JERUSALEM – A 21-member delegation of Hollywood actors and New York media executives known as the Creative Coalition received a crash course in Israeli and Palestinian arts, politics, business and culture during a weeklong excursion in Israel and Palestinian-controlled areas.
The trip was organized in conjunction with the American Israel Education Foundation, an independent, non-profit, charitable foundation affiliated with AIPAC.
“As we are a social and public advocacy group, which works diligently to promote educational missions, coming to Israel to learn about the history, hear the many different viewpoints, getting to see and experience the quilts of the different people who live here was important to the members of our organization,” Creative Coalition CEO (and CEO of HBO) Robin Bronk told The Jewish Press.
During the course of their visit, the stars met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset member Einat Wilf and visited the Kassam-battered town of Sderot, an Ethiopian absorption center and Yad Vashem. They also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah.
Among the participants (almost none of whom had ever visited Israel prior to this trip) were Tim Daly, Patricia Arquette, Alfre Woodard, Giancarlo Esposito, Griffin Dunne, Richard Kind, Esai Morales, Rob Morrow, Steven Weber and Harry Hamlin.