Sutton Place Synagogue Application Essay

KALLAT TORAH

For almost 20 years Sutton Place Synagogue has been the spiritual home for Harold and for me and has greatly enriched our lives. I am so delighted and grateful to receive this wonderful honor of KALLAT TORAH.

On this holiday we rejoice and affirm Torah as a pillar on which we build our lives. Indeed, Sutton Place Synagogue has an enduring impact on mine.

The teachings of Rabbi Schrantz and Rabbi Ain have led me to embrace more deeply my commitment to Conservative Judaism and to develop a more profound understanding of my Jewish identity.

As the granddaughter of victims of the Holocaust and the daughter of Holocaust survivors, it was a privilege for me to preside over our Yom Hashoah

One of my finest moments on Shabbat was being given one of the first Aliyot after SPS became Egalitarian.

Because both my parents maintained their native languages as I was growing up, I was fortunate to live in a multi-lingual home where French and German as well as English were spoken. Thus evolved my first career as a teacher of foreign languages. I am a licensed French teacher and taught French, German and Spanish for several years. My undergraduate studies were done at the City University and my graduate studies at Columbia.

After my child-care leave, I used my Professional Diploma in counseling to work as a college advisor and counselor and was twice selected Counselor of the Year.

Teaching has been an important aspect of my family. My son, David, is teaching English literature and writing on the campus of the City University. My daughter, Sharon, who is severely challenged, is surely the best teacher in our family. She has taught us what is truly meaningful in life.

Currently I work with adults as a volunteer for the English Speaking Union and I mentor students at Art and Design High