January 2019 • Vol. 101, No. 6 TEVET ~ SHEVAT 5779 WWW.BETHELNR.ORG
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ANNUAL GALA, SATURDAY, MARCH 9th • 8:00 pm JODI AND ROB SCHEINFELD TO RECEIVE PRESIDENT’S NE’EMANIM SERVICE AWARD
Jodi and Rob Scheinfeld were married at the Fountainhead in New Rochelle in 1983, after dating since Rob was 17 and Jodi 16 (yes, going back to 1976). Jodi grew up in Eastchester, attended Hebrew School at the Genesis Hebrew Center in Crestwood, and became bat mitzvah at Scarsdale Synagogue; Rob was raised in East Rockaway, Long Island, went through the Lynbrook public schools, Jodi and Rob Scheinfeld attended Hebrew School and became bar mitzvah at the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center. After living on Garth Road in Scarsdale for a few years, Rob and Jodi moved into their current New Rochelle home in January 1989, with their 18-month old son, Jeremy, of blessed memory. They joined Beth El that year and felt auspiciously welcomed when Cantor Uri and Judy Aqua invited them for a new members Shabbat dinner at their Roosevelt Terrace apartment (where they discovered they would soon be neighbors). This spring marks Rob and Jodi’s 30th anniversary as members of Beth El, and how fortunate and blessed they feel for the close friendships developed, and for the spiritual and religious growth and nourishment the Beth El community has helped their family cultivate over these many years. Professionally, Rob is a patent trial lawyer and partner at Baker Botts, LLP, and the head of its New York Office and Intellectual Property Group; he graduated from law school in 1984. Since 2002, Rob has also been an active member of the New York State Camp Safety Advisory Council, having been first appointed by Governor Pataki. At Beth El, Rob served on the Board of Trustees in the late 1990s, including working as a Board liaison with Julie Rockowitz during her first years as Summer Session (now Day Camp) Director. Most recently, Rob is on the Journey Vision team, a member of our Human Resources Committee, and on our Clergy Search Committee, although Rob’s greatest pleasures were coaching his children and their friends on Beth El’s basketball teams, including a championship and a few last place finishes along the exciting way. Jodi, after receiving her Masters’ Degree in English and Comparative Literature, taught high school English in Scarsdale and Mamaroneck schools, and writing at Iona College until their second child, Sarah, was born. She has volunteered in the New Rochelle community through PTA committees, the New Rochelle Public
Library Foundation, and the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence. She currently teaches for the Sheldrake Environmental Center where she is an Environmental Educator, serving Mamaroneck, Rye Neck, and Scarsdale elementary schools, as well as a newly launched pre-school nature class at a local nursery school. One of her favorite volunteer commitments for Sheldrake is bringing nature fun to older Beth El campers, and leading Beth El trail trips at the end of each summer. Jodi has also enjoyed volunteering at Beth El over the years, serving on the Nursery School Board and writing for their newsletter, as well as the Religious School Board. She was also gratified to sing in Beth El’s Choir, Shirat El, led by Hazzan Ellen Arad, to honor Rabbi Emeritus Melvin N. Sirner at his Shabbat Retirement Service. Together Rob and Jodi run their JS Foundation for Kids and participate in the JS Publishing Center of the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence, which sponsors the district-wide Poetry Out Loud program, founded in 1999 in memory of their son Jeremy, and more recently the Arts Out Loud and Authors Out Loud middle and high school programs. They received the New Rochelle Fund Community Spirit award in 2008. Rob and Jodi’s children—Sarah, Dan, Zach, Corey, and Maya— enjoyed formative years of their Jewish upbringing in Beth El’s Nursery and Religious Schools, Mishpacha program, Day Camp, and Teen program; and they attended New Rochelle public schools. All became a bar or bat mitzvah at Beth El (with a double simcha when Maya was named Chaya Barucha during Sarah’s bat mitzvah service!). Recently, Dan and his wife, Elyssa, were fortunate to celebrate their aufruf during a beautiful Niggun Halev service at Beth El. The Scheinfeld children are grateful that they will carry and feel inspired by these special experiences as their Jewish lives continue to evolve. Rob and Jodi are without adequate words to express their gratitude to you—the membership, leadership, and support staff, teachers and clergy of Beth El, led by Rabbi Schuck—for all you have meant to them and their family for three decades, through life’s darkest challenges and remarkable blessings and grace. They are especially touched and humbled to be part of an evening honoring Mark and Marjorie Seidenfeld, two incredibly dedicated and selfless individuals, the epitome of Beth El’s goodness; and Ellen and Rick Barlis, the deserving recipients of the Lapid Award, who have given so much to Beth El as young members, true torchbearers representing the next generation of exceptional people. The Scheinfeld family very much looks forward to celebrating with the Beth El Community on Saturday evening, March 9th!
Thursday, January 17th - Sunday, January 20th: Musician-in-Residence, Josh Warshawsky, pages 2, 3. Camp Sponsored Rock & Roll Show...page 2 Kulanu Havdalah TuBiShevat........... page 9 Open Beit Midrash for January........ page 7 Sisterhood Cinema Brunch............. page 10
S.M.A.R.T. Events...........................pages 12 Youth & Family Engagement.... pages 14, 15