The Stars Salute Israel at 30
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| The Stars Salute Israel at 30 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Marty Pasetta |
| Starring | Various artists |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | James Lipton |
| Production locations | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Hollywood, California |
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | May 7, 1978 |
The Stars Salute Israel at 30 was a 1978 American television special broadcast on ABC. The program was a musical television special held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948.[1] It was viewed by an audience of 18.7 million.[1][2]
It was held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles Music Center.[3] It was simultaneously broadcast to an audience at the Grand Ballroom of the Jerusalem Hilton Hotel.[3][1] The show was the only time that a foreign nation has been celebrated on American network television at prime time.[2]
The Israeli embassy approached the jazz record producer Charles Fishman in anticipation of the anniversary. Fishman had previously bought the jazz saxophonist Stan Getz to Israel in 1977.[2] Fishman recalled that he thought "What would be the hippest thing to do? What would be the biggest star-power thing to do?" and so sought to enlist Barbra Streisand for the special who had had extraordinary success the previous year with her film A Star Is Born and the song "Evergreen".[2] Fishman got the producer James Lipton and the director Marty Pasetta to approach Streisand who agreed to appear as long as she was accompanied by Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[2] The show was greenlit for broadcasting after Streisand's commitment by the ABC President Leonard Goldenson.[2] He had been a long-standing supporter and advocate of Israel.[2] The eventual show was directed by Pasetta and written by Lipton, Buz Kohan and Bob Arnot.[1][2][4] Kohan had previously written The Stars Salute Israel - 25 for Israel's 25th anniversary in 1973.[2] Kohan and Mehta helped Streisand prepare for the show and Kohan got his wife to sing the lyrics of the Israeli national anthem "Hatikvah" over the telephone to Streisand.[2] It was held on 7 May 1978 and broadcast the following evening on ABC.[1]
The celebration was sponsored by the American Committee to Celebrate Israel's 30th Anniversary.[3]