Natalie Portman: Save Israel's Music

Natalie Portman has come to the rescue again! In between filming her new movie Love and Other Impossible Pursuits in NYC, a film she salvaged by taking on the lead role and executive producing after Jennifer Lopez dropped out last minute, Natalie’s been busy working to save the music scene in her home state of Israel.

One of her most passionate projects is the Jerusalem Foundation, where she co-hosted an event at Carnegie Hall in NYC on Nov. 12 along with Lord Rothschild to benefit the Jerusalem Music Center. The Israeli-born V for Vendetta actress was accompanied by her farther and a former Harvard classmate at the event where she spoke and listened to performances from graduates of the school.

“Someone who has come some way in the world of performing arts, I only know too well the distance between a dream and its realization,” Natalie, 27, said at the event,  “And can fully appreciate what it means for young aspiring artists to have such a wonderful organization guide and support them in pursuing their goal. And as someone born and raised in Jerusalem and still very much belongs to this great city, I can confidently say that the Jerusalem music center has revolutionized the cultural scene of Israel’s capitol both in quality and quantity.”

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits is expected to be released in June of 2009. In the film Natalie plays a young mother and aspiring lawyer named Emelia, who is working to save her marriage and raise a 5-year-old stepson.

By Laura Lane