Every year, communal organisations compete to secure the services of a top speaker who will bring in the crowds, and as a result, the big bucks.
On Sunday night, the Zionist Federation pulled in a 900-person crowd, who flocked to the central London Grosvenor Hotel (at £250 a head) to hear guest speaker Shimon Peres in conversation with Israeli Arab journalist Lucy Aharish.
The event, which is the ZF's largest fundraising dinner to date, turned into an outpouring of support for the former Israeli president. One guest told me: “I just had to come. I just had to hear him speak. He’s the most inspiring…” – and then she clasped her hand to her chest, and sighed. Another had heard Mr Peres speak in Israel. “I flew out there especially to see him. He spoke so well then, and so well now. I am so happy I have had the chance to hear him, twice!”
It is hard to think of many other 91-year-olds who could cultivate the same sense of celebrity that Mr Peres held on the night. At the end of the 30-minute on-stage interview – in which he called on guests to “dream more, remember less” – Mr Peres was ushered away by an entourage of security guards, who stood on either side of the stage throughout the interview. They went onto form a protective circle around him, to block-out iPhone-holding guests hoping to snap a selfie with the former Labour prime minister. Even outside the protective circle, another layer of high-alert agents eyeballed guests-turned-paps who clambered up the famous Grosvenor staircase to take a picture of Mr Peres.
It was a bizarre scene that washed out the celebrity value of so many other politicians, singers and business leaders that have been brought to charity galas. So what makes Mr Peres so special?
I’ll leave that to Lord Levy, Baroness Deech and Israeli Ambassador Daniel Taub to explain. Here is what they said on the night:
“Shimon Peres: a true legend. President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister, Transportation and Communications Minister, Immigration and Absorption Minister, Information Minister, the winner and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, honorary knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen - and Shimon, you’re young, there’s so much more for you to do and achieve… Shimon, you are the pride of Israel and you are also the pride of every single Jew in the world. Your optimism and zest for life sums up who you are.”
Lord Levy
“Let me pay my respects to the man I will always call President Peres. His presence here tonight gives a small community strength and optimism. Not only does he embody the history of Israel, he is the most up-to-date retired President there is. Do you know that he tweets? He has 58,000 followers on Twitter and he follows no-one.”
Baroness Deech
“It is hard to think of any individual in public life who captures that spirit of possibility: to dream, to dare, to do.”
Israeli Ambassador Daniel Taub
