Honorees
Guests of Honor
We ‘met’ the Bergers 20 years ago, before they had moved to New Rochelle. Rachel had called to ask about a house that we had also seen. We discovered that we had daughters who were born within a month of each other. Instant playdates! Not long after that, we had boys a few weeks apart. Double playdates! Man did we hit the jackpot!
As it turned out, so did the YINR community. When Rachel and Gary arrived, they dove headfirst into making the shul and the community their own. Nearly every YINR committee has been influenced by their participation, guidance and caring. Gary served on the YINR board during a critical period, from getting the new shul construction approved until after we had moved into our new home. He has also organized multiple shiurim for kohanim, which led to the more streamlined duchaning that takes place today. More recently, Gary oversaw the installation of the sound systems throughout the shul and has always been available to work on the audiovisual aspects of many shul events and dinners.
And let’s not forget Panoply! Gary is one of the masterminds behind the most successful series of YINR community events in the shul’s history. His attention to every detail may border on the obsessive but it is one of the main reasons these events have been a perennial favorite. Much of this was done while Gary recently completed his first cycle of Daf Yomi. He has been able to accomplish all this while running a busy plastic surgery practice. In 2010, Gary traveled to Haiti after the devastating earthquake to lend his services and shared his experiences with the community upon his return the following Shabbat morning. Here at home, there is almost no family in the neighborhood that has not benefited from his care and from his generous availability.
Rachel started her career as a successful real estate attorney. Even before moving to our community, she had represented multiple members in their purchase of New Rochelle homes. Once here, she happily did pro bono legal work for YINR, as well. Then, she flipped her script by following her dreams and completely reinventing herself as our beloved Kosher Dinner Lady. Most, if not all, of us have been privileged to taste her confections, made in our own shul kitchen, or in her own home, late, late at night. If you don’t understand how she is able to produce such amazing cakes, you need to watch one of her Insta Stories and see the magic unfold (or check out TheKosherDinnerLady.com). The professional baking is a recent venture compared to all of the shul volunteering Rachel has done, starting just a few months after moving in, when she helped pack mishloach manot. Soon, she was chair of that event and of the Women’s League Barbeque and the New Mother’s committee.
During Rachel’s tenure as its president, the Women’s League acquired the Torah that is currently used in Shiva homes. She has co-chaired the Mikvah Bake sale, the Chanukah Chagiga, the YU/Rabbi Sacks Shabbos, the Sharsheret Pink Shabbos and has worked on multiple YINR cookbooks and the Simcha Committee. Rachel has also been crowned our Cholent competition winner and was the People’s Choice awardee on two separate occasions. Now, as the Kosher Dinner Lady, her baked goods have been served at many shul events including the Graduation and Chanukah kiddushes and at Ruach, where both Rachel and Gary have given presentations. For the last five years, Rachel has run a summer cooking camp for young girls, passing on her skills to the next generation. On a separate note, Rachel was an inaugural member of the triathlon Skippy’s Team and recently completed the NYC marathon!
Rachel and Gary are blessed with a wonderful sense of wanderlust that has taken them, during their 30 years of marriage, to many exciting and exotic locations, including over 50 countries and islands. For no sensible reason, they completed a “bucket list” mission to visit every island mentioned in the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” and all the actual countries represented at EPCOT. Now that’s dedication.
This sense of community involvement, pursuing one’s passion, and living the best life possible has been handed down to their four children as well. Nicole, a recent Stern College gradúate, is pursuing her true passion to help women look their best by styling hair for special events (follow her @stylemeuppretty !!). Jeremy is a Public Health major at Johns Hopkins University, where he is dedicated to changing the world. Max was an active Teen Minyan member and attended the New Rochelle Kollel, and is now in Shana Bet at Yeshivat Hakotel. Daniel is a junior at SAR High School, but can also be found behind his camera lens at many shul events (follow him @dhb.photos!!)
Rachel and Gary are the true definitions of leaders. There is no cause too big or too small for them. Their home is always open for an oneg, Yachad guests, a siyum, Shalva events, a surprise party...and the list goes on. Our shul has been blessed and enhanced by their presence in innumerable ways, and it is no wonder that they have been chosen to be this year’s YINR honorees. On behalf of the entire YINR community, we wish you mazal, bracha v’hatzlacha rabah in all that you continue to do, and express tremendous hakarat hatov for all that you have already done.
As it turned out, so did the YINR community. When Rachel and Gary arrived, they dove headfirst into making the shul and the community their own. Nearly every YINR committee has been influenced by their participation, guidance and caring. Gary served on the YINR board during a critical period, from getting the new shul construction approved until after we had moved into our new home. He has also organized multiple shiurim for kohanim, which led to the more streamlined duchaning that takes place today. More recently, Gary oversaw the installation of the sound systems throughout the shul and has always been available to work on the audiovisual aspects of many shul events and dinners.
And let’s not forget Panoply! Gary is one of the masterminds behind the most successful series of YINR community events in the shul’s history. His attention to every detail may border on the obsessive but it is one of the main reasons these events have been a perennial favorite. Much of this was done while Gary recently completed his first cycle of Daf Yomi. He has been able to accomplish all this while running a busy plastic surgery practice. In 2010, Gary traveled to Haiti after the devastating earthquake to lend his services and shared his experiences with the community upon his return the following Shabbat morning. Here at home, there is almost no family in the neighborhood that has not benefited from his care and from his generous availability.
Rachel started her career as a successful real estate attorney. Even before moving to our community, she had represented multiple members in their purchase of New Rochelle homes. Once here, she happily did pro bono legal work for YINR, as well. Then, she flipped her script by following her dreams and completely reinventing herself as our beloved Kosher Dinner Lady. Most, if not all, of us have been privileged to taste her confections, made in our own shul kitchen, or in her own home, late, late at night. If you don’t understand how she is able to produce such amazing cakes, you need to watch one of her Insta Stories and see the magic unfold (or check out TheKosherDinnerLady.com). The professional baking is a recent venture compared to all of the shul volunteering Rachel has done, starting just a few months after moving in, when she helped pack mishloach manot. Soon, she was chair of that event and of the Women’s League Barbeque and the New Mother’s committee.
During Rachel’s tenure as its president, the Women’s League acquired the Torah that is currently used in Shiva homes. She has co-chaired the Mikvah Bake sale, the Chanukah Chagiga, the YU/Rabbi Sacks Shabbos, the Sharsheret Pink Shabbos and has worked on multiple YINR cookbooks and the Simcha Committee. Rachel has also been crowned our Cholent competition winner and was the People’s Choice awardee on two separate occasions. Now, as the Kosher Dinner Lady, her baked goods have been served at many shul events including the Graduation and Chanukah kiddushes and at Ruach, where both Rachel and Gary have given presentations. For the last five years, Rachel has run a summer cooking camp for young girls, passing on her skills to the next generation. On a separate note, Rachel was an inaugural member of the triathlon Skippy’s Team and recently completed the NYC marathon!
Rachel and Gary are blessed with a wonderful sense of wanderlust that has taken them, during their 30 years of marriage, to many exciting and exotic locations, including over 50 countries and islands. For no sensible reason, they completed a “bucket list” mission to visit every island mentioned in the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” and all the actual countries represented at EPCOT. Now that’s dedication.
This sense of community involvement, pursuing one’s passion, and living the best life possible has been handed down to their four children as well. Nicole, a recent Stern College gradúate, is pursuing her true passion to help women look their best by styling hair for special events (follow her @stylemeuppretty !!). Jeremy is a Public Health major at Johns Hopkins University, where he is dedicated to changing the world. Max was an active Teen Minyan member and attended the New Rochelle Kollel, and is now in Shana Bet at Yeshivat Hakotel. Daniel is a junior at SAR High School, but can also be found behind his camera lens at many shul events (follow him @dhb.photos!!)
Rachel and Gary are the true definitions of leaders. There is no cause too big or too small for them. Their home is always open for an oneg, Yachad guests, a siyum, Shalva events, a surprise party...and the list goes on. Our shul has been blessed and enhanced by their presence in innumerable ways, and it is no wonder that they have been chosen to be this year’s YINR honorees. On behalf of the entire YINR community, we wish you mazal, bracha v’hatzlacha rabah in all that you continue to do, and express tremendous hakarat hatov for all that you have already done.
Michelle and Aaron Moshe Roth
Distinguished Leadership Award Recipient
Yvette and Jack Finkelstein moved to New Rochelle in 1972, after returning to the NY area from Mountain Home, Idaho, where Jack served as a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force. Following a brief sojourn in White Plains, they moved to New Rochelle and became members of YINR.
Wanting to become involved in the community, Yvette volunteered for many shul projects and committees. She started the first Bikur Cholim chapter in the shul in conjunction with UJA-Federation of New York. She is a member of the YINR Shiva Committee, served on the YINR Board of Trustees for six years and introduced the Women’s Initiative for Jewish Studies (WIJS), a program that brings excellent women scholars of Jewish subjects to YINR on a monthly basis. Her educational interests continued with the introduction of “Limud,” a co-ed interactive learning program. In addition, Yvette has served on and chaired several YINR Dinner Committees.
At Westchester Day School, where her three children were students, she was PTA president and introduced several ongoing programs into the school curriculum: Learning to Look, Learning to Listen, the Jewish Heritage Museum Project and Grandparents’ and Special Person’s Day, among others. She was the Director of Admissions and Special Projects at WDS for several years.
With a group of dedicated volunteers, Yvette brought the Chai Lifeline i-Shine program to the Westchester/Riverdale/Connecticut communities, to honor the memory of Yvette and Jack’s beloved son, Robby Finkelstein ע"ה, who passed away on the first night of Chanukah 5778. i-Shine is a unique after-school initiative for elementary and middle school children living with illness or loss in their families. i-Shine provides relief and assistance to families and fun and happy experiences to children.
Yvette received a BA, Cum Laude, from Brooklyn College and an MS in Educational Psychology from Fordham University. Professionally, in addition to her position at WDS, she was the Director of Admissions at the Columbia University Charter School and the Director of Admissions and Recruitment and Director of Alumnae Affairs at Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central). Adding spice to her life, she had a brief career in the Arts, appearing in several national TV commercials. She is also a frequent contributor to The Jewish Link. Yvette and Jack raised three children, Barry (and Elissa), who live in Teaneck, Penny (and Brian), who live in Beit Shemesh, and Robby ע"ה and Malka, who lives in New Rochelle. They adore their many grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Yvette is grateful for the special memories YINR has contributed to her family’s life. She feels that tonight’s Distinguished Leadership Award belongs not to her alone, but to her amazing friends in the YINR community.
Those of us who have been fortunate enough to be inspired by Yvette’s selfless commitment to the community feel that it is primarily due to her leadership and guidance (combined with her gentle arm-twisting) that so much gets accomplished. Yvette not only gets the job done, she gets it done with flair, aplomb and grace.
Yvette is truly deserving of the Distinguished Leadership Award. We have all, in so many ways, benefited from her commitment to education and chessed, and her tireless efforts on our behalf.
Thank you, Yvette.
Evelyn Jakobovics