The annual Guardian of Democracy Dinner in San Francisco is the largest fundraiser benefiting the New Israel Fund's work. Please join us for an elegant evening of conversation, cultural exchange, and community building to further equality and social justice in Israel.

This year we are proud to honor two leaders in our community: Steve Abel, recipient of the Guardian of Democracy Award, and Robin Mencher, recipient of the New Generations Leadership Award.

We are also pleased to announce that our keynote speaker this year is Ilana Dayan, Israel’s premier investigative journalist.

Keynote Speaker

Ilana Dayan

Ilana Dayan is Israel’s foremost television and radio journalist.   She is the anchor of Uvda (Fact), one of the most important programs in the history of Israeli television.  Often called Israel’s 60 Minutes, it has covered all of the critical issues facing Israeli society, and has made Dayan a household name.  She also recently launched a second interview program for Israel’s Channel 2, and hosts a popular weekly news program called As of this Morning for the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) radio.

At the end of the first Lebanon War, Dayan was the first female soldier to become a news correspondent for IDF radio, and was the first woman anchor of the television interview program New Evening, at age 23.  She has a law degree from Tel Aviv University, interning at the Supreme Court of Israel, and a doctorate from Yale Law School.  While in the United States, she was a contributor to Yediot Aharonot, Israel’s most popular newspaper.  Dayan was born in Argentina and made aliya to Israel with her family at age 6.  She is married to Harel, and mother of three.