Jeffrey S. Liss
Jeff 
grew up with his parents and two younger brothers in Queens, NY in a kosher home with three sets of dishes…dairy, meat and Chinese food! An avid sports enthusiast, Jeff loved playing all types of sports, whether it be basketball, softball, or touch football. His favorite teams were, and continue to be, the Mets and Jets. He remembers going to Mets games with friends, buying $3.00 grandstand seats and then sneaking down to seats behind home plate. At age fourteen, Jeff joined the Order of DeMolay, an organization sponsored by the Masons to which his father belonged. An introvert at heart, Jeff was required to learn specified rituals and to speak in public which helped him become a leader and in 1972, to become its President.
grew up with his parents and two younger brothers in Queens, NY in a kosher home with three sets of dishes…dairy, meat and Chinese food! An avid sports enthusiast, Jeff loved playing all types of sports, whether it be basketball, softball, or touch football. His favorite teams were, and continue to be, the Mets and Jets. He remembers going to Mets games with friends, buying $3.00 grandstand seats and then sneaking down to seats behind home plate. At age fourteen, Jeff joined the Order of DeMolay, an organization sponsored by the Masons to which his father belonged. An introvert at heart, Jeff was required to learn specified rituals and to speak in public which helped him become a leader and in 1972, to become its President.
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Wharton School. Jeff decided to enter the family business, A. Liss & Co., on a full-time basis, mystifying his father who felt Jeff could go anywhere with his academic credentials. Jeff truly felt that the rewards of working in the family business outweighed any drawbacks. He liked the idea of being in a position where success could be measured by one’s hard work. Just to be on the safe side, Jeff enrolled in evening classes at the NYU School of Business to earn his MBA and enhance his resume, in case life at A. Liss did not work out. In the 1990’s, A. Liss became one of the biggest specialty construction contractors in the NYC area.
Jeff joined the Masons and climbed the ranks to become Master (President) in 1983. A year prior to becoming Master, an elderly fellow Mason insisted that he had to meet his granddaughter. Jeff’s philosophy was, “if the date didn’t work, at least I would have a good dinner,” (cooking was NEVER his strong point!). Suffice to say, Leslie and Jeff were married in May of that year and have three adult children, Jenette, Steven, and Jason, along with their spouses, Ben, Karina and Ashley. As of this writing, Jeff and Leslie are blessed with four grandchildren, Elise, Xavier, Celine, and Hailey.
When Jenette was turning two, a good friend visited GHC and suggested that Leslie and Jeff enroll her in their Nursery School. That was the start of their GHC journey. As Leslie began teaching in the Nursery School and Religious School, Jeff, who very rarely came to services, was known as “Leslie’s husband”. When the Men’s Club was revived in the Nineties, Jeff became its Treasurer. He played on the GHC Softball team and slowly became more involved in other GHC activities. Jeff was first elected to the Board of Trustees more than twenty years ago and served for seven years as our Treasurer; his goal was to turn our finances around. He worked diligently in overseeing many of GHC’s contractual obligations to our clergy, reestablishing the finance committee and participating in the GHC/ Midchester Jewish Center merger.
When approached to become Executive Vice President, he was in the middle of selling his business. With perceived time on his hands, he decided to step forward and give it a try. During his EVP tenure, Jeff was instrumental in securing not only PPP1 and PPP2 grants, but also an EIDL loan from the Small Business Administration. He played a vital role in GHC’s transition to a new computerized operational system, Shul Cloud, and the redesign of our website.
When Jenette was turning two, a good friend visited GHC and suggested that Leslie and Jeff enroll her in their Nursery School. That was the start of their GHC journey. As Leslie began teaching in the Nursery School and Religious School, Jeff, who very rarely came to services, was known as “Leslie’s husband”. When the Men’s Club was revived in the Nineties, Jeff became its Treasurer. He played on the GHC Softball team and slowly became more involved in other GHC activities. Jeff was first elected to the Board of Trustees more than twenty years ago and served for seven years as our Treasurer; his goal was to turn our finances around. He worked diligently in overseeing many of GHC’s contractual obligations to our clergy, reestablishing the finance committee and participating in the GHC/ Midchester Jewish Center merger.
When approached to become Executive Vice President, he was in the middle of selling his business. With perceived time on his hands, he decided to step forward and give it a try. During his EVP tenure, Jeff was instrumental in securing not only PPP1 and PPP2 grants, but also an EIDL loan from the Small Business Administration. He played a vital role in GHC’s transition to a new computerized operational system, Shul Cloud, and the redesign of our website.
Dealing with the pandemic was difficult. As a member of the Planning for the Future Task Force, Jeff participated in vital decision making. Beginning with his revamping of GHC News and now as President, he felt strongly that a “smile” would help people better cope with the effects of the pandemic. Although the pandemic waned, his jokes each Shabbat are greeted with anticipation and laughter. Of course, some are better than others, and one has to take the “good with the bad.”.
Jeff is proud and honored to have served as Greenburgh Hebrew Center’s President. He truly hopes that he has made a difference and has played a key role in moving GHC into a better, more positive position for the immediate future and beyond.
Sincerely,
The Journal Dinner Committee