Love to Jerusalem, From Paris

The American Friends group of Shalva, a center for mentally and physically challenged children in Jerusalem, gathered on the “streets” of Paris (onstage at the Hammerstein Ballroom) for its annual fund-raiser earlier this month.

Guests were delighted to make the journey — and raise $1.7 million for the center — but not surprised by the beauty of the spectacle. Every year, dinner chairwoman Lisa Low pours her creativity into a new theme.

Before the stage curtains were pulled back to unveil Paris, the founder of Shalva, Kalman Samuels, presided at an awards ceremony. A board member of the Ramaz School, Randy Krevat, and her husband, Mitchell, who is working on bringing an Israeli restaurant chain, Burgers Bar, to America, received the Keter Shem Tov Award. The director of the LEV Learning Corp., which provides Jewish education to children with learning disabilities, Lisa Altabef, and her husband, Douglas, who helped create an endowment for the Mount Kisco Hebrew Congregation, were recognized for leading a mission to Rosh Pina to restore and replant a nature preserve that was damaged last summer. Also recognized were the event’s guests of honor, Yael and Amnon Mandelbaum. Mrs. Mandelbaum is a lawyer who advocates for children with special needs. Mr. Mandelbaum is managing partner of Sunrise Equity Partners.

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, 20 children were sleeping over at Shalva as part of the center’s Overnight Respite program.

agordon@nysun.com