Out & About
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The Wall Street Division of United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York has raised oodles of money for services to the needy in New York, Israel, Ethiopia, and Russia, and many other programs that enrich communal life.
Most of that money has arrived in one night, at the division’s annual power dinner. It is one of the most important gatherings in the world of philanthropy, where extreme generosity comes from some extremely deep pockets.
For more years than anyone can remember, guests have announced the dollar amount of their gift in public. The ritual, bor rowed from synagogue life, is called “card calling.”
At this year’s dinner, the leadership of the division put an end to the custom, in response to concerns that it was out of step with the contemporary culture of the street and of Jewish philanthropy.
Alan Greenberg, known for his monster gifts, stood before 1,200 bankers and called for “a moment of silence in memory of card calling.”
But no one was too nostalgic for the pressurized tactics. Instead, people were getting used to a new, friendly, and upbeat tone to the annual festivities.
There was a poker tournament with the top prize a private luncheon with some of Wall Street’s top rainmakers.
Emphasizing the opportunity to network, the president of UJA, Morris Offit, offered anyone interested a 15-minute meeting in his office. Mr. Offit received the Gustave L. Levy Award.
The chairwoman of the division, Lesley Goldwasser, explained how the organization leverages donors’ dollars: for every dollar contributed, UJA receives $4 from the government, adding up to an annual budget of $125 million.
One leader on the dais who combines a sense of the past and a vision for the future is Alexandra Lebenthal, the recipient of the Wall Street Young Leadership Award.
Just one of Ms. Lebenthal’s contributions to UJA was founding the Women’s Executive Circle nine years ago. It started in New York and is now national.
Having recently left her position as president of her family’s brokerage firm, Lebenthal & Co. (the company was absorbed into Merrill Lynch), Ms. Lebensaid that even as her life changes, “UJA will be a constant in my life.”
She warmed up the event by bringing her children, Ben, Charlotte, and Eleanor, with her, as well as her husband, Jay Diamond, her sister, Claudia, her brother, James, and her father, James.
“For all those who heard that shrieking earlier, that wasn’t someone reacting to their first solicitation. It was my 19-month-old, Ellie,” Ms. Lebenthal said.
“Many assume I was born with a silver Kiddish cup in my mouth. What I was born with was a name and family willing to put all its worth in a business,” Ms. Lebenthal said.
Through her work with UJA, the School of American Ballet, and other causes, Ms. Lebenthal has closely associated her family’s name with a strong impulse to give.
The event, attended by Miss Israel, Elena Ralph, raised $20 million. The winners of the Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament were Robert Parker, Peter Mustalish, and Paul Delaney.
The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and the Ladies of Charity of the Archdiocese brought Christmas to the Waldorf-Astoria yesterday for their 60th annual fund-raising luncheon.
The stage was dressed with evergreens strung with white lights. From the balconies hung boughs of holly. And in the center of each table was a beautiful angel.
More impressive than the decorations was the holiday spirit at the event, which gathered 750 guests and raised $500,000.
“I’m particularly happy to be able to participate in the luncheon because the proceeds go directly to assist mothers and children in need,” the Archbishop of New York, Edward Cardinal Egan, said.
He mentioned a girl taken in by Cardinal McCloskey Services after being beaten with a strap by her mother. With emotional and financial support, she thrived. She recently graduated from community college.
“The biggest challenge we face in providing help and creating hope in people’s lives is the crisis of affordability,” the executive director of the Catholic Charities, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, said. “Many of the poor people we help are working, but they struggle to make ends meet.”
The luncheon recognized two faithful supporters of the Catholic Charities: Patricia Dillon and Mary McCooey. Ms. Dillon sat with her sister. Ms. McCooey sat with her daughter, Mary Catherine Dodman, and sons, Robert, Mark, and Kevin. On Christmas Day, the McCooey family volunteers at a soup kitchen in the Bronx.