Jack Frieden, Mark Jacobson, Alan Lubel, Rick Lombart, Larry Rossen, Bruce Frieden, and Mark Robbins.
“Magical.”
“Once In a Lifetime Experience.”
“Captured Lightning in A Bottle.”
These are just a few of the reactions from former members of Old Dominion AZA who joined nearly 150 fellow alumni, spouses, and significant others to celebrate and pay tribute to an organization that played such an important role in their lives as Jewish teens growing up in Hampton Roads.
Robert Fink, Peter Brundage, and Richard Laibstain.
The event, which took place on Saturday, October 19 at the Hilton Oceanfront in Virginia Beach brought together former members from Georgia, Arizona, California, Maine, Florida, Maryland, and many other locations—both near and far. It was truly an evening filled with genuine warmth and a sense of brotherhood as many in attendance had not seen each other in more than 50 years.
Marlene Rossen and Jeff Meyers.
The evening kicked off a with pre-dinner reception followed by a seated dinner and short program led off by OD AZA alumnus Mark Jacobson of Atlanta, who had the original vision for the reunion and worked tirelessly with the reunion committee to make the evening such a memorable experience. Throughout the program, which included speeches that were at times humorous and at other times genuinely emotional, a common theme was how the forward-thinking leadership skills of the key OD AZA officers of that era influenced so many alumni during the years that followed.
Mark Barr and Beverly and Alan Frieden.
Among the many accolades expressed in the days following the event, alum Carl Cogan, summed up the feelings best, “It truly was like a journey through time (half a century to be exact). I’m estimating that I had not seen nearly half of the alephs in attendance since I finished high school.
“Sad that some of our brethren were not able to attend for having left the planet prematurely. Unfortunate, also, for the ones still living who couldn’t make it for various reasons. One thought particularly striking to me, was that each of us were celebrating a huge part of our earlier lives, and it was a very important thread we all shared in common. Everyone returned briefly to our teenage years and unquestionably each person in the room had equal stature, regardless of what we have or have not accomplished in life.”
Jack Frieden
ODU AZA alumni.