The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) held its annual Rays of Light in the Darkness dinner on Tuesday, June 12, in Washington, D.C., at the Grand Hyatt hotel. EMET is a DC-based think tank with an unabashedly pro-America and pro-Israel stance, that educates policymakers to help them make informed decisions that will improve American security and the security of its one true ally in the Middle East: Israel. EMET also holds monthly seminars on Capitol Hill to educate the public on issues involving the Middle East.

More than 500 people gathered at Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, Maryland, on June 11 for Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington’s (JCRC) 80th anniversary gala. The event focused on a theme of unity, highlighted the organization’s impact on the community through its legislative advocacy, and honored four area residents.

Jason Alexander electrified an audience of 1,500 Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School supporters with a concert of Broadway show and comedic anecdotes at Spotlight 2018, the school’s annual scholarship fund gala, on Monday, June 4. The event raisedmore than $1 million for the scholarship fund, making a Beth Tfiloh education possible for more than 50 percent of its students.

Thanks to a partnership between Sephardic Heritage INternational DC (SHIN DC) and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, a film celebrating Ethiopian Jewish heritage taught visitors to the museum about this special sector of the Israeli community. The event on Sunday, May 27 took place on the 27th anniversary of Operation Solomon, one of the covert operations to bring the Ethiopian Jews to Israel, and was followed by a moderated discussion and festive reception.

Section 60, sometimes referred to as “the saddest acre in America,” is the area of Arlington National Cemetery where U.S. servicemen and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest. On Memorial Day, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, a retired Marine General whose son was killed in Afghanistan in November of 2010, joined Jim and Alison Malachowski at the grave of their son, Marine Staff Sergeant Jimmy Malachowski, who was also killed in action in Afghanistan.

A record 800 business and community leaders from the Washington metro area gathered on Sunday, June 10, for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Midatlantic Solidarity Gala at the Ronald Regan Building to honor Israel’s soldiers and celebrate 70 years of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Sulam’s annual gala, held June 3, spotlighted the work of RespectAbility and its founder Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi in fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for people with disabilities. Amy Blum, a Sulam founder, was also honored.

Both the makeup and the needs of Jewish communities in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia have evolved over recent decades. At three town hall gatherings held over the course of May by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, residents provided input that will go toward developing a vision for the institution’s future.

An official statement from a University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) spokesperson June 6 expressed the administration’s support for the claim of visiting adjunct professor Pnina Peri that she was “provoked and verbally attacked” in the minutes prior to an altercation in Ben Gurion International Airport that has since gone viral. The statement cited as evidence a second video clip of the incident, taken from another vantage point at the scene and during a part of the exchange not included in the original footage.

To commemorate Memorial Day, the Foundation of Leisure World sponsored a ceremony on the morning of Monday, May 28, to honor the veterans who served in the United States military. As the only veterans’ organization in Leisure World, the Jewish War Veterans (JWV) Post 567 was asked by organizer Billy Saunders to provide the personnel and help plan the event. As acting commander of the Post, I arranged for the participants. Marian Altman, president of the Foundation, gave the 100 attendees a welcoming message.