In this day, in which efforts are being made to rewrite history, the real meaning of Thanksgiving is fading quickly. For many, Thanksgiving correlates with nothing more than a day off work, downing a turkey and watching football. For that reason, I want to start with a brief history of Thanksgiving.

In September 1620, the Mayflower left England, carrying 102 passengers seeking a new home where the Pilgrims could freely practice their faith and find opportunities for prosperity. The difficult journey eventually took them to Plymouth, where winter and disease were so brutal that only half of the original passengers and crew survived.

The Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate corn, to extract sap, and to fish. In November 1621, the Pilgrims organized a feast to celebrate their successful harvest and invited their Indian friends to enjoy a meal of celebration with them. This feast is remembered as the “First Thanksgiving.” On Oct. 3, 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be celebrated each November.

Too many want to act like this event never happened, but a little known national monument, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, pays a great tribute to our Forefathers, those first English settlers who landed at Plymouth. The 81 ft. tall solid-granite monument is located in state park at 72 Allerton St. in Plymouth, MA. The cornerstone was laid in 1859 and the monument was completed in 1889. The monument was originally planned to be approx. 150 ft. tall, but was reduced during the Civil War due to lack of funding.

The placard on the northeast side of the monument reads, “National Monument to the Forefathers. Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labors, sacrifices and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty.”

The sculptures on the monument represent the virtues that the Pilgrims brought with them when they arrived in 1620. The largest and tallest sculpture is Faith. Other figures include Morality represented by a woman holding a tablet symbolic of the Ten Commandments which reads, “I am the Lord thy God…” Seen in Morality’s throne are references to Prophecy and Evangelism.

On the west side are figures representing Law, Justice and Mercy. On the south side is Education flanked by Wisdom and Youth. On the east side is Liberty flanked by Peace. Along with these figures, the monument also includes smaller sculptures telling the story of the Pilgrims’ leaving England, landing at Plymouth and interacting with Native Americans. The Pilgrims are also honored with a monument in Provincetown, MA that was completed in 1910.

There is no question regarding the Christian faith that the Pilgrims brought with them. Their quest was to find a place where they could worship God freely. In a day when people are rewriting history, let us pause to remember the Pilgrims who risked their lives to pursue religious freedom. Let’s pause to remember their sacrifices, which laid the groundwork for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Sure, eat the turkey, enjoy the family and watch some football this Thanksgiving; but also take time to count your blessings and to thank God for faith, family, friends and freedom!

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Senior Pastor at Grace Church located at 501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach. For more information, call 954-421-0190 or pastor@gbcfl.org.

By Rachel Galvin

Kiwanians are always about giving back and, on Oct. 26, they did just that. At the Woman’s Club clubhouse in Deerfield, local Kiwanians, as well as members of their Key Club from Deerfield Beach High and a representative from Circle K International from Florida Atlantic University, as well as someone from their K-Kids division at Deerfield Beach Elementary, participated in Kiwanis One Day, a day when all Kiwanians do some sort of community service. This club chose to benefit SOS Children’s Villages by finishing no-sew blankets for the foster kids there. They also had volunteers create cards for vets, stamp the Kiwanis name on dictionaries and thesauruses to be given out to kids, put together goody bags for students who are nominated by their teachers because they brought up their grades or were terrific kids of character, and created luminaria bags for the Hope on the Beach event, which was held on Nov. 2 and benefits the American cancer Society. (See Pg. 1 for more details).

“I think it’s really nice. It’s really fun. It’s good for the community. I feel like I am doing a service. The [Community Service] hours are just a bonus,” said Jake Nilsson, who was busy tying knots on the end of the blankets, with his mom Joanne.

Kimberly Casseus and Ritchelle Pierre-Seide were busy coloring luminaria bags.

Casseus said, “It’s cool to have a chance to give back to the community.”

Pierre-Seide added, “I want [those battling Cancer] to know they are not alone. I want them to know they can fight and feel gorgeous about it and to know they are a fighter.”

Eric Cerpa, who was creating Veterans Day cards, said, “It’s a good thing to do, for people who serve this country.”

Lauren Mechtly said, “It’s actually really fun. I love helping out with the community. It gives me a good opportunity to interact with other schools and people.”

She has been in the Key Club for three years and finds the group has given her an opportunity to be more outgoing and improve her leadership skills.

“Kiwanis One Day is celebrated internationally and shows the world impact we can make in one day all around the world in 80 nations,” said Kiwanian Kerri Gordon, who said clubs were doing a wide variety of projects from planting trees to helping the homeless and beyond. “There are at least 100 people here.”

“I think it is really great that kids could come out on a Saturday to help the community,” said Angela Huang.

“This is a great event, getting the kids out. It is really amazing,” said Kiwanian Ed Dietrich.

“It is a nice way to spend a Saturday,” said Bryan Valle.

After pitching in with the various projects, everyone enjoyed hot dogs, chips, soda and water, and root beer floats!

By Rachel Galvin

Kids ran screaming and laughing out of the Haunted House put together in the Johnny Tigner Center while the main activities were happening next door at the Leo J. Robb Gymnasium at the Oveta McKeithen Recreational Complex in Deerfield Friday night, Oct. 25. This yearly event is always plenty of fun centered around Halloween. Kids, and some parents too, get dressed up and hang out for awhile to partake in the festivities. Kids could bounce in the bounce house, decorate a cookie, play video games and more.

The costume contest on the stage was watched by people on the bleachers, with judges including Velmina Williams, of Kiwanis West, who seems to be on-the-scene at many District 2 events, and Brenda Cox and Grace Dowdell, of Boys & Girls Night Out.

There was a toddler area this year next to a large bounce house. It was being manned by Timouria Bentley and Sarah Charles.

“We have a ball pit, tunnel throw rings and more,” said Bentley.

“It is a safe zone so they won’t get hurt,” added Charles.

Saher Shakil and Camila Vazquez, of Universal Rentals & Events, were creating balloon animals for kids.

“We do local events, from Plantation to Daytona Beach. Today, we are doing balloons. We also do face painting, rentals for bounce houses and more,” said Vasquez.

Aliyah Gowdy, Miss Deerfield Beach USA, was on-site and posed for a picture with Vice Mayor Drosky and Commissioner Hudak. She plans on competing for Miss Florida USA next.

Amanda Cannon does not live in the community, but works as general manager for Five Guys here, which gave out 20 $5 gift cards at the event.

“I am not from this community, but I came out to support,” said Cannon.

Freda Dean came out with her kids Tasheem and Maylasia.

“This is our second year coming. They are both having a ball. They can’t sit still,” she said.

The City of Deerfield Beach would like to announce free admission (Sightseeing or Fishing) for all retired and active military personnel on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, at the International Fishing Pier, 200 NE 21 Avenue. Please see the eligibility list and documents required below. Anyone currently serving in or a Veteran of the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard, Reserves or the National Guard. Veteran includes all individuals who are retired from the US armed forces or who have been discharged (e.g., honorable, under an honorable condition, general). The acceptable forms of documentation to receive access are: Veterans Identification Card (VIC), Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC), Common Access Card, Uniformed Services Identification Card, Uniformed Services Identification Card Active Duty, State driver license and identification with veterans designation, DD214 or DD256. For more information, please contact the International Fishing Pier at 954-480-4407.

By Gary Curreri

The 10^th Annual Ranse Classic Beach Volleyball tournament was more about the camaraderie and the community rather than the competition.

An estimated 300 players took part in the beach volleyball tournament north of the Deerfield Beach pier that celebrated the life of Ranseford “Ranse” Jones. From junior players to top open competitors, there was a sense of pride among all at the 30 sand volleyball courts.

Tournament Director Diogo Sousa said the event holds a special place in his heart. He met Jones when he was younger at Deerfield Beach.

“I was 16 and he was one of the first people to stand up for me at Deerfield Beach when nobody would let me on the volleyball courts,” said Sousa, now 31, who lives nearby. “He was the first person I played with and, after we played for one day together, he went around to everybody and told them I was allowed to play anytime I wanted in Deerfield.”

“Since then,” he added, “this has been my home beach to play on. It is truly amazing to see someone’s life celebrated, year in and year out.

There are so many people that support the charity and the type of person that Ranse was. Everybody loved him and they continue to show love, not only to Ranse who passed away, but his family. His mother and father come down for this event every year.”

“This is way above cool,” said Jones’ mother, Sherry Marthinuss. “It is going to take me the whole weekend to come down from this. Ranse connected with people, obviously, and that is what he left us with. It is his legacy. That’s why we get together every year and celebrate that and keep building on it.

“We call it the biggest reunion on the east coast,” she continued. “A lot of the volleyball players he played with and knew still compete and want to win. It is great vibes and lots of love.”

In April 2010, Jones, a former Deerfield Beach firefighter, suffered a brain aneurysm while playing in the semifinals of the Panama City AVP Young Guns tournament. He died Nov. 8 that year at the young age of 34. Jones had played in 21 AVP tournaments since 2000. He also spent time on the Extreme Volleyball Professionals tour and competed in the Men’s Open Division of the 2009 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball.

The Ranse Volleyball Classic has evolved into a nationally-recognized event to benefit Stroke Awareness, through the hard work of the local volleyball community.

The tournament generally raises between $20-$30,000 on an annual basis for the Ranse Jones Stroke Awareness Fund at the Broward Health North Stroke Center. To date, the event just exceeded $300,000.

Nikki Esposito, 22, has been coming to the tournament for years. Her father, John, is one of the organizers. She starred at Pompano Beach High School before playing with the FSU Seminoles.

“I have been playing in this tournament since I was 12,” she said. “Because I have been playing at Florida State, I haven’t been able to play in the tournament for the last four years, so I made the drive down this year.

“It has grown a lot and almost doubled in players this year,” she said. “It is so much fun getting everyone together from all over the state and the country. I made new friends. We just had a lot of fun.”

Flavia Fernandes, 36, also of Deerfield Beach, said the tournament is definitely for fun. She has also played in the tournament for about five years. She coached Esposito when she was younger.

“This tournament is not so much about winning, or the competition,” Fernandes said. “You still have the competitive drive and at the end of the day, you know it is for a good cause.

“For me, this is the most fun tournament of the year,” Fernandes said. “This is special for me because everyone comes from so far and I see the hard work that the organizers put in. We all look forward to it.”

Jonathan Rogers, 28, of Deerfield Beach, said they had nice weather on the first day and a little rain on the second.

“Usually, it is pretty windy this time of year,” Rogers said. “It was really sunny and really a nice day for volleyball. Considering the format and that you don’t know the partner you are playing with, I was pretty happy that we made it to the semifinals of the open division.

“I ended up being paired up with a guy from Brazil,” Rogers added. “He was a really cool dude. We couldn’t communicate because he didn’t speak English, but it was fun.”

3^rd Annual Ryan Owens Memorial Run set for Saturday

The 3rd Annual Ryan Owens Memorial Run is set for Nov. 9 on Deerfield Beach. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. Organized by the Naked Warrior Project, the run pays tribute to Fallen Navy SEAL, Ryan Owens, who grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and was killed in action on Jan. 29, 2017. 

The four-mile beach run on Deerfield Beach is fashioned after the weekly timed beach runs in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training that candidates must pass. Runners of all levels are welcome. Limited to 500 runners, the race will be timed and medals awarded. The entry fee is $40. 

“I began The Naked Warrior Project in 2017 to ensure that the memory of these brave warriors and their sacrifices are never forgotten,” said South Florida resident John Owens, a retired Navy SEAL and brother of Ryan Owens. The mission of the non-profit organization is to memorialize fallen Navy SEALs, help injured Navy SEALs in their recovery and provide support to their families through education, connecting families and building memorials.

“This run is our largest event of the year,” said Owens. “We run this race to honor Ryan’s life and the money raised this year will go toward building a memorial to Ryan here in South Florida.”

Following the run, the organization’s annual dinner and silent auction will be held at the Royal Palm Yacht Club in Boca Raton. Dinner tickets are $150 per person. Dinner sponsorship opportunities are available at different levels. The evening also includes a silent auction. The organization holds several other annual fundraising events including a fishing tournament and golf outings.

To register for the run, learn more about sponsorships and donations and for more information, visit NakedWarriorProject.org.

By “Cinema” Dave
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Behemoth ! Colossal !! Gigantic ! ! ! These are just some of the adjectives describing the opening night of The 34th International Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF34) at the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Cuba, the 45 minute documentary on the six story IMAX theater, created ambiance to set up a unique party. How unique? The magnitude of party goers danced to Tito Puente Jr.’s Mambo tunes on a dance floor situated between a Megalodon Shark and Terry the Otter’s water pool.

Besides rocking it out on the dance floor, Karen Allen and Peter Reigert proved to be generous celebrities. Karen Allen’s drama Colewell and Peter Reigert’s short subject, Extra Innings, are reminders about the importance of storytelling in the movies. For this film columnist, it is such a welcome relief to see professionals like Allen and Reigert express such genuine love for cinema and storytelling.

With echoes of Frank Capra’s Oscar winning classic, It Happened One Night, the French film, Our Happy Holiday, screened with director Patrick Cassir and actress Camille Chamoux too. A romantic comedy with modern charm, this film had people laughing all the way up to the end credits.

This international party continues this Friday, Nov. 8 with Duck Pond from Sweden. Director Robert Andersson will present his film and host the Merry Meatballs party after the 6 p.m. screening. Even Executive Director Michelle Filipi’s success with organizing parties this season, expect this Duck Pond/Merry Meatballs party to be a unique and fun event. 

On Veteran’s Day — Monday, Nov. 11, actress Diane Baker will attend the screening of her cult classic, Strait-Jacket, costarring Lee Majors and Joan Crawford. Professor Foster Hirsch will conduct an onstage interview with this prolific actress with a long resume. Besides appearing in Oscar winning films like The Diary of Anne Frank and The Silence of the Lambs, Diane Baker has starred in many cult classics like Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Cable Guy and A Mighty Wind.

Baker will attend a special evening screening of Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie at the Savor on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12.

Earlier in the day, Florida Film Legend William Grefe will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award before the screening of the 1985 film Cease Fire. This moviewas one of the first movies to tackle the subject of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the big screen. Starring Don Johnson,this filmfeatures an appearance from Vietnam Veteran’s advocate Chris Noel.

With Justin Long and Radha Mitchell arriving in town to screen their movies and party with our neighbors, it is silly not to join the fun. For ticket prices and updates, visit the website — www.fliff.com. Also — don’t forget to thank a Veteran this special weekend!

Deerfield Beach

Oct. 22: A woman reported her purse was stolen from her vehicle parked at 1260 SW 11Ave.

Oct. 25: A man reported that his motorcycle was stolen from an apartment complex parking lot at 545 Trace Cir.

Oct. 25: It was reported that a female employee of IHOP stole $232 in cash. The incident was reported at 516 S. Federal Hwy.

Oct. 25: It was reported a Dodge Caravan was stolen from 900 NW 45 St.

Oct. 26: It was reported that a Chevrolet Malibu was stolen from an apartment complex at 766 Rich Dr.

Lighthouse Point

Oct. 15: Police responded to a call of an alarm sounding for three minutes at 2700 NE 46 St. It was determined that it was an accidental trip by the housekeeper.

Oct. 18: A black purse was discovered near a dumpster at 2002 NE 36 St. It was brought to the lobby of the police department and placed into inventory.

Oct. 18: A large dead alligator carcass was found floating west in the waterway from 2540 NE 48Ct. It was pushed to the middle of the canal so that it would float out with the tide.

(This is a partial list. For Deerfield Beach Crime Watch in full, visit www.DFB.City and click on “Sign Me Up” to receive the city wide report.)

Showcase of the Arts

Thursday, Nov. 7, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Center for Active Aging

227 NW 2 St.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Instructors and participants of the Center’s art classes will exhibit their craft. Items will be available for purchase, with proceeds to benefit the Center for Active Aging. The exhibition will take place in the Multi-Purpose room. Need a ride?  They offer transportation services. Give them a call. To learn more about the Center for Active Aging, call 954-480-4449, stop by for a tour, or visit www.dfb.city.

Community Heroes Award

Friday, Nov. 8, 11:30 a.m.

Wyndham Beach Resort

2096 NE 2 St.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

The Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce is excited to host this special event recognizing and honoring local heroes who exemplify their mission and vision of creating a destination where business and community thrive. These heroes are making a difference, collaborating with other local organizations, and creating more opportunities through programs, services and support. They are the people who take the initiative and provide leadership. To register, visit www.deerfieldchamber.com.

Multi-Media Performance

Friday, Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.

Ritter Art Gallery

152 Breezeway

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Orchestrated by Mathew Baltrucki, from the Department of Music, this exhibition features the work of more than 30 Florida Atlantic University (FAU) faculty members who simultaneously continue their practice as professional artists. Participating artists include faculty from FAU’s Department of Visual Arts and Art History, and the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies within the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters; the School of Architecture within the College for Design and Social Inquiry; the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and FAU Libraries. A variety of media will be presented.

Military Fatigue Bash

Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 p.m.

American Legion, Post No. 287

191 SW 1 Ter.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

$10 donation. Hors d’ oeuvres will be served.

Church Christmas Boutique

Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

St. Paul the Apostle Church

2700 NE 36 St. (Sample Road)

Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Come out for handmade decorations, gifts, special raffles, baked goods, and much more.

Boca Raton Wine & Food Festival

Saturday, Nov. 9, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sanborn Square Park

72 N. Federal Hwy.

Boca Raton, FL 33432

This annual festival brings you face-to-face with those who have made their lives their craft. This is the time for you to dine, drink fine wine and experience A Culinary Affair! Have wine or craft beer and sample from plenty of restaurants! There is usually live music and plenty of mingling. This event draws huge crowds! For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.bocaratonwineandfoodfestival.com.

Hillsboro Lighthouse tour

Sunday, Nov.10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., hourly

125 N. Riverside Dr.

(North side of Sands Harbor Marina)

Pompano Beach, FL 33062

Come out for a fun day at the lighthouse. An arrival at the respective dock 10-20 minutes before the departure time is suggested. A current HLPS membership or a $35 transportation fee is required. For more information, visit www.hillsborolighthouse.org.

Coffee & Connections

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 to 8:45 a.m.

The Emerald Financial Group

1166 W. Newport Center Dr., Suite 307

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Join the Deerfield Beach Chamber for their monthly networking event with coffee and pastries. Bring your business cards. To register, visit www.deerfieldchamber.com.

Chamber Mixer

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Bru’s Room Sports Grill

5460 W. Hillsboro Blvd.

Coconut Creek, FL 330730

Join the Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Parkland Chamber of Commerce for a joint member mixer. Bring plenty of business cards and meet new people. To register, visit www.deerfieldchamber.com.

Save the Date:

Boots on the Beach

Country Music Festival

Saturday, Nov. 16, 4 to 9 p.m.

Main Beach Parking Lot

149 SE 21 Ave.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Come out for a fun filled day with delicious food and beverage options and some of the hottest music to create a captivating vibe! General Admission is free. Guests must pay for parking.

Worth The Drive:

Miami Book Fair

Sunday, Nov. 17 through the 24, 7 p.m.

Miami Dade College

300 NE 2 Ave

Miami, FL 33132

This annual event draws more than 500 authors and literary luminaries to Miami for lectures, readings, panel discussions and a street fair. For more info., visit www. miamibookfair.com.

Pompano Beach Garden Club Meeting

Monday, Nov. 18, 12:30 p.m.

Emma Lou Olson Civic Center

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

New members always welcome. For more information, call Hilde at 954-782-4121.

Garden Club of Lighthouse Point Meeting

Monday, Nov. 18, 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Dixon Ahl Hall

2220 NE 38 St.

Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Presenting conservation of the Gopher Tortoises, “A Keystone Species.” With Guest Speaker Master Naturalist Katharine Hendrickson. Contact Chair Caroline Steffen at c.caroline.steffen@aol.com for more information or visit www.lhpgc.org.

Marketing on a shoe-string budget

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Atlantic Tax Service

100 E. Atlantic Blvd

Pompano Beach FL, 33062 

The Pompano Beach Chamber has a program to support the growth and sustainability of your small to mid-size business. Free to Pompano Chamber members and $79 for non-members. For more information call 954-941-2940 or email info@pompanobeachchamber.com.

History at High Noon

Wednesday, Nov. 20, Noon to 1 p.m.

DFB Commission Chambers

150 NE 2 Ave.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Presented by Cheryl Ann Cook, docent for the Sample McDougald House, and a granddaughter of the McDougald. Free entrance. Donations accepted.

One Love Bahamas Benefit Concert

Saturday, Nov. 23, 4 p.m.

Pompano Beach Amphitheater

1806 NE 6 St.

Pompano Beach, FL 33060

One Love Bahamas, the benefit concert to aid recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Bahamas, has announced the all-star concert line-up. All event proceeds will benefit Hurricane Dorian victims in the Bahamas. The City of Pompano Beach, Shipwreck Park and Florida based concert and festival promoters are working together in support. To purchase tickets, concert updates, VIP information, and volunteer opportunities or to donate, visit https://onelovebahamas.org/ The incredible concert lineup includes: Cheap Trick, Foghat , Steelheart, Zebra, Inner Circle, BB Allstars, Band Of Brothers, Aaron Carter, Aerotek, Elsten Torres, Jeffery James Gang, Southern Blood, Mason Pace, Robert Ross Blues Band, DJ Laz & DJ Big Lip.

Do you know what was the most successful fundraising event in the history of the American Jewish community, and arguably the greatest fundraising campaign ever in Jewish History? I discovered the answer recently when I saw a strange picture taken in Chicago, in 1921. What’s going on in this photo? A bunch of Jews sitting around candlelit tables, doing what?

Well, Gil Weissblei, a Jewish archivist, came across this photo in the collections of the U.S. National Library, but could not figure out what it was. The only information was the name of the photographer and the city, “Kaufman & Fabry Co., Chicago,” visible in the photograph’s lower right corner and, underneath it, a six digit number separated by a hyphen: 21-6591, which means 1921 (the other four digits are the running number of the negatives for that year).

The puzzle was solved after Gil came across a book The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb. He read a story there and immediately knew this was the picture of that story. Jacob Loeb, one of the Chicago community’s Jewish leaders, was perturbed by the horrific state of Jews in Eastern Europe following World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. Persecution, pogroms and wars were the fate of our brothers and sisters there. Jacob dreamt of holding an extraordinary fundraiser that would collect millions of dollars, in 1921, for the Jews in Eastern Europe.

How do you do it? How do you inspire the crowd to give?

He understood what was needed were not words or slogans, but a physical experience.

So Loeb organized a gala dinner to which the crème de la crème of Illinois Jewish society, including Chicago’s greatest industrialists and businessmen, were invited. On the evening of Dec. 7, 1921, 800 men dressed in their Sunday best gathered at the luxurious Drake Hotel in Chicago for what they were certain would be an exclusive event at the center of which would be a lavish banquet.

The guests were in for a surprise.

As the last of them entered the hotel ballroom, the doors were locked. Loeb stepped up to the podium and began speaking: “For so many to dine in this place would mean an expenditure of $3500 (Today, it would be $50,000), which would be unwarrantable extravagance and, in the face of starving Europe, a wasteful crime. Thirty-five hundred dollars will help to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and heal the sick. What right have we to spend on ourselves funds which we want to collect for them? So that this money might be saved for them, you are brought here to this foodless banquet.”

The astonished guests suddenly noticed that the tables, with the exception of the long slender candles, were indeed bare. Not a single fruit, vegetable, dip or piece of bread was available. The poor Jews were left starving at a dinner without even a glass of water.

Their bewilderment was captured by the flash of Kaufman and Fabry’s camera, and recorded in the photograph commemorating this unique event, which you see here.

The result? Checkbooks were opened for the Relief of Jewish War Sufferers Fund like never before. The money was flowing. That night, the wealthy businessman Julius Rosenwald exceeded all others with a donation of $1 million (Today, it would be probably $15 million).

This was an unprecedented sum, even for a philanthropist like Rosenwald, who later went on to establish the renowned Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. (Word of the huge donation reached President Woodrow Wilson, who sent a telegram to Rosenwald thanking him.)

The fact remains: The success of the fundraiser was never duplicated. Why? Because the dinner was not about words, slogans, speeches and videos. It was about experience. They all came in hungry, and they remained hungry for the night! Their stomachs spoke more than mouths can. It allowed them to experience, if only a sliver, of the suffering of their brethren who were starving back in Europe. It made the experience real, tangible, concrete. They did not speak of starvation; they experienced it with their body.

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches, located in the Venetian Isle Shopping Center at 2025 E. Sample Rd. in Lighthouse Point. For all upcoming events, please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

Despite my advanced age, I am not an obsessive reader of the obituary pages. Alas, the people I have mostly cared about have already been there. However, I recently checked the Sunday New York Times obits out of curiosity. Actually, if you really want some good stories, this is a place to start. The biggest challenge to one’s imagination is to read between the lines. Could this person really have been God’s gift to humanity?

Some of you may remember the late comedian Alan King, who would read obituaries aloud as part of his act in an attempt to prove that women lived longer than men (statistically true), always followed by a laugh line that today would have been politically inappropriate professional suicide. He referenced in the obits, an overabundance of deceased men in their 90s, all of whom were survived by wives. The general subject, death, of course, is grim, but my mantra is that you can find humor in anything, and for a good laugh, check out youtube.com, Alan King on Obituaries.

Ah, but I digress. I will quote the one that caught my attention last week. I have changed her name and place of residence in the event that her fame slogged its way south to Florida. It was a very simple and inexpensive obit. (They charge by the word.)

It read: “Doe, Jane — Jane Doe of Mainville, Long Island is gone. She lived her life with intention.”

Well, you’ll pardon me, but think of how many ways that could be interpreted. First of all, no one claimed to have been the originator of that sentiment, but someone was nonetheless intent (pardon the pun) upon distributing the news. And the word “intention” is appealingly ambiguous. Somehow, the picture of Nurse Ratched [from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest] popped into my head, a woman of distinct intention. And then, fleetingly, Eva Braun, creator of questionable lampshades, (who was Hitler’s wife for those of you born after the evil embers of World War II flickered out of consciousness). Of course, there was Madame Curie and Mother Teresa — both women of intention, and Lady Gaga and Marianne Williamson, and a zillion others, known and unknown whose “intentions” have been of all qualities. So much for Jane Doe, whose mysterious life ended in “gone.”

All of which gives me the most awkward segue into gratitude and — would you believe? — Thanksgiving! I am talking about gratitude that my name has not yet reached those pages, or to be more practical, is not yet eligible to appear there.  

And, so, I leave you with the November assignment of listing all the things in your life that are positive — and for which you remain grateful. The sorrows may well be there … Nobody escapes them … but, for now, we would be wise and good to ourselves by concentrating on our sunshine (when it’s not raining) and the birds, and flowers, and trees and mountains, (despite having to leave the state to find them), and oceans and whatever good personal stuff you can add to that. And may you have a really good Thanksgiving.