Masha Leon
By Masha Leon
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The Schmooze Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Stands Tall at ADL 100 Dinner
Guests at the June 11 ADL 100 Award Tribute Dinner jockeyed for photos with the evening’s speakers — 7’2” basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, tennis icon Billie Jean King and Israeli tennis star Shahar Pe’er. Israel’s tall consul general Ido Aharoni just reached the chin of 6’11” basketball great and now ESPN sportscaster Bill Walton. The…
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The Schmooze Remembering James Gandolfini’s Jewish Side
Of the events and occasions at which I ran into James Gandolfini — who died at 51 on July 19th — most memorable were the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding Award galas held at the United Nations Headquarters. At the June 4, 2008, gala, Gandolfini was seated at the table with honoree Madeleine Albright, former…
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The Schmooze Herring, Puns and Michael Chabon at Jewish Cultural Awards
“Do you know why the sea is salty?” I asked Mark Russ Federman, third generation owner of Russ & Daughters during the champagne reception at the June 10 Foundation for Jewish Culture’s 2013 Jewish Cultural Achievement Awards at The TimesCenter. Without missing a beat, he gave the classic shtetl wisdom answer: “Because herrings swim in…
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The Schmooze Joel Grey, Tom Brokaw and Morris Offit At Yiddish Theater Gala
It feels like a bar mitzvah! A wedding!” proclaimed actor, performer Mike Burstyn, emcee at the June 10 National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene Gala Concert which honored Morris Offit, chairman, Offit Capital, award presenter to Offit, NBC Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw; and stage and screen great Joel Grey, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Also honored was…
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The Schmooze Holocaust Survivor Who Spent 511 Days in Cave
“I’m the luckiest guy in this city—surrounded by more than 300 beautifully turned out women,” said David Marwell, director and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, at its 21st Annual Spring Women’s Luncheon at The Pierre. Co-chaired by Patti Kenner and Ann Oster, guests included 101-year old author…
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The Schmooze Rabbi and Doctors Mingle At Calvary Gala
If ever the idea of loving kindness was a statement of fact — rather than an ideal — it was expressed by youthful Rabbi Rachmiel Rothberger, Jewish chaplain at Calvary Hospital, in his invocation delivered at the hospital’s upbeat 30th Annual Award Gala. Addressing the 450 black tie guests at The Pierre, the rabbi thanked…
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The Schmooze Felix Komarov Lauded At UJA Russian Ball
“I worked hard to bring Russian Jews to Brighton Beach,” said Senator Charles Schumer at the UJA-Federation of New York’s Russian Division 2013 Charity Ball at the Harmonie Club on June 2 — right off Fifth Avenue — at which philanthropist and art patron Felix Komarov was honored with its Global Leadership Award. “Why Brighton…
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The Schmooze Avital and Natan Sharansky At the Emma Lazarus Award
I first met Natan Sharansky in June 1988 at The American Booksellers Association (ABA) Convention in Anaheim, California. Released two years earlier from Soviet imprisonment, Sharansky was among a literary lineup that included Barry Goldwater, Ray Bradbury, Studs Terkel, and Shirley Temple Black. His autobiography, “Fear No Evil” was a sensation. At a private reception…
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