Elana and Ben married during Memorial Day weekend at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in the Berkshires. We have had a home in the Berkshires for over 30 years and it is our family’s favorite gathering spot. I confess I shed tears at many moments during the wedding, such as when I walked Elana down the steps of The Mount to meet her husband and their rabbi under the Chuppa (wedding canopy) on the lawn.

Coming after several tough recent years when Elisa and I both lost our parents in rapid succession, our May wedding and graduations uplifted us with joyful celebrations and time with our dearest friends and family.

My final news item concerns our other children, whom we admire as they follow their passions and career paths across the country: Rafi, a political junkie who had worked for the Obama campaign during a gap year before he started Yale, is in Alaska running the reelection campaign of a state senator, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (who is also a Yalie.) After receiving his MBA, Ari, a home brewer and passionate about craft beer, became the general manager of the Jersey City, NJ New Jersey Beer Company craft brewery. Eli ’10 finished his first year of Stanford Business School and is interning this summer in the San Francisco area with the Chan Zuckerberg philanthropic initiative. Between planning calls with the kids to accommodate time zone differences, jumping on flights to see them (including an upcoming trip to Alaska to visit Rafi) and even tasting Ari’s home brews, family life is far from boring.

I look forward to catching up in person with all of you at our 45th reunion next May!

Rob