Dazzling Doctors' Gala delivers a million dollars for the Jewish General Hospital

On a pleasant November evening in Montreal, 500 enthusiastic guests filled Congregation Shaar Hashomayim for JGH's benefit bash. Beginning with a tribute to ten physicians, the evening segued into a tantalizing cocktail reception and tasteful black-tie dinner. JGH president par excellence, Bernard Stotland, commenced proceedings in an, er, 'jocular vein', and shared a blackberry message of congratulations from CEO, Dr. Hartley Stern. Dr. Ernesto Schiffrin noted that gala proceeds would be used to establish an endowment fund for the department of medicine --which he heads. Affable gala co-chair Allen Rubin introduced a video presentation documenting the work of this department and its fifteen sub-specialty divisions. The Fundamentals Band broke the decibel barrier as many doctors in the house -- including attending otorhinolaryngologists -- and other guests, boogeyed on a bustling dance floor. Tradition Catering's sumptuous four-course repast fueled the dancing and whetted appetites for the live auction which followed. Lavish lots of lush loot included a luxurious Barbados golf getaway, relaxing beach mansion retreat in Belize and a week of luxuriant languor in St-Martin for ten. Since 1934, the JGH has served patients of diverse religious, linguistic and cultural backgrounds throughout Quebec. As a leading acute-care hospital, it is renowned for excellence in teaching, research, care and recruitment of the world's finest physicians.