With the summer winding down, there are still many powerful moments to be had in the Hamptons.
Perhaps one of the best was to meet Eli Sharabi, who was a hostage for 491 days in Gaza and has written a book about his experience.
He spoke eloquently from the Hampton Synagogue pulpit in front of a standing room only crowd with congregants transfixed with his story of survival.
I was struck by his words when he said, “After I was released and learned that my wife and my two children had been murdered, I made a choice to live and to tell my story.”
He shared how, not being a religious man, he amazed himself that every day in captivity, he prayed to stay alive. Now he’s on a mission to tell the truth of what the Hamas terrorists did to him, smashing his ribs, shackling him to the wall and then to other hostages. His starvation was so severe that he could barely walk when he was released.
But he repeated that he had made a choice to live, and in that spirit, he wrote a book about his experiences that is the fastest best-selling book in Israel. It’s being translated into English and will be available soon. Stay tuned!
He is such an inspiration and a testimony to the human spirit of survival.
Another man of great power — but in a different way — also spoke to the congregation. The charismatic Pentecostal Evangelical Bishop Robert Stearns boldly stated that his 60 million churchgoers are 100% in support of Israel.
He got a standing ovation!
On a lighter note, this Sunday was the launch of the 50th anniversary of the popular Hampton Classic of which Dan’s Papers is the media sponsor. Competitors in jumping come from all over the world on magnificently trained horses.
It’s a unique occasion to see and be seen! And the fun is that we hold a hat contest with the finale being the last Sunday of the Classic.
I was inspired by the Royal Ascot Races in England, where women take the art of dressing for the horse races to a new level!
My grandkids, particularly Addy, are great fans of the Broadway play “Hamilton,” and I bought them tickets to the show in September. To my astonishment, Addy knows every word in the play, so when I told her I met “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s father, her joy made sparks through the phone lines!
Lin’s father, Luis A. Miranda Jr., is the passionate founder of Latino Victory and spoke at a cocktail party at philanthropists Dennis and Karen Mehiel’s beautiful home in Water Mill.
The gardens were done in purple flowers, lush and in full glory, making the outdoor cocktail party even more special.
The cause’s mission, run by Katharine Pichardo-Erskine, is to raise money to help get Latino candidates across the country elected.
Luis is committed to helping his extraordinary son, Lin-Manuel, and to oversee the mission of bringing Latino power to the election process. He’s a charming, committed man whom I was delighted to meet.
When I told my granddaughter I had met him, she screeched, “You are the best grandma in the world!” Love it!
On Thursday evening, I made the trip to St. James for the Suffolk County Republican Party’s Lobsterfest at the enormous and beautiful Flowerfield.
Suffolk County party leader Jesse Garcia greeted me at the door as he gathered what looked like over 1,000 Republicans cheering each other with their success, winning races on every level from town supervisors to congressmen in Suffolk.
DA Ray Tierney and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine received rousing applause when they spoke after Jesse. I met their potential candidate against Kathy Hochul for governor, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
Although the race is not until November 2026, they are obviously gearing up because she was mobbed with supporters looking to get their photo with her!
Although I never got to eat a lobster, the best ”food” was seeing all the Republican leaders, including Ed Romaine, who was there with his family.
What a wonderful week it was!
See more photos on QNS.com, DansPapers.com and LongIslandPress.com.
