Glamorous Gala Excites, Unites

By COLlive reporter
Photos: Baruch Ezagui

Crown Heights showed up in support of a new building project that has been uniting the community – and it was well worth their time.

Men and women who stepped out Sunday night for the gala evening of entertainment in support of Mikvah Mei Chaya Mushka were greeted by a glamorous makeover of the Jewish Children’s Museum.

The often visited lobby, staircase and event hall on Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue were almost unrecognizable due to the efforts of designer Maggie Rogatsky.

Silk curtains draped from the ceiling, snow-white benches on the sidelines and white flower arrangements, along with a plentiful wine bar and array of exquisite desserts, provided an ambience rarely seen in Crown Heights.

The elegant decor reminded the 500 guests of a similar work by Rogatsky soon to be completed – the new women’s Mikvah she designed, for which the funds were being raised this evening.

LIVING MEMORY

It was also a reminder of how beautifully the Crown Heights community can join together in support of a common and positive cause.

Honored at the event were Mendel and Chanie Drizin of Crown Heights, who sponsored the evening in memory of his sister, Mrs. Rochel Pinson OBM, ahead of her upcoming first yartzeit.

Mrs. Pinson’s son is Rabbi Moishe Pinson, President of Bais Shmuel Chabad Congregation and the visionary behind the much-needed Mikvah in the neighborhood.

In his remarks, Pinson thanked his uncle for the touching tribute to his mother, and for enabling them to raise the additional funding to complete the Mikvah, which is in its final stages.

Speaking later to COLlive.com, he said the evening was a success beyond his expectation.

“The environment was so warm and everyone had such excitement for the cause, that one donor approached me and said he will donate 50 cents for every dollar we raise tonight,” he said.

JEWISH STARS

Enjoying hors d’oeuvres and desserts by Levi Feigenson’s Table 1 Catering and seated at tables surrounded by soft lighting, participants were entertained by the hilarious comedian Modi who joked about Jewish life.

The big name to take the stage was Mordechai Ben David, the “king of Jewish music,” in his first performance since his home was ravaged 2 weeks ago by flood waters during Hurricane Sandy.

After enchanting the crowd with both his new and old hits, accompanied by the Freilach Band and production by Yaron Levy, MBD commented, “I’m overwhelmed by the warmth in this room. It’s ‘mechaye meisim’.”

MBD was joined by music talent Boruch Sholom Blesofsky, an alum of “Jewish Star” who has since been working with the Werdygers.

GUEST FROM AFAR

The crowd was inspired by words from the world renowned orator Rabbi YY Jacobson and from guest speaker Rabbi Shimon Freundlich, the Shliach in Beijing who flew in from China for the event.

Rabbi Freundlich expressed appreciation to the people of Crown Heights, saying that he could not thank them enough for all the support they give to Shluchim around the world.

Attendees were given a copy of the new JEM production “The Greatest Blessing – The Rebbe’s Advice for Families.”

Pinson thanked Zalman Skoblo and Yingy Bistritzky who worked tirelessly to make the event a reality. “Tonight, we were able to come even closer to our goal of finishing the Mikvah,” he said.

For more info about the Mikvah, visit www.MikvahCM.com and join the fan base on Facebook by clicking here.

Video clips from the event coming shortly.