(Courtesy of Bris Avrohom) On Sunday, May 18, a gala dinner was held at the Bris Avrohom Center in Hillside to commemorate the the 22nd yahrzeit of Bat Sheva Kanelsky, ob”m.

Sarah Guigue, emcee of the evening, began the program by calling upon Rebbetzin Shterney Kanelsky to recite chapters of Tehillim. This was followed by a beautiful video presentation portraying the mikvah from its inception till today, including the reservoir currently being built. In addition, it showed the Rebbe speaking of the importance of a mikvah, stating that one is even permitted to sell a shul if funds are needed to build or beautify a mikvah.

Rebbetzin Kanelsky then addressed the crowd with a touching speech reflecting on the special neshama of Bat Sheva, and how appropriate it is that a holy mikvah was built in her memory.

Awards were then presented to the honorees of the evening. Michal Gottlieb was honored for her loyalty, commitment and complete dedication to Bat Sheva Chaya Esther Mikvah. Gottlieb spoke about how tragically and suddenly she lost her husband, and how much he encouraged her to assist with the mikvah.

Lina Kanchik was honored for being a major supporter of the mikvah and its upkeep. She spoke of her family’s deep connection to the Kanelskys, now in the third generation, and how proud she is that her children are following a path of yiddishkeit, thanks to the roots planted by the Kanelskys. The guest speaker was Sara Blau, who spoke eloquently and passionately about finding inner peace by elevating one’s earthly desires for God, thus fusing the physical and spiritual to connect to Him.

The highlight of the evening was raffling off a dollar of the Rebbe, which was donated by Gottlieb. The winner of the raffle was Fania Flamer, a fellow member of the Hillside community.

Chaya Bennish was instrumental in designing the beautiful décor of the event.