Dan Jacob and Jennifer Cowan

Dan Jacob and Jennifer Cowan can trace their life together through moments at Ansche Chesed, from the first time they came to shul together (6th floor; Lisa Gersten practically leapt out of her seat with delight), to their aufruf (6th floor), to Abigail's simchat bat (5th floor) and Benjamin's brit (Chapel) and their b'nai mitzvah (Hirsch Hall), and to the comfort (and food) offered by the community after the death of Dan's parents and Jen's father.

But the true value of their time at Ansche Chesed has been all of the small moments in which the love and community of this shul came shining through. Abigail would crawl under the seats at Minyan M'at, and wherever she popped up, there would be a welcome set of hands, a lap, and a snuggle. For a time, Benjamin would insist on stopping by the Chapel on the way home after davening to say hello to the sifrei Torah, until he transitioned to immediately walking through davening to the 5th floor roof to play with the Shul Crew. (The less said about their escapades is probably best; let's just leave it at 'they're very comfortable in the space.')

Dan and Jen have tried to pay back all of this in some small measure by volunteering where they can be helpful and offering their skills where they can be valuable. For a combined total of twelve years, Dan and Jen served on the board of Ansche Chesed. Jen has chaired or co-chaired the Greening Committee for several years, and has spearheaded efforts including the Riverside Park clean-up and the household goods "Give & Get" event. Dan served on the M'at Troika and as its Gabbatical Coordinator for a number of years.

Dan and Jen believe there are many ways to strengthen Ansche Chesed for the current kahal and future generations, and they look forward to working with you to make that happen. They also look forward to many more years of bringing scotch to shul dinners and to talking too much on the back benches of the 5th floor.