Over 200 people turned out at Nessah Synagogue in Los Angeles to hear Ambassador Dore Gold discuss his new book, “The Fight For Jerusalem.” Over the years, Ambassador Gold has been intimately involved in Arab-Israeli negotiations, and a most intelligent and experienced advocate for Israel. In discussing his book, Ambassador Gold illustrated the importance of not losing sight of the ancient history of the Jewish people in Jerusalem, depicting a strong foundation in Jerusalem from the times of King David, King Solomon and prior. Shifting to the modern day political arena in Israel, he outlined the importance of maintaining a secure and “united Jerusalem” open to all faiths, races, and religions.

Just a few weeks ago, hundreds came out to hear Likud party Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu speak the American Friends of Likud event hosted by John and Gissou Farahi at the Iranian Federation in Los Angeles. along with party whip MK Gideon Saar, MK Gilad Erdan, and Karmit Goldwasser, wife of Kidnapped soldier Ehud Goldwasser.

Netanyahu’s message to the crowd was of the dangers of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the nuclear bombs which he is developing.

While it seems as if the world is indifferent to the threat, Netanyahu urged that as Jews we cannot be indifferent and warns that the Iranian President is like Hitler in 1938 and "When someone tells you he is going to exterminate you, believe him and stop him."

This was received with a standing ovation from the crowd.

Both MK Saar and MK Erdan spoke with eloquence and the crowd was then moved to tears as Karmit Goldwasser shared her experience of fighting for the release of her husband. She ended her speech with a plea that everyone should be writing letters, signing petitions and doing what they can so that at the very least she should be given some sign of life from her husband.

MK Gilad Erdan was our special guest at the LA wine tasting in support of Northern Israel. He stunned the crowd with his candid comments about the war in Lebanon, the toll it has taken on the country and the role of the current government in this debacle. He pointed out that Olmert entered into Lebanon with the goals of securing the release of the soldiers and wiping out Hezbollah’s military capabilities, neither of which were accomplished. While people in the audience wanted to know if the current government was going to topple in the near future, MK Erdan declined to comment, but he did note that public opinion has changed dramatically and if elections were held today that Likud would see a major comeback.

MK Gilad Erdan kicked off our first event in Las Vegas on Sept 11th with a moving speech about Israel and America's common fight against Islamic terrorism. He also discussed American support for the war in Lebanon and the military ties that bind the country.

Update on the effect of the war in Lebanon with Minister of Economic Affairs Ron Dermer