BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Pharrell Williams performs Friends of The Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Western Region Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 1, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Pharell Williams
Pharrell Williams is not one to shy away from controversial topics or expressing how he feels about hot button issues. At the annual Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) gala in Los Angeles, the singer made a surprise appearance and performed his hits on stage. But before belting out “Blurred Lines,” “Get Lucky” and “Happy,” the former Voice coach delivered an emotional speech about the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that left 11 people dead.
“If I’m going to be here singing for you guys tonight, I have to say what I have to say. What happened at that synagogue was incredibly cruel and it’s wrong,” Pharrell told the A-list crowd, which included Ashton Kutcher, Gerard Butler, Andy Garcia, Brian Grazer, Fran Drescher, David Foster, Katherine McPhee, Ziggy Marley and more.
The 2018 FIDF Los Angeles Annual Gala Dinner. Photos by Alexi Rosenfeld
He added, “Generations after generations are tested, but you guys show incredible resilience and I wish that for all people, not just your people, but all people. We all deserve that. That’s not a political thing, that’s what humanity deserves. We deserve to pay attention to the human condition. I don’t know how popular this is, but there just shouldn’t be fighting. Abraham was the father of many nations, not just one. There should not be brother against brother. I just want to say that”.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Pharell Williams performs Friends of The Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Western Region Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 1, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Pharell Williams
Pharrell noted that his next song is to remind everyone that everything will be okay and said, “I believe that there’s a God and I think that God is the greatest,” before singing “Happy.”
Haim Saban, who introduced Pharrell on stage, and his wife, Cheryl chaired the star-studded gala for the 13th year, which raised a staggering $60 million dollars! The organization offers educational, cultural, recreational, and social programs and facilities that provide hope, purpose, and life-changing support for the soldiers who protect Israel and Jews worldwide. FIDF proudly supports Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, families of fallen soldiers, and wounded veterans through a variety of innovative programs and capital projects. FIDF is a non-political, non-military organization that does not and never has provided any form of military aid.
Lt. Noam and Ashton Kutcher, credit FIDF
ABOUT FRIENDS OF ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES
The organization was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization with the mission of offering educational, cultural, recreational, and social programs and facilities that provide hope, purpose, and life-changing support for the soldiers who protect Israel and Jews worldwide. Today, FIDF has more than 150,000 loyal supporters, and 20 chapters throughout the U.S. and Panama. FIDF proudly supports IDF soldiers, families of fallen soldiers, and wounded veterans through a variety of innovative programs that reinforce the vital bond between the communities in the United States, the soldiers of the IDF, and the state of Israel. For more information, please visit: www.fidf.org.