Beth Israel enjoys golfing at The Links

By Stan and Rosemary Kitay

(Edmonton) – On Sunday August 25, 51 golfers participated in the Beth Israel 2019 Golf Tournament at The Links Spruce Grove.

The winners, with a team score of 63, consisted of Shane Asbell, Alex Bernstein, Paul Deutsch & Rick de Jong. The team of heroes consisted of Steve & Jan Huard-Lazanik and Mel & Liz Orenstein.

Individual Awards were as follows:

Ladies Longest Putt: Lindsay Logodin.

Ladies Longest Drive: Rosemary Kitay.

Ladies Closest to the Pin (par 3): Jan Huard-Lazanik & Liz Orenstein.

Men’s Longest Putt: Rick de Jong.

Men’s Longest Drive: Leor Benjamin.

Men’s Closest to the Pin (par 3): Asher Pertman.

What an amazing day – great weather, plenty of sunshine without a sign of rain! Players were wined and dined from beginning to end with candy, fresh fruit, libations, salami sliders (at Zal’s Kosher pop-up deli) and coffee with doughnuts. The atmosphere was amazing and regardless of talent level, everyone had a great afternoon.

Where else would you experience a golf game following a bowl of hot and tasty cholent! Nourishment and soul food at its finest.

Alas no-one won the $10,000 hole-in-one prize.

Our profound gratitude goes to all who participated in the tournament, hole sponsors, donors and attendees at the dinner. Our sincere thanks also to all the volunteers who gave up their Sunday afternoon to help nourish and hydrate the golfers. Your generosity and dedication to the event and Shul are sincerely appreciated. The fundamental success of an event is attributed to its volunteers. You are all exceedingly appreciated.

To quote Rabbi Claman (aka Rabbi Zolly McIlroy): “Volunteering increases life expectancy.”

To add, he emphasized that “true happiness is found when we forget about the question, ‘How can I benefit’ and replace it with ‘How can I contribute?’ To volunteer is to use the unique talents that each individual has & apply them to the betterment of the community.”

The tournament concluded Monday evening, August 26, with a dinner, silent auction and prize giving. A delectable dinner was catered by Lauren Baram. Many thanks to you and your assistants for preparing the meal, as well as the stunning presentation.

All the items for the silent auction were generously donated by the community. No purchases were made using Shul funds, and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to youth programming at BI. Sincere thanks as well to our volunteers for setting up the auction items and tables so professionally, hall décor and registration.

The entire event was a resounding success not only from a financial perspective but also from the friendships and camaraderie imbued.

It was an honour for us to co-chair this event, made even more special witnessing everyone’s generosity and willingness to participate in every aspect of the tournament. It truly was a heartwarming experience.

For those who were unable to participate this year, we will be back and hope to make the next tournament even bigger and better. Stay tuned!!

Kol HaKavod and Yasher Koach to everyone.

Click here for a photo gallery of the participating teams.