The guests at last night’s fund-raiser for the Israel Research Cancer Fund were clear about why they support the organization.

“Supporting this group is a double good deed: All the money goes directly to cancer research, and it keeps Israeli scientists employed,” said Arlene Hislop.

“It’s a no-brainer. How can you not support tapping into the brain resources of Israeli scientists, helping them to find cures for cancer?” said Susan Canter, the chairman of the fund’s Next Generation group.

That support – $1.6 million this year, up from $1.4 million the prior year – goes to scientists working at major research centers throughout Israel, including Carmel Hospital, Hadassah University Hospital, and Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The grants usually cover two to three years of research.

Requests for grants have increased 20%, said the fund’s executive director, Simon Kaminetsky. So the fund has embarked on new strategies to raise money, including a major gifts committee whose goal is to establish a $1 million endowment.

“We try to focus our funding on new and young scientists, just out of graduate school, so they will stay in Israel,” Mr. Kaminetsky said.

Maybe that’s why several guests at the party raved about their meetings with scientists during recent trips to Israel. “They’re so incredibly humble and conduct ing research under difficult conditions,” said Ms. Canter.

The party, held at the Reebok Sports Club on the Upper West Side, drew a wide range of professionals. To wit, a social worker, a financial analyst, and a lawyer were seen chatting at the bar. Also spotted: Shane Barbanel, whose family owns Abarbanel Wines, and Brigitte Dayan of the Wexner Foundation.

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The opening party for Brazil Brazil, a new restaurant in the Theater District, drew a crowd of Brazilian boosters, including Adriane Bonato and Andrea Moreira, who have organized the first New York Brazilian Film Festival (September 6-8 at Anthology Film Archives), and Yvonne Marscheider-Palacio and Ruthe Phillips of the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce, which has more than 500 members. And then there were the folks who know where to find a good mojito, like Tiffany Wang, a correspondent for the China Times, and Mike Allen, a tour operator.

Brazil Brazil’s dining room has a summer (or some would say Brazilian) vibe, with yellow and white striped banquets, green and white striped valences, and lush green plants surrounding the tables. On this evening, samples of signature dishes were offered from a buffet in front of the white plaster fireplace.

Those who liked to be seen snagged a table on the patio facing the street. Others retreated to the garden in the back, where several strategically placed palm trees offered cover. The restaurant’s owners, Mario Aziz and Patrick Lima, also run Brazil Grill and L’Allegria Ristorante, both a few blocks away.