ARTS AND CULTURE

Pat Boone

Musician

The 88-year-old rock ‘n’ roller, who back in the 1950s was second only to Elvis Presley in terms of status, is still performing venerable hits like “Ain’t That A Shame” and “Long Tall Sally.” These days, Boone is also a political activist, and the cause of Israel is one that is close to his heart. In a widely-shared video in 2022, Boone explained how his “Zionist convictions” had affected his life. He told the story of how he had written the words to the theme song of the classic movie “Exodus” and recounted his experience of performing a show for Israeli soldiers at the height of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Requesting that Boone perform his hit “Speedy Gonzalez,” Boone demurred, singing the “Exodus” song instead. “I told their commander of my conviction that God was restoring the land of Israel to his people,” he said. A year later, he continued, he recounted the story to then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who told Boone, “you sang a prophecy.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)