Friendship Circle banquet honors eight and features Nova Festival survivor
Ron Segev, a survivor of the October 7 attack on the Nova Festival in Israel, told his story at the May 20 banquet of the Friendship Circle of New Jersey. The program honored eight people whose longtime support helps LifeTown throughout the year: Jody and Bruce Friedman, Laleh and Brian Harper, Ilene and Bruce Jacobs, and Linda and Sam Sidhu. The annual banquet at LifeTown in Livingston celebrates the work of Friendship Circle, providing support and daily programs at LifeTown for children and adults with special needs.
Hors d’oeuvres, a bar, and later dessert, took over LifeTown’s Main Street area for the evening, where hundreds of guests celebrated. The 53,000-square-foot facility was designed to meet the needs of its clientele, people with autism and other special needs.
“As we continue to keep our thoughts and prayers with our brothers and sisters in Israel, it is equally important to celebrate the good in the world — and we are so blessed to be surrounded by many amazing families, volunteers and staff at Friendship Circle,” Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, the CEO of the Friendship Circle of New Jersey and LifeTown, said. “We are thrilled to honor eight of our amazing supporters this year, and we are grateful to have Ron Segev with us, as we keep Israel front of mind.”
The evening focused on the work LifeTown does every day, the 1,000 teen and adult volunteers who make every program possible, the people who donate to LifeTown, and the honorees, who now are helping to bring to life yet another piece of the vision of LifeTown: a bowling alley on ground level, now nearing completion.
Steven Levy, an officer of both the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest and the Jewish Community Fund Board and a Gottesman Family Foundation trustee, said, “I’m constantly amazed at the work that is done here, and I’m blown away at the impact of Friendship Circle and LifeTown, especially on the people who need this service. It’s such a valuable resource in our community for special needs families; but even more, it exposes others to people who have special abilities and does it in such a compassionate manner; it teaches everyone to accept people as they are.”
LifeTown has sponsored a variety of events over the last months designed to bring light to dark times in Israel, from challah bakes to fabulous Friday night dinners. “Where there’s hate, we respond with love. Where there is divisiveness, we respond with unity, and when there is antisemitism, we respond with more Jewish spirit,” Rabbi Grossbaum said.
“The struggle has only begun,” Mr. Segev said. “Since that day me and my friends, we are doing everything in our power to make sure that all the survivors will go back to normal life. Since that day we made a pledge that we intend to keep: We will dance again.”
For more information, go to www.fcnj.com.
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