by Marcia Brodie
The Annual Janet Gordon Mah Jongg Tournament at Beth Sholom Village proved to be spectacular. After lunch for 120 guests, 91 women played several hours of competitive Mah Jongg. The money raised each year goes directly to Beth Sholom Village.
This year’s theme was retro and many players dressed to look the part. Decorations included old 45 records as napkin holders and old black and white photographs hanging from the ceiling.
The meal started with a cold gazpacho soup. Main courses included a cold poached citrus salmon, a chicken salad with almonds and raisins and cold bow tie pasta, with sides of a green salad and Israeli couscous. The dessert was a Mah Jongg tile cake and orange chocolate brittle. Mimosas and Sangria were offered.
After eating, the ladies filed into Pincus Paul Hall to begin the very competitive tournament. At the end of the long day, Lori Tabakin was the winner.
Organizers and volunteers worked for several months to plan this event. In fact, volunteers spent four consecutive days setting up the retro decorations and making certain everything was ready. Charlene Cohen and Ellen Mesh, co-chaired the event and worked with volunteers: Rachel Abraham, Babbi Bangel, Ilana Benson, Frances Birshtein, Gail Berger, Karen Gilbert, Karen Griffing, Jeri Jo Halprin, Joan Joffe, Wendy Konikoff, Marlene Rossen, Leslie Siegel, Shelly Slone and Linda Spindel.
Beth Sholom greatly appreciates the Gordon family and their annual commitment to this event, which is always memorable, fun, competitive and most importantly, supports the efforts of Beth Sholom Village.
—Beth Sholom Village is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.