The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the April 3, 2025, edition of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent:
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| From left to right: JNF-USA CEO Russell F. Robinson, Michael Solomonov, Steven Cook and Steve Dabrow at the JNF-USA gala in Philadelphia on March 27. (Photo credit: Jordan Cassway Photography) |
The Greater Philadelphia Jewish community came out in force on March 27 to support Jewish National Fund-USA’s efforts to rebuild northern Israel and to pay tribute to two well-known honorees.
Over 600 people came to the Bellevue Hotel in Center City and watched as Philly’s chef Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook, co-owners of CookNSolo Restaurants and owners of Philadelphia’s Zahav restaurant, received JNF-USA’s Tree of Life Award. The organization’s highest honor was bestowed upon Solomonov and Cook for their enduring commitment to the state of Israel and, in particular, their steadfast support for northern Israel.
Almost immediately after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, Hezbollah began firing a barrage of missiles at northern Israel, which led to mass evacuations in order to protect Israelis from the relentless rocket fire. In an effort to assist the people adversely impacted in northern Israel, JNF-USA launched its “Reimagine” campaign to help rebuild the communities and enable the evacuees to return home. For Solomonov and Cook, supporting JNF-USA and its initiatives to bring positive change in northern Israel has been paramount.
The gala attendees, which included leaders from Philadelphia’s Jewish community and well-known personalities, including culinary author and food journalist Joan Nathan, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History President and CEO Dan Tadmor, and Marc Zumoff, the former play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers, dined on an array of delectable food offerings before heading into the large ballroom for the formal program.
Steve Dabrow, president of JNF-USA’s Eastern PA board of directors, welcomed the crowd and noted that the event raised an incredible $2.7 million, which drew a big round of applause from the attendees.
Lori Dabrow, a JNF-USA Eastern PA board member and a member of the organization’s Task Force on Disabilities, introduced members of the Special in Uniform band, which is comprised of young men and women with special needs that also serve in the Israel Defense Forces. With music playing in the background, the three singers gave a rousing performance, singing several Israeli songs, as well as “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem.
The crowd was on their feet, singing, dancing and waving Israeli flags, as the two young men and one young woman performed.
As he began his remarks, JNF-USA CEO Russell F. Robinson urged the crowd to talk to their elected officials and “demand that our hostages come home now.”
Referring to the atrocities of Oct. 7, Robinson emphatically declared, “We are winning, we will win and the Jewish people are strong and united everywhere, and it’s because of people like you that are standing up and being counted.”
Robinson spoke about the situation in northern Israel, where he said 85,000 people were forced from their homes, noting that JNF has long had a presence in that area. “We’re welcoming them home today and every day,” he said.
“Because we were there, because we know those people, on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, we were able to go into action,” Robinson said as he referred to the communities near the Gaza border. “Thirty-eight thousand people in 72 hours in the Israel Envelope were evacuated and sent to communities because of Jewish National Fund and because of your support.”
After Cook accepted his award, he spoke about the decision he and Solomonov made in terms of how to brand their restaurant.
“I want to take you back to 2008. It was a few months before Zahav was set to open, and we had a meeting with our public relations team to discuss our communication strategy for the restaurant,” Cook said. “At some point, the question was raised, well, how should we refer to the restaurant? Should it be Israeli, or was it more broadly going to be Middle Eastern, or even safer, Mediterranean? I think we talked for about five seconds before responding, Zahav is going to be an Israeli restaurant.”
“At some point, we realized that the restaurant was no longer just a hot restaurant at the moment, that it was on its way to becoming an institution in the city and beyond, and Mike and I became custodians of that institution, something we took very seriously on behalf of the hundreds and hundreds of employees and the thousands and thousands of guests that have passed through our doors that shared that vision with us. And it all started with that seemingly innocuous decision to call Zahav an Israeli restaurant,” he added.
Marina Furman, executive director of national major donor advancement at JNF-USA, introduced a video that was shown at the event, which centered around a new bomb shelter that was built and beautified in northern Israel in memory of Michael Solomonov’s brother, David, who was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was killed in 2003 near the Lebanon border.
During his remarks at the gala, Solomonov spoke about his brother, discussing the origin of the picture that’s depicted on the bomb shelter, which he noted was a painting that his brother made when he was in third grade. The painting hung over his grandmother’s couch in her apartment in Lod, Israel, and after she passed away, Solomonov brought it back to the U.S. It’s been on top of every one of his children’s changing tables, and it currently hangs on the wall in his son’s room.
“For me, it’s a way for my brother to embrace my kids,” an emotional Solomonov said.
Solomonov also spoke about how he and Cook decided after Oct. 7 that they were going to donate 100% of revenues from their restaurants to support Israel.
“I got to show my nephew, who was called back into reserves in Gaza, where he spent 300 days, the video and the pictures of all of you standing outside of our restaurants for eight hours, showing him and showing our family in Israel that we are one,” Solomonov said to a huge ovation from the crowd.
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