honoring abbey

I arrive at The Pierre Hotel around 11:30. UJA is honoring my brother-in-law Abbey, as well as two other fashion industry executives.

A couple of weeks ago Abbey called and asked if I'd like to attend.  He didn't make much of it, and I assumed it would be a small event.

I arrive and the reception area is swarming with beautifully dressed women in killer heels. Young gorgeous 20-somethings with clipboards, all looking very efficient, are everywhere. A long line of people are doing check-in, and picture ID's are required. I am sure I've arrived at the wrong event. The one I'm attending surely must be elsewhere in the hotel. I ask, and am told, "No, you are where you should be."

I bump into Amanda in the ladies room, and through the hordes of people, we easily find Abbey, Val, and everyone else we are looking for. The place is packed, and everyone seems to have a connection to everyone else.  

There are professional photographers here, but I sneak in and take a very quick and out-of-focus photo of Abbey and his family with my little 5S.

After cocktails, we all enter the main dining room. All 550 of us. It's a big group. Dinner is already on the table. Breaded chicken, salad, rice, and mini lemon meringue pie. The MC is Harry Smith. He is highly entertaining, beginning with, "Hi. I'm Harry Smith, and I'm not Jewish." He tells a couple of amusing stories of how he's almost Jewish: he lives on the Upper West Side; his kids went to Ethical Culture; he's been to many Bar Mitvah's — so many, in fact, that two different temples mistook him for Jewish and asked him to join; and he once dated a Jewish girl from Denver who introduced him to her grandmother as Harry Schwartz (to avoid lots of questions and potential grandmother angst).

Adam introduces his dad, in a beautiful and heartfelt tribute.  When he says, "It's truly an honor to be the son of Valerie and Abbey," (or words to that effect), I see more than one set of teary eyes.

Abbey's speech is well-written and well-delivered, as are the speeches of Sammy Aaron (Vice-Chair and CEO of Calvin Klein Division G-lll Apparel Group) and Efraim Grinberg (Chariman and CEO of Movado Group).

I'm sure all the speakers have sat through enough of these luncheons honoring others to know what to do— keep the speeches short. 

By 1:30 the event is over.