Yesterday was The Jewish Federation Valley Alliance’s annual luncheon, The Main Event: It Takes A Woman. Every year, the Valley Alliance throws this event and invites a famous/prominent Jewish woman to speak. For the past two years, I have gone home from school to attend the luncheon – last year the guest speaker was the author of The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger, who is also a fellow AEPHI, and the year before that the guest speaker was Jennifer Weiner, who is one of my favorite authors and wrote one of my favorite books, Good in Bed.
The point of this luncheon is to encourage these Federation women to give a gift in their own name, in addition to the family gift they give along with their husband each year. Every year at the event, more than 600 women do this, which I think is really unique and special. So, I came to the event (as a guest, not as an employee!) and had a very nice day with my Mommy and her pals.
Side note. As soon as I start making enough money, I plan on becoming a Lion of Judah. A Lion of Judah is the title of a level of giving of women who give more than $5,000 every year. When you are a Lion, you get a gold pin shaped like a lion and you wear it to all your Federation events with all the other Federation ladies and I think you feel special, like part of a club. Before I am a Lion, I think I will have to be a Pomegranate, which means you give $1,800 and a silver pin shaped like… you guessed it, a pomegranate. It is always very special when someone becomes a Lion and they make a big deal out of it. I would like to be a Lion before I am 30 and I think that is a valid personal goal. I will try VERY hard to achieve it. For those of you who are curious, this is what a Lion of Judah pin looks like:
But I digress. The event was very lovely – it was held at the Four Seasons in West Hills, which is absolutely beautiful, and it was a gorgeous day and everyone looked fabulous. I got to see lots of people who I don’t usually get to see, and it was very fun telling people who didn’t already know that I actually WORK at the Federation now! (including a former principal of mine, who seemed way too surprised that I was not like, a bum on the street. Hmph.)
Anyway, after a cup of carrot-ginger soup, which was delicious, and a chicken caesar salad, which oddly had potatoes in it, and a TRULY HILARIOUS video of important Federation ladies discussing the importance of a woman’s gift (including one Mrs. Ellen Silverman who looked RAVISHING in an electric green turtleneck, let me tell you), it was time for Marlee Matlin to speak. (For those of you who don’t know who she is, go here and read more about her. She is Jewish and very talented and has won a Best Actress Oscar and was just announced to be a contestant on this season of Dancing with the Stars. Oh yes, and she is deaf! )
She was so great! She signed her entire speech, and her interpreter, this little cute man named Jack Jason, sat in the front and spoke the words she was saying. She was so effusive and bubbly and energetic, jumping around and pointing and gesticulating – I don’t think she could have been any better if she had spoken the words herself! Oh, AND she was wearing her huge diamond earrings that Chopard had loaned her from the OSCARS the night before!
Afterwards I went right up to her (she was sitting at the table next to me) and told her how great she was and that I am definitely going to be voting for her on Dancing with the Stars (which means another reality tv show for me to watch, great). Marvin the trusty photographer got a fabulous photo of us and I will post it here as soon as I get my hands on it.
And the best part of the day was… Marlee Matlin became a Lion of Judah! I was very impressed by that. It was so nice to see that she really takes her Jewish roots seriously and gives back in such a major way to the Federation.
So I thought you all might like to hear that story. I am off to watch Idol and work on Anna’s top secret bachelorette party gift. Love it!
1 comment:
i saw her at joans on third yesturday!
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