As a child, my family belonged to a temple which we would walk to for services. It was literally called the “Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre,” a fitting name for a community temple. I love CBY because it is also truly a community temple. I love that the families who are members at CBY are the same ones with whom I socialize with and see in town, and that the temple is so close to our home. I love that it is just the right size – big enough to be an important community and religious presence, but small enough so that one feels that they matter, that they are known, and can make a difference.
I have been slowly getting more involved with the temple as I realize how rewarding it is to work with other wonderful and creative people to make an impact on our community. In particular, I have enjoyed being on the JID committee and to have worked on the JID search committee which led to the hiring of our new fabulous director, Melissa Cohavi. I chose to work on these committees initially as I had young children in the Hebrew school and wanted to ensure that their education and experience at CBY was top-notch. I am thrilled to be on the board of CBY now, in order to continue to help the temple and membership grow to provide the best possible experience for our congregants and students.
- Congregant since: 2012
- Board member: 2016
- Board roles / Committees: Jewish Identity and Development, JID search committee, Fundraising for gala ad journal
- Residence: Armonk, NY
- Family: Husband Dave and two sons, Noah and Adam
- School: Cornell University (undergrad degree), Columbia University (graduate degrees)
- Work: Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, New York Presbyterian/Weill Medical Center. Voluntary Faculty, Westchester Campus.
- Where grew up: East Rockaway (Lynbrook schools), NY
- Other roles and organizations: Meals on Wheels, Soccer Manager for Castleford, perennial class mom
- Activities / interests: Travel, tennis, reading, hiking, addictive iPad games (Candy Crush) and spending time with friends and family
- Contact info: elissa_lefkowitz@yahoo.com
