EVENT Highlights An Evening With Itzhak Perlman

At historic Sony Hall in the heart of New York City, some 400 supporters of AMIT were wowed by the music of Maestro Itzhak Perlman in celebration of AMIT’s groundbreaking Kfar Batya campus, the result of a $70-million investment into the next generation of Israel and Israeli society.

The event recognized the incredible philanthropic commitment of Layla and Evan Green and Ellen and Stanley Wasserman, and included a preview of the AMIT Kfar Batya campus, which will feature The Evan and Layla Green Family Foundation Gogya Building and Program. There, thousands of teachers will be trained in the innovative Gogya method to be implemented throughout the AMIT Network. The facility will focus on academic excellence and be grounded in AMIT’s Torah values, with the singular goal of leveling the playing field for all Israeli children, regardless of socioeconomic background, disability, or personal challenges.

The new campus also includes the Educators’ Innovation Center; AMIT Headquarters; Community Athletic Complex; The Gwen Straus Junior and Senior High School for Boys; Elementary School; Welcome Center; Memorial Park for Fallen Soldiers; and Outdoor Amphitheater.

“An Evening with Itzhak Perlman” was a performance for the ages, with Perlman accompanied by Rohan De Silva on piano.

Maestro Perlman captivated the rapt audience with beautiful musical interludes punctuated with personal stories of his parents’ immigration from Eastern Europe to pre-state Israel in the 1930s, along with his own modest childhood in Tel Aviv, his bout with polio, and how music shaped the course of his life as he was awarded numerous Grammys, the Genesis Prize, and the adulation of millions of fans across the world.

The evening included a tribute to Marguerite Werrin, z”l, a dedicated AMIT board member who recently passed away, and the unveiling of the AMIT Kfar Batya time capsule, which will be placed at the campus site and is comprised of special items, including a telegram from AMIT founder Bessie Gotsfeld. The memorable night concluded with the announcement that AMIT is dedicating the Toby and Itzhak Perlman Music Studio located at the AMIT State Technological School in Jerusalem.