In the Jewish faith, the New Year (5786) is both a meaningful time to close out the past year and pray for the new one. The final “Day of Awe” is Yom Kippur.
This year, I sat in Sinai Temple in Roslyn with my two daughters, Elizabeth and Samantha, and felt the image of a huge book slowly closing and entreating God to include me and my loved ones in the book of life. As the sun sets, we pray fervently to be inscribed in it as the book was sealed.
Sitting in the synagogue brought back memories of sitting with my dad playing with the strings on his tallis (prayer shawl) and feeling the momentum of the moment. In song and prayer, the power of the day is a lasting memory.
“Breaking the fast” — because fasting for 24 hours is our way of repentance — ends the holiday, and my daughter Samantha had us over at her warm home for the special meal.
Although the food was welcome, for me it was seeing all the family together enjoying and bonding with each other that truly made the day special. The perfect ending to the Day of Awe!
The next day, I went from my friend Juliana Terian’s Rallye Lexus dealership groundbreaking in Westbury to a visit to Life’s WORC in our Garden City office from Willow Baer, NYS Commissioner of the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. I founded Life’s WORC over 50 years ago to serve people like my daughter Lara and other “special” people with autism and developmental and physical challenges.
The new commissioner spoke passionately about a subject she knows well, since she herself has a child with special needs.
We at Life’s WORC serve more than 2,000 people, and her visit was an assurance that, with the political turmoil of cuts to Medicaid, our clients are part of a “carve-out.” But we must be diligent and advocate for health benefits that could be impacted by the cuts.
Commissioner Baer emphasized the need for every parent to reach out to their NYS elected officials and share their concerns for the children’s programs.
I was back to the Hamptons to attend the Friday night opening of the 33rd year of the 11-day Hamptons International Film Festival.
It’s an economic engine after Labor Day for the East End of Long Island, filling the hotels and restaurants with guests in town for the festival.
Most of the movies are shown in East Hampton venues, Sag Harbor’s movie theater and the Southampton Playhouse.
Residents who live out west must travel east despite having a superb venue for the festival at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. My hope is that next year, films could be shown there. Maria Z. Moore, our former Mayor and current Southampton Town Supervisor, agrees and will advocate for it with me!
It was good to see Randy Mastro (co-chair) with Alec Baldwin on stage greeting the packed opening night audience.
Randy’s “day job” is Deputy Mayor of New York City, working every day to make NYC the greatest city in the world! Thank you, Randy, for your service there and on the East End!
The opening night movie starred Elizabeth Olsen, who spoke about her featured role in “Eternity” after the showing.
Although stunningly acted, the story is about a woman who died after her two husbands died and they are in the afterlife and she must decide which one to spend eternity with. Yes, there were comical, scene-stealing moments, such as when Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph is on the screen — it made for laughs at the absurdity of her helping her dead “client” decide where to spend eternity and with which husband.
Since I’ve had three dead husbands, it was spooky watching this often depressing movie.
The program says “‘Eternity’ explores the makings of a romantically fulfilling life even when it’s over.”
See it and decide for yourself!
I had to have a martini at the afterparty at Sí Sí Restaurant at East Hampton Point Resort and Marina to recover!
Sushi master in new ‘home’
It was my pleasure to meet with old friend Marlene Mindel — who was celebrating the opening of the new restaurant, Benny’s Sushi, in her Inn At Great Neck. I’ve known Marlene’s family, including her late mom Mary, father Sam and her brother Alan, since they opened their first of many hotels, The Adria in Bayside, in 1969.
Marlene invited me to her recently opened sushi restaurant run by restaurateur Benny, who owned and operated for decades his famous sushi place in a shopping center in Great Neck.
The warm and inviting Inn is located on busy Cuttermill Road, just a few blocks from the Long Island Rail Road station in Great Neck and the famous shopping district of Middle Neck Road.
The Inn has become a Great Neck destination, and with Benny holding court with his remarkably fresh sushi bar and menu, his legacy is in place.
When I was there, Benny was making his magic!
I’m a lover of the Kani Salad, and this one was perfection! I also had a “Benny Sushi Roll” that is to die for! He personally presented it with a look of pride on his face, and it was well deserved.
The service was attentive and responsive, and he is there for lunch and dinner. His presence is something you can’t take for granted and adds to his well-deserved reputation as the “King of Sushi.”
Try it and you, too, will love it!
For more information, visit innatgreatneck.com/marco-polos/bennys-sushi or call 516-773-2000.
What a week it was!
