It was a nail-biter right up to the final minutes at the closing party of the 2021 Virtual Silent Auction. With all the last-minute traffic on the 32 Auction site, some bidders were having trouble accessing the list of items on the auction block. Working in the background to keep pace with the bidders were auction co-chairs Tom Byrne, Francis Dubois and Madelyn Rothman, who were also pointing out some of the great bargains that were there for smart bidders.

The 50-50 raffle, a popular purchase for the chance to win some cold hard cash, had buyers jumping in before the site closed promptly at 6 p.m. on May 23. Tom Byrne, tasked with adding names to the pot, was scrambling to get every last bid before the final seconds.

When the site shut down at 6 p.m., Tom was ready. He handed the container with the names of the buyers to his wife, Veronica Kaliski, who drew the name of the winner — shul member Ann Hurwitz, who exclaimed that before that minute, she had never won anything in her entire life. The 50-50 raffle alone brought in $1,980, with the winner entitled to half

Total revenue from the auction was $6,721. Those assembled applauded Ann on her win, and the three co-chairs for a terrific job amassing more than 60 items and making the 2021 event profitable for the shul and a fun time for all.