A musical tribute to the Australian philanthropist Richard Pratt

It may have been cold and rainy outside, but inside Jaffa's Nalaga'at Center, a heartwarming ceremony was taking place. Friends, family and donation recipients gathered on Friday to commemorate Australian Jewish philanthropist Richard Pratt.

Through his foundation, Pratt funded 350 projects in Israel ranging from education to integration to culture to health. He died of cancer six months ago.

"Whenever you have the chance to sing a song, stand up and take it," Pratt used to say. He was a passionate singer himself and even embarked on a stage career before returning to work for his father's company.

Richard Pratt turned one of his family's factories into the world's largest packing facility, and himself into Australia's fourth richest person.

"He never stopped performing," his wife Jeanne said, adding that he used to sing to his friends and business partners at their historic house in Melbourne. Among his favorites were the songs "If I were a rich man" and "What a wonderful world," she said.

The ceremony in Jaffa, hosted by Israeli actor Yehezkel Lazarov, began with an impressive performance by the world Renowned Batsheva Dance Company who displayed a modern interpretation of the Bolero. The program continued with various cultural events.

Following a short video presentation about Pratt's life, the Israel Arts and Science Academy Choir sang a beautiful rendition of the song Al Kol Ele. Conductor Michael Wolpe turned to the audience at some point during the song and urged them to join the chorus.

Shmuel and Anat Atzmon, of the Yiddishpiel Yiddish theatre, sang some of Pratt's favorite Yiddish songs, once more encouraging the audience to join in. Suddenly, CEOs and professors found themselves clapping in time and exclaiming that "Gefilte Fish! Gefilte Fish!" was the best food, and learning that when the rabbi dances, so do all the Chassidim.

Roman Rabinovich, winner of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition virtuously played Rachmaninov and Bolcom, leaving the audience speechless.

Between the performances, organizations supported by Pratt's philanthropy voiced their gratitude. Paul Lieba from "Table to Table" saluted Pratt "for the change he brought to the life of so many people in Israel." Lieba founded the organization, which collects leftover food from restaurants and uses it to feed 25,000 people a day. He said the event made him realize that "when you combine a philanthropist like Richard Pratt with professionals who are passionate about their ideas, you really can move mountains."

Mariuma Ben Yosef from Beit HaShanti, a home for distressed youth in Tel Aviv, described the rain that poured down that day as a sign; like the rain gives life to the earth, she said, the "Pratt Foundation is water for organizations like us."

"It's not only the donation, it's giving a new life to children and giving them dignity again," she said.

There was plenty of singing that morning, in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish, and often the audience joined in, laughing and creating heartwarming memories in honor of Richard Pratt, who seemed to have given so much more than just money to these people. "Support successful people and continually create opportunities for them" was one of Pratt's mottos.

Besides donating money, Pratt's foundation also provides leadership support, like fundraising seminars or mentors. "When submissions come in, the first question asked is: Do they really need money or do they need something else?" says foundation CEO Sam Lipski. "In philanthropy, yes, grants are important but you have to empower them."

Surely the most touching speech of the day was given by young Ethiopian Israel Air Force captain Uri Rada. He participated in the "Ethiopians for Engineers" program at the Jerusalem College of Technology. "My mother - who is here today", he said with a trembling voice, "and my father encouraged me to get a good education, knowing that our starting point is inferior to that of others." The program enabled him to become an "equal among equals," he said.

The musical portion of the ceremony continued with Israeli singer Amiram Eini, representing Oleh! Records, an independent music label that supports local musicians seeking to branch out into markets abroad.

Accompanied by violin and guitars he lamented society's general indifference, asking "does anyone care at all?" a question that can be answered with a resounding yes by most of the people in the auditorium that day.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak had to cancel his appearance at the last minute, but his colleague Avishay Braverman, Minister of Minority Affairs, voiced his respect and admiration for Richard Pratt.

"Richard created a legacy of love and passion for this country," he said. "He had a passion for life, he liked art, music, dancing and he had a vision." Then he looked up, and said "God bless you, I know you're listening and I won't sing because there is no better singer than Richard Pratt."

The audience laughed and clapped, continuing to do so throughout the show. Finally, Pratt's widow Jeanne spoke.

"I think he felt that Israel had a right to exist and he wanted to help to do so," she said.

Another video was shown at the end of the ceremony depicting children and counselors, disabled people and students from across Israel dancing to the song Shir LaAhava. All the dancers belonged to organizations supported by the Pratt Foundation.

Since 2000, Pratt has supported Israel with a variety of projects. The first project he funded was the Ben Yakir youth village. In April 2008, one year before his death, he built "The Park of the Australian Soldier" in Be'er Sheva, a memorial to a historic battle in 1917 where the Australian cavalry defeated the Turks in the Negev, paving the way for a Jewish state.