Karen Block is a member of Temple Israel of Natick in the North Atlantic Region. She is counting down the days to her retirement as a social worker at Jewish Family Service of Metrowest. This is one of three careers she can claim.
Social work was her goal from a young age, and she feels privileged to have begun and finished her professional life in that field. She hopes that she has made some improvement in the lives of those in her charge.
Karen’s in between career was as a manager of a dental practice. Social work skills were crucial to that position. No one likes to go to the dentist! While in that position, she had the opportunity to travel with teams of other dental professionals to deliver preventative dental care to children in third world countries. There are people alive today for whom lifesaving care was delivered.
The one career that transcends all and continues today is her membership in WLCJ. Karen became president of her affiliate, Temple Israel of Natick (Massachusetts) when her sister answered her phone as Karen was driving, and accepted the nomination from the committee member. She and her sister sound alike. Her sister informed her of the nomination after she hung up. It was never Karen’s goal, but she didn’t back out. From there, she has held positions of NAR President, International VP as moderator of PrezNet, and other international positions including the current outgoing chair of WL Reads.
Raised in Valley Stream on Long Island, NY, Karen has lived in Framingham, MA for 48 years, where she and her husband of 67 years and raised their two sons and enjoy their three exceptional grandchildren.