By Arielle Klugman, Board Member

This year, Derech Emunah's Winter Garden Party was a resounding success. The sold-out social and gourmet dining event at the lovely home of Ike Almo was both well attended and friendly. Attendees enjoyed mingling and dining on an expertly crafted and overflowing buffet of delicacies from seven Pacific “Ring of Fire” countries.

From perfectly seasoned Pad Thai to sumptuous Japanese ribs to Larry's famous pareve ice cream for dessert, the Russak chefs totally outdid themselves. They gave the community a treat that had guests coming back for thirds, even fourths.

A short program ensued in which Rabbi Michael Cohen, DE Head of School spoke about the unique mission of educating Jewish women, which appears in Parshat Yitro:  “This is what you’ll say to the House of Jacob and declare to the Children of Israel . . .” Rashi teaches that Beit Yakov (House of Jacob) refers to the women, and B’nai Yisrael (Children of Israel) alludes to the men. The Torah is teaching us that a different approach is needed when instructing women.

Derech Emunah fulfills this directive by educating each girl in a way that cultivates her unique strengths. Rabbi Cohen also highlighted:

• The dedication and creativity of our teachers
• The commitment of our community to help Derech Emunah thrive
• The tremendous gratitude we owe to the Samis Foundation for their loyal support of Derech Emunah and the many other Jewish Day and Secondary schools in Seattle

Of particular note, Rabbi Cohen gave thanks to Dan Birk for his willingness to assume the double role of president and treasurer of Derech Emunah. Dan’s dedication and leadership should inspire all of us.

The "Play, Win, Fly" drawing was also a great success. Thanks to our Derech Emunah students, they almost single-handedly sold more than 500 raffle tickets at $20. each. For the second year in a row our students raised $10,000. Wow!

Their reward was a trip to a fun "Escape Room" challenge.

Sue Condiotty won the drawing (see photo below) and now has a $1,000 airline credit to use toward her next vacation!

From head to toe, the event delighted attendees. Every participant received a cool door prize of customized His and Her, stylish, Derech Emunah socks.  A boon for sock aficionados and non-aficionados alike, these socks are sure to give pleasure to the wearer while promoting Derech Emunah to the masses.

Thank you to all who came out to the Garden Party and showed their support. A big shout out to the many donors who contributed money and time to make this such a glorious and enjoyable evening.

And a big Yasher Koach to all the volunteers who made the event come together:
 

Ike Almo
Alex Birk
Ethan Birk
Francine Birk
Keira Birk
Sue Condiotty
Arielle Desmond
Cheryl Greene
Ari Hoffman
Jonah Hoffman
Izzy Hoffman
Betzalel Katsman
Avraham Levy
Miriam Levy
Sol Levy
Lea Lipman
Larry Russak
Shelly Russak