Faith, Fire, And Resolve: Amid Packed House ZOA Superstar Gala Unites Jewish & Israeli Leaders Amid Tumultuous Times — Queens Jewish Link

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ZOA does not endorse or oppose candidates for political office, or advise people to vote or not vote for particular candidates.

Dr. Ben Chouake, ZOA VP and Board member; ZOA National President Morton A. Klein; Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), ZOA Mort Zuckerman Maccabee Warrior Award recipient; and Rita Cosby, emcee (Credit: Zionist Organization of America)

By Robert Pearl

(November 12, 2025 / Queens Jewish Link - Front Page) The Grand Ballroom of the Ziegfeld in Manhattan shimmered Sunday night, November 9, as the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) hosted its 2025 Superstar Gala, a night that brought together some of the most influential figures in Jewish, American, and Israeli life – leaders bound by a shared mission: to defend Israel, confront antisemitism, and reaffirm the indomitable Jewish spirit in an age of rising hostility.

The event unfolded just days after Zohran Mamdani’s stunning election as Mayor of New York City, a development that loomed heavily over the evening’s conversation and speeches. Guests voiced concern and defiance at what many saw as a turning point for Jewish life in the city. As one attendee remarked, “We came together not just to celebrate, but to prepare to fight.”

The evening opened with a VIP cocktail hour before guests gathered in the main ballroom, where acclaimed artist Sam “Bodi” Bodenheimer delivered stirring renditions of The Star-Spangled Banner and HaTikvah, setting a tone of solemn pride.

U.S. Representative for U.N. Management and Reform Ambassador Jeff Bartos and the Administration’s choice for Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Ambassador Designate Yehuda Kaploun at ZOA Gala

Emcee Rita Cosby, Emmy-winning broadcaster and host, welcomed the audience with warmth and emotion, recalling that her father was a Polish resistance fighter who helped save Jews during the Warsaw Uprising. “He taught me the importance of courage, faith, and standing up against evil,” she said, adding that it was the greatest honor to be surrounded by so many heroes and defenders of the Jewish people.

Festivities paused for a moment of silence in honor of Charlie Kirk, who had been scheduled to appear, before his tragic murder earlier this fall. Video tributes filled the ballroom, honoring Kirk’s memory and the enduring friendship between Zionist and conservative movements in America.

Elise Stefanik: “The Spirit That Must and Will Save New York”

Among the night’s most electrifying moments came when Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) took the stage to accept the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Maccabee Warrior Award, presented by Dr. Miriam Adelson, Dr. Ben Chouake, and Morton Klein, ZOA’s longtime national president.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein with Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell, Recipient of ZOA Robert Kasowitz Defender of Jewish Civil Rights Award

Dr. Adelson, speaking via video, praised Stefanik for her courage during her now-famous congressional hearing confronting university presidents about antisemitism on campus. “You had the guts to say the truth,” Adelson said. “You are a great leader — and I hope to visit you in the Office of New York’s Governor next year.”

Stefanik – now the frontrunner in next year’s Republican gubernatorial primary – delivered a fiery and emotional speech that drew multiple standing ovations.

“New York is not just a city and state in crisis; it is the epicenter of the battle for Western values,” she declared. “We are watching a moral collapse when our governor endorses a man like Zohran Mamdani, a raging anti-Semite, defund-the-police, tax-hiking communist who puts every Jewish New Yorker at risk. I will not stay silent.”

The congresswoman’s remarks, blending moral urgency with campaign vigor, galvanized the room. She spoke of her faith, her defense of Israel’s right to exist, and her determination to make New York “affordable, safe, and proud again.”

“The story of the Maccabees is not [just] ancient history,” Stefanik said. “It is a call to every generation to stand up when others shrink back. That is the spirit I see in this room tonight. That is the spirit that must and will save New York.”

Rosenberg, Akunis, and a Roar of Zionist Unity

77WABC radio personality Sid Rosenberg, recently appointed by President Trump to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, brought his trademark Brooklyn candor to the microphone. “October 7 changed me,” he said. “I’ve never been prouder to be a Jew. But now we’ve elected a communist Marxist jihadist as mayor of New York City. Shame on us! We cannot stay silent nor be complacent anymore.”

Rosenberg introduced Ambassador Ofir Akunis, Israel’s Consul General in New York, who received thunderous applause for his steadfast message: “We are proud Zionists, and we will never apologize for defending our nation.” Akunis praised the ZOA for standing strong “in a time when lies have replaced truth” and reaffirmed that Israel “will never allow a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria.”

Leo Terrell: “I Want to Lose This Job”

The night’s most moving moment came when Leo Terrell, civil rights attorney and chair of the U.S. Justice Department’s Task Force on Antisemitism, accepted the Robert M. Kasowitz Defender of Jewish Civil Rights Award. Introduced by attorney Marc Kasowitz, Terrell – wearing a bright red Hadar Goldin hat – spoke with rare moral force.

He recounted how he made the hat in memory of the fallen Israeli soldier whose remains had been held in Gaza since 2014. “I promised his mother I would wear it until he came home,” Terrell said, removing it before the crowd. “And now, Hadar Goldin is finally home.”

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein, Israel's Ambassador to the United States Amb. Rabbi Dr. Yechiel Leiter, Rita Cosby

Terrell’s passion was on display as his voice thundered, condemning the normalization of antisemitism across America’s schools and streets. He also noted that it was Jewish Americans who stood with Black Americans during their fight for civil rights.

“Jewish Americans should have the same rights as all Americans. I am sick and tired of the ‘Jewish tax’ — the extra cost of security just to go to school, work, or synagogue. I want to lose this job. I want to be put out of business – because in a moral America, this position shouldn’t have to exist.”

The room erupted in applause and a standing ovation.

Ambassadors and Awards: Israel’s Voice on the World Stage

Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel’s former envoy to the United Nations, received the Steven Sass Award for Outstanding Diplomacy, recalling Israel’s “miraculous victories” and warning that “peace will only come when the world acknowledges the moral clarity of the Jewish state.”

Later, Ambassador Rabbi Dr. Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, delivered a philosophical address, asserting that Jews are “a people indigenous to the Land of Israel.”

“We are not conquerors or colonizers,” Leiter said. “Israel was given to the Jewish people by G-d, by the Bible, and under international law. Our right to this land is eternal.”

His remarks were followed by a standing ovation.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein, Steven Sass, Amb. Danny Danon, Rita Cosby

Morton Klein: “No Appeasement, No Conciliation – Only Strength”

Closing the evening, Morton A. Klein, ZOA’s national president for nearly three decades, delivered an impassioned call to action. Citing the “mainstreaming of bigotry against Jews,” he vowed that ZOA would fight “these monstrous lies with all our hearts and souls.”

“Bigotry has been disguised as principle, hatred baptized as virtue,” Klein declared. “But we Jews arose from the ashes of Auschwitz, and we will rise again. The miracle of Israel proves that G-d keeps His promises.”

Klein’s voice rose as he spoke of faith, perseverance, and destiny. “We will blow the horn relentlessly and tirelessly for the Jewish people,” he said. “For G-d is with us, and with His help, new miracles will come.”

A Night of Light in a Darkening World

Despite the fear and frustration over New York’s new political landscape, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of hope.

“Tonight wasn’t just a dinner,” one attendee said. “It was a declaration – that we will not bow, we will not be silent, and we will never stop defending our people.”

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