Shari Redstone and Gelila Assefa Puck to Host ‘Rebuilding Bridges’ Event to Encourage Dialogue Between Black and Jewish Communities

Valerie Wu
·2 min read
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Shari Redstone and Gelila Assefa Puck have joined forces to host an event designed to bring together members of Black and Jewish communities for dialogue and solidarity at a time of extreme polarization across the U.S.

The Oct. 17 event, “Rebuilding Bridges Between the Black and Jewish Communities Through Art and Conversation,” will be held at Spago Beverly Hills and emceed by Spectrum One news anchor Giselle Fernández. Redstone is chair of Paramount Global; Puck is a partner and global creative director for The Wolfgang Puck Group of Companies, which owns the Spago brand. The event has been long in the works and predated the outbreak of deadly violence this weekend with Hamas attacks in Israel.

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“Rebuilding Bridges” will spotlight an art exhibition curated by Puck and Megan Steinman, executive director of the nonprofit artists support network Denniston Hill in upstate New York. The exhibition features new works from Jewish and Black artits. It will also include pieces from the Skirball Cultural Center’s current exhibition “This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Black Freedom and Civil Rights Movements,” emphasizing Jewish photographers who were involved in the right for Black rights. Ben Crump, prominent civil rights attorney, will also be among the event’s speakers. Multi-hyphenate entertainer Ben Vereen is set to perform.

Redstone has a long history of supporting Jewish advocacy and philanthropic causes. In May, she was honored at the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance National Tribute Dinner. She is also a co-sponsor of the Paley Impact antisemitism series run by the Paley Center for Media. Puck is the founder of the Dream for Future African Foundation (DFFAF), which helps provide resources to improve the quality of life for underprivileged Africans.

“The remarkable synergies that exist between the Black and Jewish communities, our traditions, our love of culture, and family values that we share are undeniable,” Puck said.

Ephraim Isaac, the first professor of Afro American studies at Harvard University, will also speak at the event, which will include a dinner with leaders across a range of industries and causes.

“It is time for the Black and Jewish communities to stand together once again in the fight against hate,” said Redstone. “This event allows us to take that first step to rebuild the relationship between our communities, strengthen bonds and reunite as strong allies.”

(Pictured: Shari Redstone, Gelila Assefa Puck)

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