FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 15, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 75
Victors visit Puerto Rico
Jennifer Weprin (r.) and I with Congresswoman Grace Meng and her staff
Assemblyman David Weprin with
Ronnie Weprin and State Comptroller
Tom DiNapoli
away the weariness of my flight
to San Juan. During my trip
down to Puerto Rico, I had sat
next to our First Lady Chirlane
McCray and Mayor Bill de
Blasio.
She has made an impact with
her Thrive NY program to raise
awareness of mental health
needs. Her program is so successful
she’s taking it on the
road, where it is being copied by
185 cities in all 50 states. Time
magazine named her one of the
50 Most Influential People in
Healthcare in the country.
I spent my days and evenings
at the El San Juan hotel, where
most of the meetings and gatherings
were held. The most fun
were the poolside chats with
dear friends Joyce and Frank
Seddio, who held court to and
a steady stream of New York
City power brokers — including
office holders, union leaders,
lobbyists, nonprofit heads and
public relations experts.
When I made my way through
the El San Juan ballroom the first
evening, I looked around at the
joyous, packed crowd. No wonder
their faces were all lit up; it
was a day after the victorious
“blue wave” of Democrats winning
every major race in New
York City.
It was great to see so many
Brooklyn and Queens friends
and be introduced to Bronx,
Manhattan and Staten Island leaders;
our media company now
extends to all five boroughs of the
city.
The highlight, for me, of the
four-day getaway was attending a
shabbos dinner with Ronnie and
David Weprin at the Chabad
House of San Juan. Their leader
is Rabbi Mendel Zarchi, who
is the brother-in-law of my dear
friend, Rabbi Yossi Blesofsky of
the Bay Terrace Chabad house.
The San Juan house of worship
was completed a year before
Hurricane Maria, and was a refuge
for the Lubavitcher leader,
his family and congregants,
who had huddled in the attic as
the 150 mph winds and stormy
waters ran through their home
and shul.
Rabbi Zarchi described his
street flowing with 4-foot-high
waters creating a roaring river
flowing past them. Luckily his
wife had been wise enough to
open their garage door to allow
the water and winds to pass
through, so they suffered minimal
damage to their home. But
they both admit it was a terrifying
experience!
About 70 of f us
shared shabbos
os
dinner under
r
the stars. They
served a challah
that is the
best I’d ever
eaten with
a coffee cake
e
crumb topping —
to die for!
For dessert,, the
synagogue’s doors
opened to a packed
reception co-sponsored
by the Met
Frank Seddio, Attorney
General-elect Letitia
James and State
Comptroller Tom
DiNapoli
Council (Metropolitan
Association for the
Poor) and their CEO, who presented
an award to Bronx
Borough President Ruben Diaz
Jr. and Congresswoman Grace
Meng for all their work on
behalf of the island’s residents.
The “who’s who” of New York
City political life celebrated each
other.
I got to talk to the
Democratic District
rict
Leader, Barbara
ra
Jackson, of
f
LeFrak City,
where I’ve
been publishing
a newspaper
for the residents.
She has
-
as
e rpublic
devoted her life to
community service
and the people
in her community.
munity.cial
satw
i
S
Joh
w
lous C
Democrats officially take control
of the House in January. Hooray
for her and for New York!
Schools Chancellor Richard
Carranza spoke at one of the
workshops, and I got to meet
him and his wife.
I’m glad I listened to my Long
Island Press lifestyle editor and
George Hulce and State
Comptroller Tom DiNapoli
Glen Ridell and City Councilman Rory Lancman (standing) are pictured with
(seated, left to right) City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, Queens County Clerk
Audrey Pheffer and City Councilmen Daniel Dromm and Barry Grodenchik
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I had mixed feelings on my 10
minute taxi drive from the
airport to the El San Juan
hotel, because I had stayed there
on my first honeymoon in 1963
— and was now returning to
attend the ultimate networking
event, the 2018 SOMO Puerto
Rico Conference.
Under the leadership of the
powerful, well-liked and demonstratively
joyful Bronx Democratic
Leader and Assemblyman, the
dynamic Marcos Crespo, it has
become a “happening.”.
It was an opportunity for me
to meet the powerful leaders
and lobbyists to share our recent
acquisition of media now serving
all of New York City, Long
Island and Westchester.
The event was also a time
to give back to the devastated
island. Our hometown airline,
JetBlue, was there to continue
their efforts to rebuild Puerto
Rico, which was devastated just
over a year ago by Hurricane
Maria. The airline, based in Long
Island City, donated $100,000
toward the relief effort under the
guidance of Icema Gibbs, outreach
executive.
Buses full of attendees were
organized into a “SOMOS Day of
Service,” spending time painting
walls, banging nails and providing
hands-on help. Montefiore
Hospital sponsored the day.
Queens Assemblyman David
Weprin brought members of
IsraAid, a unique group born in
Israel as a humanitarian organization
that now circles the world
helping cities devastated by natural
disasters.
Although I didn’t leave San
Juan, I saw many empty storefronts
and boarded-up hotels as
I drove 40 minutes to their stunning,
majestic convention center.
During my stay, I was at the
Waters Ocean Club, where I had
a great chair massage to take
It was a special
moment as we
sat together as the
world of leaders
passed through.
It was also my
treat to meet
the charismatic
City Council
Speaker Corey
Johnson and catch
up with the fabulous
Congresswoman
Meng, there with her
husband and staff.
She had just been
appointed head of the
House Appropriations
Committee when the
public relations aficionado
Todd Shapiro
nado
ant
and experienced
the extraordinary
SOMOS conference.
It was great
to “see and be
seen.”
Looking forward
to next year and
more time at the pool
to
mor
aJ
and beach! San
Juan is a picture
perfect getaway!
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