Melbourne’s UIA Gala Dinner
550 donors recently filled Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt Savoy Ballroom to capacity for the UIA Gala Dinner featuring international guest speakers Colonel Richard Kemp and Lieutenant Colonel Chezy Deutsch.
Richard Kemp [left] with guests
Kemp saluted the students from the Melbourne Jewish day schools that he has addressed, highlighting that, “your children are a cut above. If they are the future of the Jewish community in Australia, you have a great deal to be thankful about.” He spoke of his admiration of the IDF as being the most moral army he had come across over his many years as Head of the British Forces. Kemp brought a strong message of support for Israel and the UIA stating that “the challenges that Israel faces today makes your work at the UIA even more important than it’s been before.” 
He concluded with the profound statement that “Israel – one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen will stand until the end of time. And Israel will not stand alone, because we in this room will stand with it.”
Deutsch, the former director for International Relations of the IDF’s Home Front Command spoke of the vital role of the Home Front Command in protecting the lives of Israeli civilians illustrating this through some heartfelt anecdotes. He paralleled this to the work of the UIA acknowledging our donors for their role in also saving lives referencing the 2015 campaign focus of armouring kindergartens in the South of Israel. He highlighted the importance of this project which he had visited prior to Australia and spoke of the imminent need for donors’ support of this project to protect our children in the event of a code red.
Guests also heard from UIA Victoria President Shlomo Werdiger, Master of Ceremonies Tom Krulis and were entertained by the wonderful Rita Satch.
