkham.

Video of annual, Israel Day Concert (with a Message) in Central Park. Music, spirituality, and Zionist politics on proud, public display

The 19th Annual Israel Day Concert in Central Park is expected to draw 20,000 people this year.

The event, which will be held at Central Park's Summer Stage on Sunday, June 3rd , takes place straight after the Salute to Israel Parade, and is dedicated in honor of the 45th anniversary of the Six-Day War and the re-unification of Jerusalem.

Dr. Joseph Frager and Dr. Paul and Drora Brody, organizers and chairpersons for the past 7 years, have announced the concert's themes:

1. Jerusalem united forever-- never to be divided again;
2. No further concessions of any part of the Land of Israel; and
3. Stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons NOW, before it is too late.

The concert, thought to be the largest Zionist rally in North America, perhaps the world, is sponsored by the Israel Concert-In-The-Park Committee, associated with Young Israel Chovevei Zion and the National Council of Young Israel.  It pays special tribute again this year to the late Carl Freyer, who together with his wife Sylvia, founded the annual event in response to a call by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, to mount some form of protest to the disastrous 1993 Oslo accords.




Click through JooTube's 29 video clips from the 2011 Israel Concert in the Park ("Next" button to the right of "Play")


MK Danny Danon, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and Chairman of World Likud will return as keynote speaker. Among the many other inspiring speakers will be Rabbi David Algaze, President of the World Committee for the Land of Israel; Israel Prize winner and head of the Hesder yeshivas, former MK Rabbi Chaim Druckman; Soviet refusenik and "Prisoner of Zion" Yosef Mendelevitch; Mark Langfan, creator of strategic maps of Yehuda and Shomron; and Scott Feltman, Executive Vice President of the One Israel Fund.

A  burst of musical and singing talent will entertain the crowd: Yehuda Green, protege of Reb Shlomo Carlebach; Sephardic stalwarts Avi Peretz and the Ouri Bitan Band, and Avner Levy; Tal Vaknin and Shlomi Aharoni, directly from Israel, both alumni of the Rabbinical IDF Orchestra & Choir;  Chaim Kiss; Izzy Kieffer, also an alumnus of the Rabbinical IDF Orchestra  & Choir, with Heshy R.; and Yitzy Bald's dazzling New York Boys Choir. Mendel Piekarski and Shlomo Skolnick, "Jewish Star" Junior Finalists, will make their debut on the SummerStage. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Shloime Dachs Orchestra & Singers.

"The Yankles" introduces orthodox Judaism to the nations - entertainingly

Wearing calf-high white socks for centuries off the field, a team of yeshiva bochurs try their skill on the diamond- that is, not gemology, but the baseball diamond. The Yankles is a movie about an Orthodox Jewish baseball team with a very unorthodox coach. Sibling filmmakers David R. Brooks and Zev Brooks co-wrote the script. Zev served as Producer, David helmed the direction of the film.

Baseball player, Don Most w/ frum son

The Yankles comedy is about a hapless Orthodox Yeshiva baseball team that earns a ticket to compete in the college world series. The team hires Charlie Jones, played by Brian Wimmer (Footloose, Flipper) to coach. Charlie is a washed-up, ex-major league center fielder on parole for multiple DUI convictions and desperate to fulfill his community service. While The Yankles strive for success on the field, Charlie works to rebuild his reputation and relationships. Don Most of "Happy Days" plays a former baseball champ at odds with his rabbinical student son (Michael Buster).


The film, which has garnered numerous awards at domestic and international film festivals, is a hilarious and touching story about redemption. The Yankles runs in theaters for a week from, Friday, May 18th- Thurs May 24th in LA.  (Adapted from interview article by Dana Gardner in I Am Rogue).

Zev Brooks (r) and David Brooks (l)

The Yankles' co-writers David and Zev Brooks describe The Yankels phenomenon from their booth at the Celebrate Israel Festival in Los Angeles for Israel Independence Day.

"The Yankles." MPAA rating: PG-13 for language. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. At Laemmle's Music Hall 3, Beverly Hills;  Laemmle's Town Center 5, Encino through May 24th. It then moves to NYC at the Manhattan JCC on Tuesday May 29 from 7:30- 9:30.

Americans parade love and support for Israel's independence- Celebrate Israel Parade

On May 14, 1948 of the Gregorian calendar, Israel declared her sovereignty. Independence Day is celebrated in Israel according to the lunar, Hebrew, on the 5th of Iyar. (This year, it fell on April 27th).

Enjoy JooTube's first-hand, video clips from the Celebrate Israel Parade held on New York City's Fifth Avenue. This event honoring Israel's 63rd birthday was held on June 5, 2011. The video segments include comments by Israel Amb. Michael Oren, Rep. Elliot Engel, Rep Charles Rangel, Grand Marshalls Eugene Gluck (a holocaust survivor) and Joseph Sitt of Thor Equities- who is redeveloping Coney Island.
Tens of thousands participated- see who you recognize.



(To advance through the 100 clips, click the "Next" button to the right of the "Play" button).

Ambassador Michael Oren said that on this day, America's love for Israel is on display- and the Israelis should be aware of it.  NY's Channel 5 (Fox local) broadcast the event live, co-hosted by Fox reporter John Huddy and Israeli actress and model Becky Griffin.

The 2012 Celebrate Israel Parade will be held on June 3rd, 2012. Feel free to share the playlist or any of the clips (with attribution to JooTube.TV).

L.A. Jewish Film Festival enables audiences to learn the intentions behind films from the filmmakers and actors

Elliot Gould & Sara Rue

The L.A. Jewish Film Festival last night concluded its week of screenings throughout the city with Jewish themed, "Dorfman," starring Sara Rue and Elliot Gould.


Actors and filmmakers spoke following several screenings during the festival, including Dr. Iddo Netanyahu, the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Entebbe rescue-hero, Yoni Netanyahu, who flew in from Israel for the premiere of "Cohen on the Bridge," following the shiva for his father Benzion, the patriarch of the Netanyahu family.


Dr. Netanyahu appeared in and contributed his brother's letters to "Follow Me: the Yoni Netanyahu Story."  He also assisted in the producing of the Entebbe-rescue, animated adventure, "Cohen on the Bridge," whose director, Andrew Wainrib, accompanies Dr. Netanyahu in this post-screening discussion, which Rob Eshman of the Jewish Journal moderates.



Jonathan Tobin describes the legacy of Benzion Netanyahu in Commentary Magazine, which is worth reading in its entirety: 

As with other veterans of the pre-state Zionist movement, Benzion Netanyahu deserves the gratitude of the Jewish people for his labors. As the representative of Jabotinsky’s movement in the United States during World War Two, the Polish native who had moved to Palestine during his youth is credited with helping to persuade the Republican Party to adopt in 1944 an unprecedented pro-Zionist platform plank that caused the Democrats to follow suit. But he deserves just as much, if not more credit for his work as a scholar of Jewish history. And it is here, as much as in his embrace of Jabotinsky’s vision of a secure, liberal and democratic Jewish state in all of historic Palestine that his influence is felt.

Pete Hammond, awards columnist and movie historian at Deadline Hollywood, moderated a panel of female co-stars at the West-Coast premiere of the biography of Bernie Schwartz: "Tony Curtis- Driven to Stardom." Panelists include Sally Kellerman, Mimi van Doren, Marian Collier ("Some Like it Hot" bassist), and Mr. Curtis' widow, Jill Curtis.



David Suissa, of the L.A. Jewish Journal, moderated a post-screening discussion with "The Price of Kings" series "Shimon Peres" and "Yasser Arafat" installments director Richard Symons; and Andrew Wainrib, producer of Israeli rescue at Entebbe animated drama, "Cohen on the Bridge."

L.A. Jewish Film Festival week of screenings premieres with tribute to Bernie Schwartz (a/k/a Tony Curtis)

The L.A. Jewish Film Festival premiered a week of screenings with "Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom." A panel discussion, moderated by Hollywood columnist and historian, Pete Hammond, brought out anecdotes from family and actors who co-starred in Tony Curtis / Bernie Schwartz pictures, including Mimi van Doren and Sally Kellerman. Several movie colleagues and friends, such as Stella Stevens, also attended, through the coordination of motion picture and television research archivist, Marvin Paige.

Hansen's Cakes of Fairfax Ave designed nice, custom cake

Mimi van Doren welcomed by Hilary Helstein, Festival Director

Bio-pic "Tony Curtis- Driven to Stardom"

Jewish Journal's David Suissa with "righteous gentile," social activist, Jon Voight

L.A. Jewish Film Festival moderator, Pete Hammond, discusses 'Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom" and the history of Jewish people in Hollywood.


Tony Curtis' co-star Sally Kellerman speaks on the panel of Tony's co-stars- sharing raw stories of working with him- onstage at US premiere of "Driven to Stardom."



Jill Curtis was married to Tony during the latter part of his life. She shares personal details of  Tony's Jewish identity during his longest marriage.



Jon Voight, ("National Treasure") discusses Hollywood's founding by Jewish immigrants and his respect for Jewish contributions to American entertainment culture.