NEW YORK CITY

New York City

At the turn of the 20^th Century, my mother’s father came to this country from a village in Russia to escape poverty and persecution. He lived in Coney Island and worked his way up the “rag” business, from being a cutter to eventually owning his own clothing factory. My parents both grew up in the Bronx. They went to school at NYU, became teachers, and moved to Long Island where they raised three kids.

As a young man I ventured into “the City” often, on a school trips, and with friends and family. I visited my grandparents on the Concourse in the Bronx and on Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side. I saw ballets and operas, and symphony and chamber music concerts. I went to numerous plays and musicals. I visited the world-class museums, from the Metropolitan to the MOMA, the Fricke, the Whitney and the American Museum of Natural History. And more. There was always more.

I went to law school in New York City, fell in and out of love, went to almost every courthouse, rode almost every subway. I’ve made friends, had defining spiritual experiences, and became an adult in this city. When the Twin Towers fell I felt the gut punch, and lost friends, like many of us.

On October 29, 2012, my beloved city was hit by an unprecedented storm and caused unprecedented death and damage. I was lucky. I was with friends in Chelsea (7^th Avenue in the 20s). We lost power and water but were safe. We spent the next days going uptown, to friends' houses and generous merchants, to charge our cell phone and laptops and tell loved ones we were okay, and even get work done. But at night as I looked below 23^rd Street, all I saw was darkness and I would later see the destruction wreaked on Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, all part of my favorite city, and all places where I have friends and family.

As I wandered looking for places to charge my iPhone, I felt a sensation that I rarely feel. Powerlessness. I didn’t like it. I still don’t. And that is why I have created this auction. If we can contribute in even a small way to the recovery of this great metropolis and its wonderful people, then we can all feel power again. Thank you.