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More Than $31M Raised At Beverly Hills Gala To Benefit Israeli Soldiers

BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA.com) — More than $31 million was raised at an event in Beverly Hills to benefit the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, officials said Friday.

On Thursday, 1,200 supporters from the U.S. and Israel attended the annual Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Western Region Gala, which was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Event coordinators said Antonio Banderas, Gene Simmons, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Alexander and Liev Schreiber attended the sold out event.

Guests enjoyed performances featured by David Foster & Friends, The Beach Boys and Asanda Jezile.

Friends of Israel Defense Forces was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors. It is a non-profit organization that provides the men and women of the Israeli armed forces with educational, cultural, social and recreational programs.

The organization also supports families of fallen soldiers and wounded veterans through several programs.

Haim and Cheryl Saban served as chairs of the gala.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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