Many friends and colleagues have asked me if I miss being in Florida and I say, “I loved it when I was there, but it’s always good to come home — everything in its time.”
For me, the most beautiful time of year in New York is spring, when all the flowers and leaves start to bloom and burst from the earth. It also makes me happy to be home to celebrate the holidays with my family.
The Passover holiday has a powerful message. Before the meal begins, we read from a book called the Haggadah that tells the story of when the Jewish people were oppressed slaves in Egypt and were led to freedom by Moses. He guided his people into the desert, with help from the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, which allowed the Jews to escape before the sea’s closing drowned their oppressors. The forces of the Pharaoh were destroyed, enabling the Jews to flee to safety, ultimately reaching the land of Israel thousands of years ago.
The Haggadah tells their journey across the desert for 40 years and how Moses revealed the 10 Commandments and brought them the Torah, the book of learning still being read today.
We eat matzah for the eight days of Passover to remember how there was no time for bread to rise as the Jews fled and so only matzah, a thin cracker, could be baked.
I remember as a child singing and dancing to the song, “Let my people go!” Its meaning resonated with me then and is real now.
Sadly, the story reverberates today as we ask the terrorists in Gaza to “let our people go!”
The pain of their imprisonment is alive today and 59 hostages are still in captivity.
“Let our people go!”
My daughter Samantha created a beautiful table for the Passover dinner with lemons, yellow flowers and an empty chair wrapped in a yellow ribbon to reflect the pain the hostages are experiencing, and to pray to “let our people go.”
We remember at our Passover seder (dinner) our ancestors and their hardships and suffering and our present day “brothers and sisters” who were ripped from their homes and taken into captivity.
“Let our people go!”
Our dinner began and ended with gratitude for all we have.
Memories of a great week
The week’s highlight was our enormously successful Power List of Manhattan event honoring successful men and women at the Bryant Park Grill overlooking the iconic park and surrounded by sparkling skyscrapers seen through the glass ceiling of the ballroom.
I was so grateful to PIX11 News reporter and anchor Grace Gomez, who helped us introduce the Power Listers as they walked the red carpet and received their “Vicki” statue to their specially selected music by DJ Mike Kouros of Bravo Sound.
My daughter Elizabeth Aloni has put together an extraordinary team led by Toni, Sue, Nazia, Sophia, Emma and Sara, who created the night that was a cherished memory for the honorees.
It was a night of pure joy!
At every event we raise money for a cause and Manhattan’s recipient was CaringKind, which is devoted to helping people with Alzheimer’s.
For the Palm Beach Power List event, we raised a record $23,210 for the Carmelite Sisters Foundation helping seniors.
Inside the art world
DTR Modern Galleries in Palm Beach and Manhattan have been the sponsor of our front covers featuring their artists. The gallery recently welcomed guests to the Hunt Slonem exhibit at their Palm Beach location. Seen here are Gallery Director Bryan Walsh, artist Carol Calicchio and CEO Ted Vassilev.
Warm wishes to all celebrating Easter and Passover!
