Derrick Sharpe – “Face of Israel”

The Consulate General of Israel in New York, in cooperation with the Salute to Israel Parade, has initiated a banner campaign entitled, “Faces of Israel.” Beginning May 4th, in honor of Israel’s 60^th birthday, banners will line New York’s Fifth Avenue from 46^th to 97^th Streets.
Each banner will feature the face of an Israeli citizen and be topped with a display of Israeli and American flags.

The portraits include Dao Rochvarger-Wong, who was born in Vietnam and arrived in Israel as a “boat person.”. The Vietnamese boat people were granted Israeli citizenship by Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Dao now represents Israel’s Bank HaPoalim in Singapore.

Another representative “Face of Israel” is Derrick Sharpe, the American-born captain of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team. Sharpe moved to Israel from Florida in 1993. He married an Israeli and soon became an Israeli citizen. Shasha Grishkov was born in the Soviet Union and immigrated to Israel with her parents.
A talented singer, she became an audience favorite on “A Star is Born,” Israel’s version of American Idol. Cabra Kasai is a member of the “Idan Raichel Project.” She was born in Ethiopia and immigrated to Israel with her family. Other “faces” in the campaign include Mirit Greenberg, Miss Israel 1997, Rania Jubran is an Arab-Israeli, a diplomat in Israel’s Foreign Ministry, and violinist Miri Ben Ari, who will be attending the June 1^st March.

David Saranga, Israel’s Consul for Media and Public Affairs, noted that the project’s aim is to showcase Israel’s socio-cultural variety. “Israel is a unified people who have come from many different countries and are of many ethnic backgrounds.
Together, they have created the diverse society that is Israeli.”

Banners will be placed along New York’s Fifth Avenue as part of the celebration of the annual Salute to Israel Parade June 1, 2008.
Please visit the Parade website at www.SaluteToIsrael.com.

High-resolution photos are available at https://www.israelfm.org/60israelis/