Jesse and the Persily’s Return to B’nai Tikvah
The Persily family came back to Congregation B’nai Tikvah to celebrate Jesse’s Bar Mitzvah. Evan, Rob and the staff of Classical Caterers made sure that the encore was as exceptional as the premier when Jacob celebrated his special event.
There are a lot of families over the years who you never forget. The Persily’s are one of them. Robyn and Mark definitely have a special place in my heart. They are gracious hosts, awesome parents and just solid people.
Jesse and the Persily crew brought all their family, friends and positive energy back for another fun and memorable evening. Everybody from 92-year-old uncle George to Jesse’s little sister, Chloe, who looked like a princess, danced the night away.
As always , the Monday before the Bar Mitzvah, I went to the guest of honor’s house for the VIP party. It’s a great opportunity to get to know everyone, find out what the kids have seen at other bar and bat mitzvahs recently, and to review some of the interactive dances that we’ll be doing at the event. Jesse invited 11 of his friends over: Daniel, Seth, Noah, Sydney, Sammy, Taylor, Aneesa, Julianna, Jen, Andrew and Corey. We created a list of their favorite songs, went over dances like the Apache and practiced singing Don’t Stop Believing. We had a blast!
Speaking of singing, one of the evening’s highlights was the mother-son dance. During the VIP party, I found out that Jesse’s good friend, Taylor, was a very talented singer. I already knew from previewing the Persily’s photo montage that Robyn liked the song, The Climb by Miley Cyrus. After some discussion on how to make Jesse’s Bar Mitzvah even more fun, unique and memorable, everyone agreed and we found a great instrumental version for Taylor to practice to for the rest of the week. When it came time for Robyn and Jesse to dance, Taylor took the mic, sang her heart out and nailed it. Simon and the Amercian Idol judges would have agreed.
It was like deja vu all over again. The guests enjoyed both the current and retro music programming, the custom visuals and instant candid photos on the plasmas and our live percussionist. Evan and Rob from Classical helped us provide another seamless evening of premier hospitality and entertainment with elegance.
Special thanks to Jacob, who was a huge help to everyone. You could tell he was an experienced Bar Mitzvah guest of honor by the way he assisted me before, during and after the event. I wish he was 18 already so he could join our production team. 
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Oh Canada! Sam’s Bar Mitzvah at the Maplewood Country Club
The Gersho family (and what felt like half of Canada) celebrated Sam’s Bar Mitzvah at the Maplewood Country Club this past Saturday. Twenty-two of Sam’s aunts, uncles and cousins made the trip down from Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal for his special day. I’m sure glad they got invited because the folks from the Great White North know how to party!
In addition to being a world-class chess player and an accomplished pianist, Sam can also hold his own on the dance floor when the DJ is playing songs like the Cupid Shuffle, Apache and the Cotton Eyed Joe.
His brother, Michael, (third to the right) who is also a great dancer, is shown here chilling out with his friends at the sundae bar. He said that he’s “already looking forward to his Bar Mitzvah” in a few years.
I always say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Sam’s parents, Leslie and Marvin, were wonderful hosts and a pleasure to work with. They knew how to plan an exceptional event beforehand and enjoy it to the fullest the day of.
Two of the highlights were Marvin’s toast to Sam before the montage and Leslie’s acknowledgments of her friends during the candlelighting ceremony. Marvin recalled some of his favorite anecdotes of Sam growing up and spoke from the heart, and Leslie recognized the friends from her table individually who helped her with the formidable preparations for the big day. Very classy.
Special thanks to Ken Alswang from At Home Studios who shared his photos for this entry. I’ve worked with Ken many times over the years and we always make a great team. As I’ve mentioned in the past, accessibility and personality are two key components to selecting the right photographer. Ken was always ready to capture the moment and was excellent at making people feel comfortable.
I’d also like to recognize Mike & Mike from the Maplewood Country Club who were total professionals and a pleasure to work with. The timing of the hospitality and the entertainment were seamless.
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