Jennifer and Seth Sokol
Guests of Honor
In the summer of 2005, as we were mourning the impending move of our local buddies, Tamar and Tani Benovitz, we received a call from Tamar to come for lunch and meet our "new best friends," the Sokols. Sure enough, it was love at first sight. Our twins, Ami and Oshi, agreed to share Sammy, and Jenny stepped in for Tamar as my new walking partner, a weekly tradition that is going strong to this day.
As anyone who knows them even a little bit will tell you, Jenny and Seth are models of compatibility and constancy. Together since they were in 10th and 12th grade at Flatbush, Jenny and Seth are beautifully devoted to each other and their children, Stephanie and Sammy (Rhine), Sammy and Yael (Hartman), Jonah, and Raeli, and their grandchildren, Chaim, Baila, and Harry. Extremely youthful, energetic, and loving grandparents, they often host one if not both of their young couples and grandkids and will frequently be seen toting a little one around shul or the neighborhood. There is nothing Bobi and Zadie won’t do for their family, and they are paradigms of hakarat hatov and kibud av va’eim toward their parents as well.
Unsurprisingly, their devotion to their family is mirrored by their devotion to our YINR community. Shortly after moving in and making Jonah a Tisha b’Av bris during a power outage, Jenny and Seth threw themselves into volunteer efforts both large and small.
Since its inception, Jenny has been an integral member of the Mikvah Board, maintaining supplies, helping to hire staff, and making sure it is running smoothly from day to day. It is not unusual for her trunk to be filled with various products, and when asked, Jenny’s ubiquitous response is, “It’s for the mikvah!” With her superb organizational skills, Jenny has been essential to the Women’s League Mishloach Manot project, and she was responsible for bringing it into the 21st century with the advent of the purimproject.com program. Jenny volunteers yearly for the Mikvah Bake Sale and, more recently, the Challah Bake Sale. In a cause close to her heart, Jenny drives for iShine, sharing her warmth and humor with children who have experienced loss or hardship. Last year Jenny was a Vice President on YINR’s Executive Board, and this year she is the Recording Secretary. It is not an exaggeration to say that multiple community programs and services would not be as functional without Jenny. A brilliant educator, Jenny also serves the community as a longtime faculty member at SAR Academy, where her Science curriculum development has positively impacted hundreds of children and many colleagues.
Seth has been a tremendous baal chesed in New Rochelle. As a talented cardiologist, Seth has generously and patiently delivered medical advice and treatment to countless members of our community. Three generations of our family call on him regularly, and we are sure many others do as well. Seth takes the security of our community very seriously, and as our security grant writer, Seth successfully procured a very sizable security grant for the shul. Seth has been a member of the YINR Board of Trustees, and he serves as the CSS liaison to the board for all security issues and enhancements. On a lighter note, Seth also takes his food seriously, and he was instrumental in the kiddush committee and the founding of the Cholent Throwdown.
Jenny and Seth epitomize the dictum אמור מעט ועשה הרבה - speak little, but do much. With quiet modesty, they have made an indelible mark on our entire YINR community. Whenever they are asked to help with anything, they always say yes, and they do so graciously. Many in our community would agree that Shabbat is not complete without at least one walk over to the Sokols for a shmooze, a chocolate chip square, a piece of gefilte fish, cholent, or a little bit of herring - if Baila hasn’t eaten it all.
Jennifer and Seth, you are such wonderful role models and friends. On behalf of the entire YINR community, we thank you for your tireless devotion and your friendship. We are so blessed to have you in our lives!
Ali and Daniel Bloom
As anyone who knows them even a little bit will tell you, Jenny and Seth are models of compatibility and constancy. Together since they were in 10th and 12th grade at Flatbush, Jenny and Seth are beautifully devoted to each other and their children, Stephanie and Sammy (Rhine), Sammy and Yael (Hartman), Jonah, and Raeli, and their grandchildren, Chaim, Baila, and Harry. Extremely youthful, energetic, and loving grandparents, they often host one if not both of their young couples and grandkids and will frequently be seen toting a little one around shul or the neighborhood. There is nothing Bobi and Zadie won’t do for their family, and they are paradigms of hakarat hatov and kibud av va’eim toward their parents as well.
Unsurprisingly, their devotion to their family is mirrored by their devotion to our YINR community. Shortly after moving in and making Jonah a Tisha b’Av bris during a power outage, Jenny and Seth threw themselves into volunteer efforts both large and small.
Since its inception, Jenny has been an integral member of the Mikvah Board, maintaining supplies, helping to hire staff, and making sure it is running smoothly from day to day. It is not unusual for her trunk to be filled with various products, and when asked, Jenny’s ubiquitous response is, “It’s for the mikvah!” With her superb organizational skills, Jenny has been essential to the Women’s League Mishloach Manot project, and she was responsible for bringing it into the 21st century with the advent of the purimproject.com program. Jenny volunteers yearly for the Mikvah Bake Sale and, more recently, the Challah Bake Sale. In a cause close to her heart, Jenny drives for iShine, sharing her warmth and humor with children who have experienced loss or hardship. Last year Jenny was a Vice President on YINR’s Executive Board, and this year she is the Recording Secretary. It is not an exaggeration to say that multiple community programs and services would not be as functional without Jenny. A brilliant educator, Jenny also serves the community as a longtime faculty member at SAR Academy, where her Science curriculum development has positively impacted hundreds of children and many colleagues.
Seth has been a tremendous baal chesed in New Rochelle. As a talented cardiologist, Seth has generously and patiently delivered medical advice and treatment to countless members of our community. Three generations of our family call on him regularly, and we are sure many others do as well. Seth takes the security of our community very seriously, and as our security grant writer, Seth successfully procured a very sizable security grant for the shul. Seth has been a member of the YINR Board of Trustees, and he serves as the CSS liaison to the board for all security issues and enhancements. On a lighter note, Seth also takes his food seriously, and he was instrumental in the kiddush committee and the founding of the Cholent Throwdown.
Jenny and Seth epitomize the dictum אמור מעט ועשה הרבה - speak little, but do much. With quiet modesty, they have made an indelible mark on our entire YINR community. Whenever they are asked to help with anything, they always say yes, and they do so graciously. Many in our community would agree that Shabbat is not complete without at least one walk over to the Sokols for a shmooze, a chocolate chip square, a piece of gefilte fish, cholent, or a little bit of herring - if Baila hasn’t eaten it all.
Jennifer and Seth, you are such wonderful role models and friends. On behalf of the entire YINR community, we thank you for your tireless devotion and your friendship. We are so blessed to have you in our lives!
Ali and Daniel Bloom