FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 63
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Yom Kippur, the holiest
day of the Jewish New
Year on Sept. 19, is a time
of reflection and gratitude.
During prayers, I beat my
chest with my fist, asking for forgiveness
for my sins. I also spent
hours in the synagogue listening
to the magnificent ancient
prayers sung by the robust
melodic large choir of men and
women. They left me in awe.
Just these past weeks, I felt
so grateful to spend time with
my daughters. We went to see
“My Fair Lady” at the Vivian
Beaumont Theater at Lincoln
Center as a belated birthday gift.
Sitting in the first row of the
three-quarters theater-in-theround,
I felt up close and personal
with the action and the
voices of the magnificently talented
actors. They carried me
off to another place. I forget
how powerful their talent is and
how it moved me.
The revival of “My Fair
Lady” is as fresh
as its first performance
in
1956, with Rex
Harrison and
Julie Andrews in
the lead roles.
The towering
talents breathed
new life into every
role, with Lauren
Ambrose as the
perfectly pitched
Eliza Doolittle and
Harry Hadden-
Paton as stately
professor Henry
Higgins.
What a gift to
be touched by
the cast’s talent in
telling a timeless
story of love and
relationships with
brilliant music,costumes and
sets. They won Gratitude and reflection
Tony Award for the sets, but
how Norbert Leo Butz didn’t
win is beyond me. His rendition
of “Get Me to the Church On
Time” brought down the house.
It was an inspired performance.
Another inspiration was
meeting and helping Manda
Kalimian whose passion for
saving wild horses led her to
create the Cana Foundation, an
organization devoted to saving
the horses out west.
Manda researched and investigated
the way our government
has corralled the horses to make
way for fracking and
cattle ranching.
The Long Island
Press partnered with
her and held a press conference
at the Hampton Classic, sharing
the problem and asking for
support from our legislators.
Find out more about the Cana
Foundation by visiting their website,
canafoundation.org. One
person can make a difference.
Saluting the Power Women of Staten Island
Over 17 years ago, when I attended a
Chamber of Commerce business awards
dinner and found that not one woman
was recognized, I took action. I created the Power
Women in Business event, which has grown since
then to honor women in Queens, Brooklyn, Long
Island, the Bronx and Staten Island.
Last week, I had the privilege of giving awards
to 35 people on Staten Island who have been successful
in many fields in their county. The elegant
Hilton on Staten Island was the venue for the
event that made many people proud.
We also raised $2,500 for the Florina Rusi
Marke Comprehensive Breast Center, Staten
Island University Hospital / Northwell Health.
It was an inspiring night to recognize each person’s
achievements and learn more about them.
I cried as I heard the journey of Dr. Dyanna
Coomer, an outstanding breast surgeon at Staten
Island University Hospital, who received the
Health Hero award. As an outstanding breast
surgeon, she shared her journey of coming to
America and pursuing her dream to become a
doctor. Perseverance and passion made it possible.
She is now the proud mom of two children, a wife
of a surgeon and a recognized expert in her field.
Her story is the American dream come true. I
felt such joy to recognize her, and I stand in awe
of all the people who we’ve honored and have
enhanced our lives with their passion.
o
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,
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Dr. Dyanna Coomer with Rachel Rusi, CEO of Goal Mine
Health Club
Manda Kalimian
At left, Henry Higgins training Eliza Doolittle. At right, Professor Higgins lamenting with his house staff.
Photos via Twitter/@MyFairLadyBway
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