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Hundreds Attend Elie Tahari Runway Show in Miami Honoring Female IDF Soldiers, Hosted at Catholic University
Elie Tahari, right, with wounded IDF solider Dvorah Lea Bart. Photo: Provided
Eight hundred people attended a fashion show on Thursday night in Miami by renowned Israeli fashion designer Elie Tahari that honored female soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and supported Tahari’s new initiative to provide clothing for wounded IDF veterans.
The runway show highlighted 40-50 garments from Tahari’s Fall 2026 collection, assembled into a new collection for the event titled “Threads of Valor.” Its name draws inspiration from a chapter in the Book of Proverbs called Eshet Chayil (“Women of Valor”), which praises a woman as the matriarch of her family and household, and is traditionally sung by a husband on Friday night before the start of the Shabbat meal. “Eshet Chayil” includes lines that talk about a woman making and selling garments.
“Tonight has been the best night of my life,” Tahari said on stage at the runway show. “I’m very proud to be a part of this. Anything I can do for the soldiers — they are my heroes; they are always going to be my heroes. And it makes me feel happy.”
The Israeli-born fashion designer immigrated to New York in 1971 with less than $100 and built a billion-dollar fashion empire that has been successful for over 50 years. Since the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, he has been passionate about supporting IDF veterans, with 100 percent of his e-commerce going directly to help female IDF soldiers.
Thursday’s runway show took place at St. Thomas University (STU), a Catholic school. It was co-organized by Ashlee Rzyczycki, director of STU’s Fashion Merchandising and Design program, as well as Tobi Rubinstein, who serves on the school’s fashion advisory committee and had a career in fashion for the last 45 years. The show was also organized in collaboration with Yedidim – an organization that assists IDF veterans — and Soireee Events.
The runway show was divided into different segments and each revolved around a different theme – including resilience, command, power, freedom, confidence, and sacrifice – that related to the journey and stories of the IDF soldiers honored at the event. Students in STU’s fashion design program collaborated in picking garments by Tahari that would be featured in the runway show, in line with the chosen themes, but students also helped create the lineup and worked behind the scenes at Thursday night’s event.
“It’s an interfaith collaboration. We are a Catholic school, but we can have conversations about faith. It’s been such an amazing learning opportunity for my students,” Rzyczycki told The Algemeiner. “The fashion show is taking audience members on this journey that these women have gone through, when they are in the army, and what they experience from that. It’s kind of a visual, artistic interpretation of that sacrifice … of what they do and incorporating how fashion can be part of that story and narrative.”
“It’s like bringing New York Fashon Week together with a charity event, blending it together and putting it in a major fashion school,” added Rubinstein, who is also a best-selling author and founder of the House of Faith and Fashion movement. “It’s really quite something, and the irony of it being in a Catholic fashion school that is so pro-Israel just makes it all the most delicious.”
Among the models who walked the runway on Thursday night were IDF soldiers, Jewish STU students, influencers, and pro-Israel activists, including former UC Santa Barbara Student Body President Tessa Veksler, who was featured in the “Blind Spot” documentary; Lawfare Project founder Brooke Goldstein; and artist, designer, and entrepreneur Elizabeth Sutton.
“It was an immense privilege to walk the runway for such a monumental fashion moment in support of Israel — alongside legendary women who have fought for Israel not only on the frontlines of the war itself, but also on the frontlines of the global war against antisemitism. It was humbling,” Sutton told The Algemeiner. “To witness a fashion icon like Elie Tahari commit such bold philanthropy — pledging all e-commerce sales in perpetuity to wounded soldiers — was profoundly inspiring, and reaffirmed my own goals as a Jewish businesswoman, leader, and designer.”
Proceeds from Thursday night’s event when directly to supporting female IDF veterans through Tahari’s new initiative Project Wardrobe, which provides wounded female IDF veterans with clothing so they can feel empowered while acclimating back into society after they finish their army service. As part of the initiative, launched in collaboration with Yedidim and Soiree Events, Tahari gives a clothing allowance to soldiers each month and he covers the cost of shipping, delivery, taxes, and other fees for the garments.
“It’s about giving the wounded soldier a sense of self-esteem and self-worth through clothing,” Rubinstein said of Project Wardrobe. “Clothing is so much more than just what I wear. It can heal you. It can rehabilitate you and give you the strength to move forward.”
“To me Elie’s clothing is like a suit of armor,” added Rzyczycki. “It demonstrates power and showing that you can be confident and powerful in what you wear. And all of the clothing that Elie has, his designs, has always been focused on that. He is a really powerful beacon to demonstrate how clothing can provide power to women.”
Rzyczycki also talked to The Algemeiner about the decision to have STU host the fashion show and collaborate in efforts to support Israeli soldiers.
“It’s all about educating my students on the power that fashion can have … For me, as an educator I think it’s important for me to tell my students about doing things that are bigger than ourselves,” she explained. “I think it’s really important for my students to be able to understand some of the philanthropic efforts that go into fashion. And this event really embodies that – being able to give back and also do things that have a bigger purpose revolving around fashion.”
“Fashion can be a unifier for all religions, all different ways of life, to be able to provide education and camaraderie,” she added. “I think we’re teaching our students valuable lessons on the power that fashion can have in that language and delivering that to people.”
A day before the runway show, Tahari and Rubenstein hosted a fashion masterclass for STU students in the fashion merchandising and design program, where the designer discussed the fashion business but also the combination of faith and fashion.
See below photos from Tahari’s “Threads of Valor” fashion show.
Photo: Threads of Valor
Photo: Threads of Valor
Photo: Threads of Valor
Photo: Threads of Valor
Photo: Threads of Valor
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‘For As Long As Necessary’: Katz Says Campaign Against Iran Entering Decisive Stage
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias make statements to the press, at the Ministry of Defense in Athens Greece, Jan. 20, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
i24 News – Israel Katz said Saturday that the confrontation with Iran had entered a “decisive phase,” as US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets continued and regional tensions escalated.
Speaking after a security assessment at Israel’s defense headquarters alongside Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and senior military and intelligence officials, the Israeli defense minister said the campaign against the Islamic Republic would continue “for as long as necessary.”
“The global and regional struggle against Iran, led by American President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is intensifying and entering its decisive phase,” Katz said.
Katz also praised US strikes on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil hub, describing them as a “severe blow” to the Iranian regime. He said the attacks were an appropriate response to Iranian threats against the strategic Strait of Hormuz and to what he called Tehran’s attempts to pressure the international community.
At the same time, Katz said the Israeli Air Force was continuing a “powerful wave of attacks” against targets in Tehran and other parts of Iran.
He accused the Iranian leadership of using “regional and global terrorism” and strategic blackmail in an effort to deter Israel and the United States from pursuing their military campaign, warning that such actions would be met with a “strong and uncompromising response.”
Katz added that the outcome of the conflict would ultimately depend on the Iranian population. “Only the Iranian people can put an end to this situation through a determined struggle, until the overthrow of the terrorist regime and the salvation of Iran,” he said.
According to the minister, the confrontation now pits the Iranian regime’s determination to survive against growing military pressure from Israel and its allies.
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Trump Rejects Efforts to Launch Iran Ceasefire Talks, Sources Say
US President Donald Trump speaks on the day he honors reigning Major League Soccer (MLS) champion Inter Miami CF players and team officials with an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 5, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President Donald Trump’s administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to three sources familiar with the efforts.
Iran, for its part, has rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes end, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, adding that several countries had been trying to mediate an end to the conflict.
The lack of interest from Washington and Tehran suggests both sides are digging in for an extended conflict, even as the widening war inflicts civilian casualties and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz sends oil prices soaring.
US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, on Friday night underscored Trump’s determination to press ahead with his military assault. Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and threatened to step up attacks on neighboring countries.
The war has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, and created the biggest-ever oil supply disruption as maritime traffic has halted in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
ATTEMPTS TO OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION
Oman, which mediated talks before the war, has tried multiple times to open a line of communication, but the White House has made clear it is not interested, according to two sources, who like others in this story were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about diplomatic matters.
A senior White House official confirmed Trump has rebuffed those efforts to start talks and is focused on pressing ahead with the war to further weaken Tehran’s military capabilities.
“He’s not interested in that right now, and we’re going to continue with the mission unabated. Maybe there’s a day, but not right now,” the official said.
During the first week of the war, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s leadership and military were so battered by US-Israeli strikes that they wanted to talk, but that it was “Too Late!” He has a history of shifting foreign policy stances without warning, making it hard to rule out that he might test the waters for restarting diplomacy.
“President Trump said new potential leadership in Iran has indicated they want to talk and eventually will talk. For now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated,” a second senior White House official said when asked to comment on this story.
The Iranian sources said Tehran has rejected efforts by several countries to negotiate a ceasefire until the US and Israel end their airstrikes and meet Iran’s demands, which include a permanent end to US and Israeli attacks and compensation as part of a ceasefire.
Egypt, which was involved in mediation before the war, has also tried to reopen communications, according to three security and diplomatic sources. While the efforts do not appear to have made progress, they have secured some military restraint from neighboring countries hit by Iran, according to one of the sources.
Egypt’s foreign ministry, the government of Oman and the Iranian government did not respond to requests for comment.
POSITIONS HARDEN ON ALL SIDES
The war’s impact on global oil markets has significantly increased the cost for the United States.
Some US officials and advisers to Trump urge a quick end to the war, warning that surging gasoline prices could exact a high political price from the president’s Republican Party, with US midterm elections looming.
Others are pressing Trump to maintain the offensive against the Islamic Republic to destroy its missile program and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters reporting.
Trump’s rejection of diplomatic efforts could indicate that, for now, the administration has no plans for a quick end to the war.
Indeed, both the United States and Iran appear even less willing to engage than during the opening days of the war, when senior US officials reached out to Oman to discuss de-escalating, according to several sources.
One source said Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had also sought to use Oman as a conduit for ceasefire discussions that would have involved U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
But those discussions have not materialized.
Instead, Iran’s position has hardened, said a third senior Iranian source.
“Whatever was communicated previously through the diplomatic channels is irrelevant now,” said the source.
“The Guards strongly believe that if they lose control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will lose the war,” the source added, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite paramilitary force that controls large parts of the economy.
“Therefore, the Guards will not accept any ceasefire, ceasefire talks, or diplomatic efforts, and Iran’s political leaders will not engage in such talks despite attempts by several countries.”
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US Strikes More Than 90 Iranian Military Targets on Kharg Island, CENTCOM Says
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. Photo: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
United States forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island in Iran on Friday night, the US Central Command said on Saturday.
“US forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure,” CENTCOM said.
The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, the US military said in a post on X.
President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island hub, unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.