Directed by Marty Pasetta and executive produced and co-written by James Lipton (of Inside the Actors Studio fame), The Stars Salute Israel at 30! was a two-hour gala birthday party for the Jewish-majority state.
The show was conceived as a live concert to be taped and aired the following evening on ABC Television Network. The live show was also broadcast via satellite to the Grand Ballroom of the Jeruslem Hilton Hotel where an Israeli audience watched.
It's said that with Barbra Streisand's commitment to appear on the show, ABC's chief and founder, Leonard Goldenson, green-lighted the television special.
After a couple of hours of performances by stars such as Bernadette Peters, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Flip Wilson, Barbra Streisand closed the show, accompanied by Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
“She wanted to sing ‘Hatikvah,’ only she didn’t know” the song, Buz Kohan told writer Seth Gitell in 2008. Kohan was a writer for the Israel show. Kohan telephoned his wife and asked her to sing the song to Streisand. Kohan remembered the evening fondly by stating that Streisand “was remarkable. Everybody was impressed with the last twenty minutes of the show.”
Barbra took the stage dressed in a gorgeous, white lace antique dress. She joined Mehta on stage and draped her lace shawl over a stool and steadied her microphone. Suddenly, some ardent fans screamed, “We love you, Barbra!” which caused Barbra to lose her concentration momentarily. Then, singing the first lines a cappella, she began an incredible version of “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie. (Barbra had recorded a breezy, mellow studio version of “Tomorrow” for her Songbird album, which was released the same month as this performance). The Israel concert version of the song, however, was more dynamic and included a big finish with a long-held note.
Barbra next sang “People” and “Happy Days Are Here Again.” The cameras focused on the audience at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, as well as those at the Hotel Hilton in Israel, who were watching the show simultaneously via close-circuit television.
Streisand then spoke to Israel's Prime Minister Golda Meir via telephone (the audio is available on Just For the Record)—Ms. Meir appeared on a giant television screen in the auditorium. “Golda, I can’t tell you what an honor it is to talk to you and if someone else should call you while we’re talking, it’s all right, you can put me on hold, I wouldn’t mind,” Streisand joked.
After her chat with Golda Meir, Barbra sang “Hatikva”—the national anthem of Israel. When she finished the song, the audience did not applaud, as they were being respectful. Barbra said goodbye in several languages, flung her shawl over her shoulder, and left the stage.
Over 18 million people watched the show on ABC that evening.
