May 5, 2013

Having this much fun could be called Scandal-ous. Stars from the hit TV series, Scandal, and Once Upon A Time are in Israel, as part of the newest America’s Voices in Israel (AVI) cultural, historical and religious adventure.

Guillermo Diaz (Scandal), Katie Lowes (Scandal), Adam Shapiro (Scandal), Bellamy Young (Scandal) and Lana Parilla (Once Upon A Time) joined Julie Walker, Art Director of the hit TV series The Mentalist, to take in the sights and check out Israel’s high-tech, media, medical, and culture arenas.

“There seems to be art and creativity everywhere, whether it was in the galleries of Jaffa or along the streets of Jerusalem … the creativity blows my mind because you can see that people want to live their lives to the fullest,” said Diaz.

America’s Voices in Israel, a division of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, brought over the potpourri of stars to give them a view of the country from beyond the headlines.

“Each and every day there was some fantastic experience like when we visited Rambam Medical Center and we saw a beating heart muscle made from stem cell technology … and climbing Masada was so spiritual,” said Young.

The celebrities met with army generals, took in Tel Aviv nightlife, tasted local wines, toured the Golan Heights, had a dip in the Dead Sea and will today sum up their trip in Jerusalem.

“We are thrilled to host this newest contingent of Hollywood stars, who will experience the adventure of a lifetime and be exposed to the day-to-day dynamics which shape the destiny of the Jewish State,” said AVI’s Director Irwin Katsof.

The trip was partially sponsored by El Al Israel Airlines and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.