Congregation Beth Hagivot held a gala dinner dance Jan. 18 at the Fort McDowell Radisson Resort to honor its 10th anniversary.

Approximately 60 people were in attendance for a night of celebration, great food and drink, dancing and conversation.

After a cocktail hour, Mark Elson, Beth Hagivot social chairman, opened the festivities thanking all those who worked so hard putting the event together. He then introduced Julie Orwin, Beth Hagivot president, who welcomed everyone. Fred Widom led everyone in two traditional Jewish Prayers before dinner was served.

After dinner, Master of Ceremonies Bob Slobin continued the program with some stories before introducing Marty Brown. Brown and his wife Terry were instrumental in starting Shalom, a Jewish social group 31 years ago.

Shalom eventually evolved into Beth Hagivot. Brown spoke about how Shalom came into existence. Slobin then presented Widom with an engraved clock in appreciation for his vision and hard work as the congregation’s first president.

The rest of the evening was spent having birthday cake, dancing the Hora (a traditional Jewish dance) and looking at photos and articles from the past.

Organizers said both the Radisson Resort and the band Flashback did a terrific job making this a memorable evening.