Sarene Shanus and Harold Treiber met at their synagogue, Westchester Jewish Center. Since their marriage 18 years ago, their volunteer work in the Jewish community has been an important aspect of their lives together.

Sarene is a principal in a family real estate business that owns, manages and develops commercial properties. Following in the footsteps of her parents, who were active in multiple Jewish organizations, Sarene chairs the International Planning and Allocations Committee for UJA-Federation of New York and serves on the boards of Hadar, Repair the World and the NY Advisory Committee for PJ Library. Sarene also continues to be active at Westchester Jewish Center, where she is a past President and now coordinates a High Holiday Study Service with Harold and helps plan some events each year.

 

Harold is a happily retired hospital administrator whose parents were Holocaust survivors. Harold believes in the need for each of us to give back to the Jewish community as a result of his parents’ experiences. His parents were brought to the United States by HIAS, learned English at the Educational Alliance, and started their business with a loan from the Hebrew Free Loan Society. Harold serves on the board of Westchester Jewish Council and enjoys serving as a member of the Distinguished Service Awards Committee. He is also an officer of Westchester Jewish Center, where he is co-chair of the High Holiday Task Force and he coordinates the Study Service with Sarene. He is also the immediate past Chair of the (Israel) Social and Economic Mobility Committee at UJA and is the current Co-chair of the Economic Development Committee at the Jewish Funders' Network Israel Social Venture Fund.

Sarene and Harold travel to Israel annually and would say that their support of Israel, despite the country's flaws and issues, is one of the defining aspects of their lives together.

Sarene and Harold share four, really seven, children and four grandchildren. They consider it important to provide an example to them of volunteer involvement in the Jewish community.