Birthright Long Island honors business leader Jon Held

Long Island business leader Jon Held, a founding supporter of Birthright Israel on Long Island, was honored at a gala in Westbury that raised over $2 million on June 11.

“We don’t have the luxury of standing on the sidelines,” Held told nearly 300 participants at the event, in the Glen Oaks Club. “Every young Jew who boards a Birthright plane comes home more resilient, proud and connected to their Jewish identity — that is worth fighting for and worth celebrating.”

“The young adults who travel to Israel because of this community come home more grounded, more confident, more connected. Long Island feels that, the Jewish world feels that. That is what Jon helped build,” said Elias Saratovsky, president and CEO of Birthright Israel Foundation.