Pure Possibility, Exhilaration and Indulgence

It’s Wednesday night, June 30th at 11 pm and I just got in from the Pure Inspiration evening event. We had an amazing turn-out and a good time was had by all! Everyone got a sneak peek at our Chinese Auction and raved! The ticket boxes are filling up already:  the big hits so far are the David Rudy jewelry, the fitness package with the bicycles and elliptical, the iPad, the iMac computer and the Susan Menash portrait sitting. I had at least three guests ask me where they could put their tickets for the floral and crystal sculpture—our gorgeous centerpiece from Peter James Floral (maybe we should have auctioned it off—nah!)

Rabbi Meyer Yedid spoke beautifully, as did our own Rabbi Moshe Douek. We were introduced to the Mayor of Eatontown, Gerald Tarantolo, and could not have asked for two kinder or more gracious hosts than Allegra and Jacobo Cojab; their home looks especially lovely, thanks to all of our hardworking volunteers and we are so moved that they have allowed us to hold this special day in memory of Allegras’ mother, Arlette bat Olga A”H.

The big day is almost here; I’ll pray for sunshine!

Thursday Morning
July 1, 2010
6:00 am
Pure Possibility
The day dawned cool and clear—the forecast is for sunny and breezy with a high of 78—unheard of for New Jersey in July! Our prayers have been answered.

The first of 30 merchants are streaming in to set up their merchandise in our marketplace; thank goodness we went with the larger, tent.

Samantha Harary and Caroline Dweck of Affair to Remember and Avenue J Florists have turned the venue into a vision of opulent tranquility. Suspended from the ceiling, sheer panels of flowing white fabric billow in the breeze between the vendors’ booths and each table is adorned with fresh flowers. All is going well.

Samantha and her team have chosen grand, oversized urns to flank the front gate and entryway.  They are filled with breathtaking exotic flowers and towering bamboo reeds and compliment our theme seamlessly. In the circular driveway the bottles of extra virgin olive oil that Richie Setton donated glisten in the sun, their necks wrapped in ribbon and trimmed with sprigs of fresh rosemary. Next to them are the pedestal candles, stacked grandly in a pyramid. Abie and Victor Sabbagh would be so pleased if they could see what we made of their generous donation! Hopefully both will be big sellers.

It’s time to get ready. The first fitness class is at 8:30. We are hoping for 300 women today, but secretly praying for at least 500.

8:45 am
Pure Exhilaration
I stepped inside to check on the Milagro Day Spa; they are all set up and open for business! Frankie Browne and the team from The Atlantic Club/Milagro are all here from Red Bank and possibly more excited then we are!  The room looks like an actual spa; the massage chair and masseuse are next to the hair consultation station. To the left of them is the Bare Escentuals Make-over station and then the MD Skincare Facial area; all estheticians are ready.

Nestled amidst the treatment areas are the retail products available for sale and flowers, flowers, flowers. The room has wrap-around windows, the sun is shining in and the ladies are ready to treat all our guests to their complimentary pampering!

Then I hear something—loud, pounding and pulsating. I rush outside to check out the commotion; it’s zumba! Across the side lawn on the tennis court are 60 beautiful bodies bouncing as one to the beat.Michal is front and center and so in the zone. I am secretly jealous that I can’t join in, but I have too much to do.

My ear catches a separate beat, more rhythmic and flowy, behind me, in a shaded glen, 20 fluid bodies are bending and stretching; it’s a peaceful yogic retreat. They seem lost in their own world and look tranquil and graceful. The class is filled to capacity and everyone looks very, very zen.

I am amazed that our sound crew, electrician Eddie Dabbah, Eliot Betesh and DJ Danny (DJ Yid) Rachmelowitz, have been able to pull this off. We have three concurrent fitness classes, each with its own distinct music, and none is interfering with the other. I must find Danny to compliment him on this.

Danny is in the pool house, as are close to three dozen happy, sweaty ladies, working out with Sari Dana. Sari drew such a large crowd that the girls have spilled over into the second room of the house. That’s okay; the ladies running the adjacent Deans Fresh Fruit Smoothie concession don’t seem to mind. And how convenient; everyone can pick up their smoothies in between Saris’ class and Galits’ belly dancing session.

The morning drifts by like a hazy, happy dream; All 10 fitness classes get a great turnout, even mommy and me is filled to capacity. This is awesome; the girls are lingering by our refreshment lounge, no one seems to want to leave, which is fine by us.

Starbucks, located on the opposite side of the pool, is happily treating everyone to iced lattes, Morris Antebi is making the rounds on the vast grounds capturing all the action with his camera and the marketplace vendors are ready to sell.  The designer sunglasses, fitness clothing and jewelry are the busiest booths at the moment.

11:30 am
Pure Indulgence
After a quick trip inside to check on Milagro—they’re buzzing with activity and almost booked solid for the day—it’s back outside just in time to see Sarah’s Tent Catering unveiling an entire table made completely of ice. Even the serving bowls that sit atop it, filled with towering mounds of fresh, brightly colored fruits, are made of glistening ice. And the jewel on the crown of this unexpected gift is our very own Pure Inspiration logo, embedded in a frame of solid ice, sitting atop the fruit station!

When I can finally take my eyes off the crystal wonder, I catch a glimpse of the sumptuous spa luncheon. Once again, Sarah’s Tent has gone above and beyond. There is a serpentine layout of vegetable sushi hugging a variety of wraps, all laid out on a glass table top in an enticing  wave formation that is rapidly being snatched up by appreciative guests.  

The finger foods are flanked by mountains of fresh salads—10 varieties. I fill a plate and eat it on the go, envious of the ladies who are lounging under the white umbrella covered tables, chatting and laughing on this breezy, easy day of relaxation—the food is so yummy, I hardly care.

1 pm
Purely Educational
The ladies are still lingering by the patio, noshing and chatting and enjoying the day and in no rush to leave, which is great, but our eight medical speakers are inside the house waiting to address our guests on a variety of topics. We know the girls will want to hear all they have to say on hormone replacement therapy, chiropractic and pediatric adjustment, weight loss and management, nutrition and fitness and so on, but we just don’t want to break the spell of blissful comfort that has settled over the crowd outdoors. DJ Yid to the rescue! A quick improvisational revamp of the sound system and our speakers are all set to make their presentations on the shady upper patio overlooking the luncheon area.  I even get to sit and listen to a few of the experts speak (Dr. James Proodian, Dr. Christopher Tabick and Mike Duffy) and get so caught up in their lectures that I lose track of time.

3 pm
Purely Delicious
After a quick chat with a local reporter, I’m back in the house for the  chefs’ kitchen demonstrations. I have a bit of a hard time making my way through the crowds inside the house. There’s lots of traffic between the spa and the Chinese Auction, which are packed. I get to the kitchen just in time to see Poopa Dweck making her famous healthy sambousak, followed by Alice Adjmi and Linda Braka, who tantalize and entertain the girls with their recipes as well. They each share tastes of what they have prepped for the crowd and everyone is ooh-ing and aah-ing and lingering in the kitchen.

The buzz has spread about the gift bags we distributed to our first 200 guests this morning. They were jam-packed with gifts, goodies and gift certificates for fitness classes, gym memberships spa treatments
and more. A few guests ask if we have any extras and, sadly, we do not. We mention the olive oil bottles that are for sale out front. There are some bottles left, as well as some pedestal candles. The girls and I snatch up armfuls and bring them into the kitchen (special delivery!) and everyone gathers around the kitchen table Fortunately we have some empty shopping bags left and the stock exchange floor-like frenzy continues until we run out of inventory,

4:30 pm
The crowd is still here. A lot of the girls are still in their exercise clothes, which means they stayed all day long. Many who I saw at fitness this morning are back, showered and changed. Everyone echoes the same sentiment “I just don’t want to leave!” I cannot get over how blessed and fortunate we are to have had all of our hard work rewarded with such a critical success.

I walk through the Chinese Auction room; the crowd has thinned enough so that I can finally buy and place my tickets in the Auction boxes. One small problem, the boxes are jammed—again, Baruch Hashem. I force my tickets into the crowded boxes and finally have a moment to step back and view the Auction table through the eyes of a guest. It’s breathtaking. No wonder people have been raving! Liela Rudy, Sandy Esses and Bobbi Braha did an amazing job displaying the abundance of valuable gifts we had to auction off to benefit our shul.  And credit goes to our very own hostess, Allegra Cojab, who sat up until 2 am last night tweaking the layout until it was just right.

5:00 pm
Pure Success
It’s over. What an experience. The girls and I can’t stop grinning and high five-ing each other and thanking Hashem for the success of our day. We are all so grateful to the women of our community who turned out in record numbers (the rough estimate is 1,000) to support our event and our shul. We are especially tickled that they not only came, but were so pleased with what we had to offer, they stayed and stayed. That gives us great satisfaction and speaks volumes to us about the quality of success of our endeavor.

6 pm
Chinese Auction winners have been drawn and notified and its clean-up time. Exhausted but exhilarated we go over and over the highlights of the day as we finish up.  We have promised to leave the home of our gracious hosts exactly as we found it, and we do just that as we start to dream and plan for next year.

We will see you all on Thursday, June 30, 2011 for Pure Inspiration II, which will benefit Shaare Tefilah Bene Moshe. To participate or for more information contact lisamatalon@hotmail.com. We can hardly wait.
______________
Lisa Rudy Matalon is a member of Congregation Shaare Tefilah Bene Moshe, Eatontown. She is a freelance editorial writer and is working towards the completion of her teaching certification.