Comedy for a Cause
Comedians take stage to help UD Hillel raise funds for Lone Soldier Center
9:52 a.m., Dec. 15, 2014--University of Delaware students and community members came together on Nov. 18 for UD Hillel’s Comedy for a Cause event to support the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin.
Michael Levin’s sister, UD alumna Elisa Levin Mindlin, started the night by sharing the story of her brother and how the organization was started.
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Levin moved to Israel from Philadelphia in 2002 to fulfill his dream of serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). At just 21 years of age, he was tragically killed in the Second Lebanon War. He is remembered as an American hero and his legacy lives on today through the Lone Soldier Center and the documentary A Hero in Heaven.
“Not even a day after his death, my family, we all kind of talked about it and said, ‘Well, we have to do something,’” his sister told the crowd.
Comedy for a Cause raised awareness about the support lone soldiers need. UD Hillel also collected donations items that the winter Taglit-Birthright Israel group will deliver to the Lone Soldier Center in Jerusalem this January.
Donna Schwartz, UD Hillel’s interim executive director, explained that lone soldiers are “Americans and people from anywhere in the world that leave their family and decide that they want to fight to defend Israel in the IDF.”
There are over 5,700 lone soldiers currently serving in the IDF. Donating requested items for the lone soldiers – such as toothpaste, socks and deodorant – helps to strengthen the connection between Delaware and Israel, she said.
UD’s improv group, the Rubber Chickens, got the crowd laughing before comedian Benji Lovitt took the stage. Lovitt gave a hilarious performance, sharing his stories of his failed attempts to fit into Israeli culture as an American.
“You know, laughter can express a message in a way that other mediums or media cannot,” said Lovitt.
A UD Hillel representative said “the night was a huge success” and thanked the Stape and Marcus Family Foundation “for supporting this special event.”
Photo by Nicole Wasilus