Under the tent and on the stage

Under the tent at the 29th Mount Sinai Crystal Party.

A week ago, Thursday, May 9th, more than 1,300 guests including hospital leadership, staff, and supporters gathered on to celebrate the newly established Mount Sinai Health System and all seven hospital campuses – Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Brooklyn, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Queens, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Roosevelt, and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, as well as the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The 29th Mount Sinai Crystal Party took place under a beautifully decorated tent at the Central Park Conservatory Garden and was hosted by Mount Sinai trustees Marc Lipschultz and Steve Hochberg, and their wives Jennifer Lipschultz and Hillary Lane Hochberg. The event raised more than $3.7 million.

The beautifully decorated tent at the Central Park Conservatory Garden

“Our new, integrated health system doubles our former size and expands access to exceptional health care to millions of people throughout the greater New York metropolitan area and beyond,” said Peter W. May, Chairman of the combined Boards of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Health System. “Together, we will help define the future of health care within a system that will set the example for others around the country.”

“We are now one of the largest and most sophisticated nonprofit health care systems in the country,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System. “With the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at the heart of it, I believe our health system is unparalleled in the history of health care in this country, enabling us to always put medical and scientific innovation at the forefront of all that we do.”

Victor Franklin and Carla Harris

Keith Marran, Jr. and David Reich, MD, President, The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens

Jonathan and Darcie Crystal

Audrey Genden, DDS and Eric Genden, MD, Doctor Chairs

Ken Wyse and Alice Netter

Ken Davis, MD, CEO and President, Mount Sinai Health System, Steve Hochberg, Trustee/Co-Chair, and Peter W. May, Chairman, Boards of Trustees

Stacey and Eric Mindich

Sharon Gianelli and Arthur Gianelli, President, Mount Sinai St. Luke's

Joan and Joel Picket

Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz with Hillary Lane Hochberg and Steve Hochberg

Steve Hochberg and Hillary Lane Hockberg, Crystal Party Chairs

Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz, Crystal Party Chairs

David Somerville and Susan Somerville, President, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Don Kastenbaum, MD, and Cindie Kastenbaum, Doctor Chairs

Carolyn Sicher, PsyD, and Aaron Woolf

Lisa and Jeff Blau

Scott Goldsmith, MD, Elisa Port, MD, and James Tisch

Andrew and Zibby Right

Andrea and Dennis Charney, MD, Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Glenn Dubin and Eva Andersson-Dubin, MD

Lin Mo, President, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Brooklyn, and Joan Mo

There was more than one thrill on Sugar Hill at the Church of the Intercession Monday night when the Harlem Opera Theater presented Benjamin Britten's“The Burning Fiery Furnace,” directed by Michael Sisk. In June, for the first time in America, an all African-American cast will perform all three one-hour operas of “Parables for Church Performance" in one program. Stephen Burrows, well known and admired fashion designer, designed the costumes and special effects like the fiery furnace were devised by Jessica Scott, from the studio of puppeteer, Basil Twist. The 8 musicians, directed by Harlem Opera’s musical director, Dr. Gregory Hopkins, also participated in the somber processions through the church which began and ended the performance.

A much more lively procession proceeded to Dick Parson’s new restaurant, The Cecil, at 210 West 118th Street where Jason D’s band, flown in from Memphis, played non stop till no one could dance anymore.

Church of the Intercession, Broadway and W. 155th St

Church interior

Sheila Klehm, Bonnie Pfeifer Evans, Donna Corbat, and Pat Kerr Tigrett

Michael Corbat, CEO of Citi and his wife, Donna, one of the evening's chairwomen

Ajmal Khan and Anisha Sabnani

The three princes: Shadrach, Mesach, Abednego

The cast performing Benjamin Britten's one hour long opera "The Burning Fiery Furnace"

The Cast in procession

Robert DeNiro and Grace Hightower

Alisa Roever and Rita Schaeger

Yanna Avis and Alexandra Schlesinger

Lauren Ezersky and Stephen Burrows, who designed the costumes

Robert and Alisa Roever with Rita Schraeger

Model Alva Chinn in vintage Stephen Burrows

Deborah Bancroft, Nicole Miller, and Michelle Patterson

Lloyd Williams and Lois LeBlanc

Delphine deCausans

Stephen Burrows and Alva Chinn

Yanna Avis, Christophe deMenil, and Oliver Herring

Band leader, Jason D, who is Jerry Lee Lewis' son

DeeDee Eustace and Bobby Genovese

Maya Haile and Marcus Samuelson

Flo Fulton, Kirat Young, and Lindsey Wheat

Jonathan Marder and Jill Sackler

Donna Corbat and Jeremy Tepper

Jeremy Tepper and Pat Kerr Tigrett

Museum Trustee and noted philanthropist Mrs. Lily Safra was honored by the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust at its 18th Annual Heritage Dinner on Thursday, May 8, 2014. The chair of this year's dinner was Museum Chairman Robert M. Morgenthau. The evening featured Bruce Ratner, Chairman-Elect of the Museum as the evening's host and a performance by virtuoso violinist Giora Schmidt. More than 300 guests were in attendance.

Created as a living memorial to those who perished during the Holocaust, the Museum honors those who died by celebrating their lives—cherishing the traditions that they embraced, examining their achievements and faith, and affirming the vibrant worldwide Jewish community that is their legacy today.

Museum Chairman Robert M. Morgenthau, Mrs. Lily Safra, Museum Director Dr. David G. Marwell, and Chairman-Elect Bruce Ratner

Museum Chairman-Elect Bruce Ratner, Museum Chairman Robert M. Morgenthau, Mrs. Lily Safra, and Museum Director Dr. David G. Marwell

The Museum hosted the Heritage Dinner on site, offering guests the opportunity to tour all exhibitions, enjoy spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and attend the award presentation in the Museum's state-of-the-art Edmond J. Safra Hall.

Mrs. Safra joins such past Heritage Dinner award recipients as Ernest W. Michel, John Cardinal O'Connor, Howard J. Rubenstein, Robert M. Morgenthau, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Larry Silverstein, and Peter S. Kalikow and Bruce C. Ratner.

Gora Schmidt, violin and Rohan De Silva, piano

The Museum's exhibitions educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century—before, during, and after the Holocaust. Current special exhibitions include Against the Odds: American Jews and the Rescue of Europe's Refugees, 1933-1941, on view through 2014; and Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage, on view through May 18, 2014. A Town Known as Auschwitz: The Life and Death of a Jewish Community will open May 16, 2014. It is also home to the award-winning Keeping History Center, an interactive visitor experience, and Andy Goldsworthy's memorial Garden of Stones. The Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule in its Edmond J. Safra Hall and receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.