Sheryl Jitzchaki was born and raised in Brooklyn by parents who were Holocaust survivors. She spent every summer until the age of nine at her grandfather's bungalow colony, Shady Hill Mountain House, in Ellenville, N.Y., surrounded by her aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family. Her relatives often spoke Yiddish in her home as well as at the bungalow colony, and she has many fond memories of sitting around a bonfire singing Yiddish songs.

 

Sheryl has been married to Sam for 47 years and they are the proud parents of two sons, Jordan and Jason, who both attended the Solomon Schechter School of Queens and the Solomon Schechter High School of Long Island. She feels blessed to have a wonderful daughter-in-law, Jason’s wife, Arielle, and three handsome grandsons, Hudson, Landon, and Austin, and loves spending time with her family.

 

For employment, Sheryl worked for the New York City Board of Education as a teacher's assistant for 21 years and served as the United Federation of Teachers Paraprofessional Representative. Additionally, she worked in the arts and crafts department at two Jewish camps during some of her summers, spending one at Beth Sholom Day Camp in Roslyn and ten at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, N.Y.

 

Sheryl joined Temple Gates of Prayer in Flushing, Queens, and its Sisterhood in 1992 and has been an active member ever since. In 2015, she joined Sisterhood's Planning Committee and is currently in charge of hospitality. She creates fliers publicizing Sisterhood’s events and programs and has also created two showcases in the synagogue, one for head coverings given out annually at Sisterhood Shabbat, and another for the Torah Fund pins that temple members have donated to the Sisterhood. 

 

Over the years, Sheryl has made many friends, and loves being a part of the TGP family. She was one among 19 women who became adult b’nei mitzvah in 1997, with Rabbi Albert Thaler, of blessed memory, as the officiant. She considers it to be among her most rewarding accomplishments. She also traveled with Rabbi Thaler on four congregational trips to Israel, all of which strengthened her love for the Jewish State. 

 

Sheryl is honored to be among the group of BQLI Region Sisterhood women who are each receiving a Woman of Achievement Award in 2025.