Brooklyn Brandeis Society celebrates the new year with annual luncheon

October 5, 2018 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Brooklyn Brandeis Society held its annual New Year luncheon on Thursday. Pictured are Justice Katherine Levine and President Andrew Fallek. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese

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They missed Rosh Hashanah by about a month, but the members of the Brooklyn Brandeis Society finally met at the Brooklyn Bar Association on Thursday to celebrate together for their annual New Year Luncheon.

“Happy New Year to all of you!” said Andrew Fallek, president of the Brandeis Society.

The group had initially scheduled the event for Sept. 12, but that date conflicted with the dawn-to-dusk Fast of Gedaliah so it was rescheduled.

The event was a simple meeting of members consisting of judges, lawyers and other court employees. There are no speeches or awards given out at the annual luncheon; it’s just a simple meeting where members get a chance to sit down together for lunch.

“We considered cancelling the event after it was postponed, but everyone decided that we still wanted to get together to enjoy each other’s company and acknowledge the holiday,” Fallek said.

So about 30 members met up in Brooklyn Heights on Thursday and shared some food from B&H Dairy.

President Fallek did seize the opportunity to talk to members about an upcoming event: the Brandeis Society’s annual Day of Service that is coming up on Oct. 28.

“On Oct. 28 we’re going to be doing our second annual Day of Service at Silver Lake cemetery in Staten Island,” Fallek said. “It’s [on] a Sunday from 10 to 12 p.m. Those who did it the first year, when Hon. Miriam Cyrulnik was president, enjoyed it.

David Chidekel, president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, and Michael Farkas (right).

“It’s sort of some light labor,” Fallek said. “If it’s a nice fall day, it’s a great day to be out notwithstanding the fact that it’s a cemetery. It’s a cemetery that isn’t used anymore. It has kind of fallen into disrepair. There are tree branches and leaves around it and, basically, they need them to be picked up.

“George Farkas brought his grandchild one year, the kid had a leaf blower, and he had a good time. It’s not just work. We had some fun.”