Heidi and Steven Kreit have lived in Hewlett and East Rockaway since they were married in 1993 after meeting when they were 17 years old. They have three children: Griffin, 26, Mackenzie, 24, and Scarlett, 17. All three are pursuing careers in the science/engineering fields. They also have a menagerie of pets including a 6-year-old Purim goldfish, two 27-year-old turtles, and two 10-year-old dogs.

 

Heidi and Steven enjoy the family and community aspects of Jewish life. Heidi grew up in Hewlett, having large family gatherings which required rolling up carpets and renting tables for Passover seders and themed Chanukah parties. All food dishes were cooked by her mother, and to this day, her mom still cooks the entire holiday meals.  Steven grew up in New Hyde Park with large family gatherings and his grandmas and mom cooked all the holiday meals too.  Both Steven and Heidi attended religious school, both were Bar/Bat Mitzvahed, and both attended Hebrew High School.

 

Heidi and Steven came to HERJC when Griffin was 10 and Mackenzie was 8 so the children could attend religious school. Prior to that, while still attending Congregation Sons of Israel, Rabbi Ginsburg had mentioned in his sermon that “if you do one more Jewish thing a year, each year, you will become more connected to your Judaism.”  This inspired Heidi and Steven, and they started doing a little bit more: they built a sukkah and invited the kids’ friends’ families to eat and drink under the stars, they attended the Purim shpiel and dressed up in costume (well, at least Heidi did) and became regulars at Purim carnivals and Chanukah parties.

 

Heidi and Steven follow the mantra that leaders lead by being an example. Heidi is a minyannaire during the summer and school holidays, and she works in the Mitzvah Garden, at the Purim Carnival, and the annual Chanukah party.  She organized our congregational Chanukah Party for many years, and served on committees such as the Cantor Search Committee and the Gala Committee to name a few.  Heidi is currently a member of the Sisterhood Board and, as part of Sisterhood, also runs the annual coat drive and the food drive. 

 

Steven has been the treasurer of HERJC for 12+ years and Board member for 15+.  He has served on both the Rabbi and Cantor Search Committees for our current clergy, he prepares and presents our annual budget and financial statements, and he has been involved in numerous other shul initiatives.

 

Outside of the HERJC community, Heidi has been a teacher in the East Rockaway School District for almost 30 years. Locally, she has served 26 years on the East Rockaway Grist Mill Committee, your local museum on Woods Avenue, and helps organize and run the Huckleberry Frolic, a 60-year-old annual event in Memorial Park.  She is a board member of the East Rockaway Education Foundation, which raises funds for teacher-inspired projects and student scholarships, and is also a member of operation SPLASH, an organization that cleans the local waterways out of Bay Park.

 

Steven is on the Accounting Advisory Committee at the University of Buffalo where he participates in the Curriculum Committee and mentors students as they seek their first jobs. He was an advisor and mentor at the Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University, and at Launchpad Huntington, where he mentored start-up companies. He also coached Mackenzie’s travel soccer team from U-10 through U-18 and helped coach Scarlett’s travel soccer team, as well.

 

Heidi and Steven are honored to share this day with Joe Sklar and David Horton whose dedication to HERJC has enriched the community for many years and will continue to do so for many years to come.