CSI stars 'gather evidence' in Israel
Some say fame is power – the power to inspire, the power to encourage, the power to reach people. Recently, cast members of CBS’s Crime Scene Investigation series journeyed to Israel to use their power in a new way.
Eight days in the Holy Land gave AJ Buckley (Adam Ross, CSI: NY), Omar Benson Miller (Walter Simmons, CSI: Miami), Carmine Giovinazzo (Danny Messer, CSI: NY) and Jonathan Togo (Ryan Wolfe, CSI: Miami) – from left to right in the photo above – an image of Israel and the Jewish people beyond the stereotypes and the daily news. “Celebrities have the power to spread the word without an aggressive push. They see for themselves that Israel is safe, beautiful, rich in culture and art, history and spirituality, sports … it has everything, including beautiful weather,” explains entertainment industry executive Traci Szymanski.
The actors toured the Old City of Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, the Dead Sea, Ceasaria, Masada, and much more. They also went horseback riding in the Galilee and toured the Argo Medical Technologies facility in Yokenam Illit to experience the ReWalk exoskeleton technology innovations for paraplegics.
For Jonathan Togo and AJ Buckley, the trip was not only a lot of fun, but a spiritual experience as well.
Togo compared a Bar Mitzvah he witnessed at the Western Wall to his own 1990 celebration in Massachusetts. Of finally visiting his homeland, he said, “I’ve always heard about Israel and I’ve always wanted to go, so when the opportunity came up I couldn’t turn it down.” He continued to say that he was particularly struck by the international nature of the modern state with its rich, open culture based on democracy.
As an Irish Catholic well-versed in the Bible, Buckley felt that “the whole trip is like reading a storybook and then getting to participate in the storybook and have it come alive.” He brought along the ashes of his late father, who passed away last year without having fulfilled his lifelong dream of traveling to Israel. “I’ve been scattering them in the [Sea of] Galilee, by the Wailing Wall … it’s a really emotional experience,” Buckley tells ISRAEL21c.
Szymanksi, along with Hollywood producer and Israel advocate Noa Tishby, are planning a similar trip for cast members of Dancing with the Stars. She says, “Every day, every meeting, every encounter is an opportunity to change someone’s perspective about Israel and the Jewish people. If we work to change the misconceptions about Israel, it will decrease prejudice, hate and ultimately violence.”
Eight days in the Holy Land gave AJ Buckley (Adam Ross, CSI: NY), Omar Benson Miller (Walter Simmons, CSI: Miami), Carmine Giovinazzo (Danny Messer, CSI: NY) and Jonathan Togo (Ryan Wolfe, CSI: Miami) – from left to right in the photo above – an image of Israel and the Jewish people beyond the stereotypes and the daily news. “Celebrities have the power to spread the word without an aggressive push. They see for themselves that Israel is safe, beautiful, rich in culture and art, history and spirituality, sports … it has everything, including beautiful weather,” explains entertainment industry executive Traci Szymanski.
The actors toured the Old City of Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, the Dead Sea, Ceasaria, Masada, and much more. They also went horseback riding in the Galilee and toured the Argo Medical Technologies facility in Yokenam Illit to experience the ReWalk exoskeleton technology innovations for paraplegics.
For Jonathan Togo and AJ Buckley, the trip was not only a lot of fun, but a spiritual experience as well.
Togo compared a Bar Mitzvah he witnessed at the Western Wall to his own 1990 celebration in Massachusetts. Of finally visiting his homeland, he said, “I’ve always heard about Israel and I’ve always wanted to go, so when the opportunity came up I couldn’t turn it down.” He continued to say that he was particularly struck by the international nature of the modern state with its rich, open culture based on democracy.
As an Irish Catholic well-versed in the Bible, Buckley felt that “the whole trip is like reading a storybook and then getting to participate in the storybook and have it come alive.” He brought along the ashes of his late father, who passed away last year without having fulfilled his lifelong dream of traveling to Israel. “I’ve been scattering them in the [Sea of] Galilee, by the Wailing Wall … it’s a really emotional experience,” Buckley tells ISRAEL21c.
Szymanksi, along with Hollywood producer and Israel advocate Noa Tishby, are planning a similar trip for cast members of Dancing with the Stars. She says, “Every day, every meeting, every encounter is an opportunity to change someone’s perspective about Israel and the Jewish people. If we work to change the misconceptions about Israel, it will decrease prejudice, hate and ultimately violence.”