Honorees
Beth El is a home to Lauren and Brian and being a part of the Beth El community enriches their lives and that of their children. Lauren is completing a three-year term as President of Beth El. She is proud that Beth El has flourished during her Presidency, with a significant growth in membership both in sheer numbers and a vibrant and engaged community of all ages. She is also proud to be only the fourth woman to serve as president in Beth El’s history. Before becoming President, she served in numerous officer positions, chaired or co-chaired several search committees, was deeply involved in numerous strategic initiatives and led the Kallah (the family Shabbaton). Brian has chaired the Ritual Committee for the past 7 years. He has served as a key member of the medical committee, guiding the congregation, Beth El Day Camp and the Nursery School through evolving protocols during the pandemic. The shul recognized this work by selecting him as the recipient of the Julian Y. Bernstein award from the Westchester Jewish Council in 2021. When not using his medical skills to assist Beth El, Brian can be seen running the teleprompter at the Shul Shenanigans show.
Lauren and Brian met on Lauren’s first day of college and spent their college years involved in the Center for Jewish Life (the campus Hillel organization). They were married in December 1998. Their children Andrew (graduating from Princeton in May 2026 with a major in Aerospace Engineering and minor in Judaic Studies) and Robin (double majoring in History and Religion at Williams College) were shaped by the Beth El community and have taken that model of community engagement to their own college campuses where they have become leaders in their respective Jewish communities.
Lauren and Brian both attended Princeton University. Lauren received a J.D. from Columbia Law School, and serves as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Pitney Bowes Inc. Brian is a gastroenterologist and received his M.D. from the College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University and serves as the Chief Medical Officer of the NYU Langone Health System.
On Kol Nidre, Lauren spoke about both Beth El (of course) and another place where she feels very much at home – Kiawah Island in South Carolina, talking about how much the whole family loves biking on the beach, watching the waves roll in, and building sandcastles. That served as the inspiration for this year’s beach-themed gala.
Lauren and Brian are thrilled to share this Gala with Nina and Scott, and congratulate them on being the recipients of the President’s Ne’emanim Award.
Nina and Scott are thrilled to be receiving this year’s Ne’emanim Service Award. Beth El Synagogue has nurtured the Luban-Bonci family for over twenty years, providing guidance not only for living Jewishly, but for living joyously in a strong community. They are humbled to share this year’s festivities with Honorees Lauren and Brian who have given so much of their wise, generous, and thoughtful selves to our synagogue.
Scott and Nina met while working in 1990’s Los Angeles. They returned to the embrace of their East Coast families the year their son Matthew was born. Matt attended Westchester’s Solomon Schechter (now Leffell) School, and in 2004 the family joined Beth El. Matt received a solid Jewish foundation, and between the two Jewish institutions, Scott continued his personal Jewish journey, culminating on June 9, 2023 in a joyful conversion under the guidance of Rabbi Schuck, joined by Rabbis Sitkin and Fisher. And the family’s Jewish journey continues!
Scott is a hands-on guy who enjoys taking care of the house, yard, cars, and computers, with skills he inherited from his father (who built their family home with his own two hands and a couple of friends). Not surprisingly, Scott, an IT professional, builds and maintains computers and computer networks. He is inching towards retirement now, still enjoying his work and taking superb care of Luban-Bonci family computers, etc. Scott elected to be a stay-at-home dad during Matt’s years 2-5 during which, Nina firmly believes, Scott transmitted his calmness, thoroughness, and attention-to-detail to their son.
Nina received a graduate degree in education, and later, a law degree. She designed college developmental English programs in Buffalo and taught college English in Beijing (where she learned far more than she taught). She practiced environmental law in Los Angeles and New York, and eventually returned to education, specifically, Jewish adult education. She directed Westchester’s Florence Melton Adult Mini-School and led the Melton School’s transition to Westchester Adult Jewish Education. Nina loved everything about her return to education: her own learning, her teachers, and her students, more than a few of whom were Beth El members. Over the years, Nina has served on numerous Beth El committees, in each case rewarded with feelings of genuine productivity and with the camaraderie of fellow committee members. (If you have not yet tried out a Beth El committee or two, she highly recommends same!)
Ne’emanim is Hebrew for “devoted.” How, Nina and Scott ask, can one not be devoted to an institution whose clergy team guides with wisdom and humor, whose entire staff rises tirelessly to the challenges of our community, and whose members learn with and from each other, and support each other during life’s highest highs and lowest ebbs … all the while accompanied by an unfolding background of music and poetry.