The number 18 is special in Jewish tradition, I learned last week. Its Hebrew letters add up to chai, or life, and custom has it that people give gifts for momentous occasions in increments of 18.
Sunday evening, in the Palm Court Ballroom at the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg, Menorah Manor was celebrated at an 18th anniversary gala sponsored by its guild and foundation.
Chai honorees are longtime supporters Barry Alpert, Marilyn Benjamin, Ellie and Samuel Fishman, Ruth Glickman, Dr. Sidney Grau, Sydonia Green, Loretta Linsky, Madeylyn Liss, Ida Michels, Irwin Miller, Fagl Oxman, Barbara Rosenblum, Marion Samson-Joseph, Saul and Sue Schechter, Leonard Seligman, James Soble, Shirley Solomon, Irwin "Wally" Wallace, Marilyn Weissman, Sharyn Wittner and Ted Wittner. Also remembered were the late Murray Jacobs, the late Marshall Linsky and the late Irving Weissman.
All of those community volunteers have been leaders of Menorah Manor, the Jewish home for the elderly, its foundation and its guild. They received kiddush cups inscribed with their names.
Before dinner, I visited with gala co-chairwomen Marietta Drucker, Edie Seligman and Mrs. Weissman; Judy and Eric Ludin; Ernest Drucker; Harriet Easton; Marshall and Lea Seiden; Rob and Susan Goldstein; Dr. Mark and Debbie Sokolov; and Bill Benjamin.
Amy Schwartz Moretti, concertmaster of the Florida Orchestra, gave a special half-hour performance for the evening. She later played two klezmer pieces with the Mike Eisenstadt Band.
Also on the planning committee were Marilyn Benjamin, Gail Frye, Marcia Gold, Irma Hillman, Dell Krug, Gene Linsky, Ana Masri, Sonya and Irwin Miller, Saul Rachelson, Rochelle Rosenberg, Pam and Eric Sekeres, Sally Siegel, Abbe Slavin and Deanna Susskind.
Several Menorah Manor honorees and supporters were unable to attend the event, having accepted invitations to the 50th wedding anniversary celebration hosted by U.S. ambassador to Italy Mel and Betty Sembler in Rome.
Retired pediatrician Dr. Bruce and Amy Epstein returned home Monday, having begun their journey by taking an extended cruise from Venice to the Po River, then to Lake Cuomo, Salzburg, and finally to Rome.
" "Wonderful' is not a word to use," Bruce Epstein said, effusive in his remembrances of the anniversary events. "The feeling was just so beautiful. Somebody said it was like a fairy tale, and we were waiting for the clock to strike 12 and for it all to go away.
"There were so many people we didn't know when we walked in, from all over the world. After it was over, we knew everybody," he said, because the Semblers made sure that their guests mixed and mingled.
Friday evening, guests toured Villa Taverna, the official residence, and each took a number for table seatings, placing them with other guests they hadn't yet met.
On Saturday, there was a tour of the embassy in the Palazzo Margherita.
The black-tie Nozze d'Oro, or golden wedding anniversary gala, also took place in the Villa Taverna, where guests were seated at tables named for towns that have special significance in the Semblers' lives. Then the tablemates were to discern the threads that connected them.
Dr. Epstein sat at a table labeled for Dyersburg, Tenn., Betty Sembler's birthplace, with the Semblers' son and daughter-in-law Greg and Liz Sembler ("I took care of their children," he said.); the Israeli ambassador to Italy ("They know of my interest in Israel."); and an orthopedic surgeon who once treated Betty Sembler.
At each table was a copy of a letter the Semblers wrote to their parents 50 years ago; and each couple received a plate that bears the image of the Villa Taverna.
Family members Brent and Debbie Sembler and Steve and Diane Sembler were on the guest list along with other Tampa Bay residents Marilyn Benjamin, George and Pam Campbell, Bud and Mary Evertz, Dr. Will and Nancy Greenberg, Bruce and Mary Ann Marger, Sonya and Irwin Miller, Ira and Beverly Mitlin, Ron and Fagl Oxman, Dave and Adele Pinkser, Thelma Rothman, Ron and Sherry Sacino, Craig and Jan Sher, Don and Jane Silverberg, Mike and Sandy Slomka and retired Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge David Seth and Joan Walker.
Dr. Epstein said it was amazing to be in Rome and see people from St. Petersburg, to "walk on the Spanish Steps and have someone call your name.
"What impressed me the most was the love and affection the Italians have for the Semblers. . . . I sat next to the Italian Minister of Defense, Antonio Martino, (the American counterpart would be Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield) . . . (and he) made a point of mentioning how well the Semblers represented the United States and that we should be very proud of them. I heard this from a lot of Italians whom I met at the party.
"The people who were invited were the friendliest group I have ever met, a tribute again to the Semblers, who seem to surround themselves and be surrounded by the nicest people."
LOOKING AHEAD
Thursday
FIRST NIGHT 2004 BENEFIT: Silent auction of paintings from third annual St. Petersburg Plein Air Painting Invitational, food from Bonefish Grill. 7 p.m. Sunken Gardens, 1825 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. $75. Show, sale of paintings continues through Sunday.
FLOCK OF FOOLS: Second annual flamingo decorating contest benefits St. Petersburg Museum of History Guild. Decorations provided; embellishments encouraged. 10:30 a.m. St. Petersburg Yacht Club, 11 Central Ave. $50. 522-1319.
WINE, CHEESE BENEFIT: Second annual GFWC St. Petersburg Junior Woman's Club fundraiser for CASA, Ronald McDonald House, Head Start, Resurrection House, Brookwood and other organizations. Wines from Florida Orange Groves Winery, Pasadena. Free. 7-9 p.m. St. Petersburg Woman's Club, 40 Snell Isle Blvd. 898-2240.
STARS ON THE BAY: Benefits Mahaffey Theater for the Performing Arts. Cocktail reception, silent auction, "onstage" dinner. 6:30 p.m. Mahaffey Theater for the Performing Arts at Bayfront Center Arena, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. 892-5710.
- Mary Jane Park can be reached at (727) 893-8267; fax (727) 893-8675; e-mail park@sptimes.com P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.
