Young Israel of Oceanside is delighted to honor
Ayelet and Norm Galanti
and to present
Susie and Jeremy Rose with the Arnold Skolnick Leadership Award and
Bea Mauskopf with the Hakarat Hatov Award at its 69th Annual Journal Dinner
Our Guests of Honor, Ayelet and Norm Galanti moved to Oceanside in the summer of 2010. They knew they wanted to be a part of an established Orthodox community–and one which was also tight-knit, warm and welcoming, with an ‘out of town’ feel. They did not know any Oceanside community members prior to moving in, but were amazed at how quickly they were integrated into the warm atmosphere of the YIO family. After moving from Brooklyn with little Matan and Jonah in tow, Ayelet and Norm began to get involved with various aspects of life in the YIO community. Their family grew as David and Keren came along a few years later, and they were thrilled when in 2012, Norm’s brother Yosef and sister-in-law Regine also moved into the neighborhood with their daughter Sarah.
Ayelet was a long time co-chair of the YIO growth committee, where she was involved in various projects, including producing the YIO website video and orchestrating multiple parlor meetings for prospective YIO families. Ayelet has also helped coordinate and host women’s monthly shiurim given by Rabbi Muskat, among other events.
Norm quietly helps by managing the memorial/yahrzeit boards in the main sanctuary and installing new memorial plaques. As his work schedule is becoming more flexible, Norm is also looking forward to expanding his volunteer efforts further, including joining CSS in the near future.
Ayelet and Norm both feel strongly that music and singing bring a community together in profound ways. They enjoy sponsoring and hosting for the Shabbat of Song, including hosting the Friday night community tisch. Ayelet has helped lead the women’s pre-Tisha B’Av kumzitz, the Sisterhood choir, and, for the last few years, has co-directed the YIO youth choir for Yom Ha’atzmaut. Norm has been ‘instrumental’ (did Dave Goldstein write this?) in helping to revive the legendary YIO Men’s Choir which has enhanced Shabbat bar mitzvah celebrations and other events for the YIO.
Together, Ayelet and Norm have enjoyed opening their home for hosting many scholars in residence, Shabbat of Song guests and YIO prospective families.
Professionally, Ayelet is a nurse practitioner who has worked in the allergy/immunology field and in primary care. She is also a respected teacher in life sciences at HANC Middle School, which we all know is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Her hobbies include being a ‘crazy basketball mom,’ cooking and singing.
Norm is an internal medicine physician who has been in primary care practice for 15 years. He enjoys listening to and analyzing music produced by actual musicians, noodling around on the bass guitar, playing basketball with his children and attending concerts when he can.
In their own understated way, Ayelet and Norm enjoy being a ‘bridge’ between some of the younger and older members of the community. They feel blessed to have watched their children grow into accomplished young adults and pre-teens with their friends and families by their sides. They especially enjoy opening their home on Shabbat afternoons to whoever would like to stop by. Cherished memories include watching the YIO teenage boys grow up together– playing ball in their backyard and consuming all of the snacks in the Galanti pantry!
Ayelet and Norm are so humbled and grateful to each and every member of this outstanding community, which has become part of the fabric of their lives. They look forward to celebrating with their fellow deserving honorees and with everyone at the YIO dinner in good health!
This year’s Arnold Skolnick Leadership Awardees, Susie and Jeremy Rose moved to Oceanside in 2016, just days before the birth of their twins, Abby and Kenny. Those first weeks were spent mostly in the NICU at North Shore University Hospital, but the outpouring of offers for meals, t’fillot and general help made Susie and Jeremy know immediately that they made the right choice to make Oceanside their home.
Jeremy, grill-master and sports fan, hails from nearby North Woodmere and is a proud HAFTR graduate. He has a BA from Stony Brook University in Applied Mathematics and his MA in Statistics from CUNY Hunter College. Jeremy began his career as an actuary before moving into the far more interesting field of Data Analytics. He has spent most of his career working for industry-leading marketing consulting agencies, working with multiple Fortune 100 companies such as General Motors, MetLife and P&G. Jeremy joined Bayer, leading their marketing measurement, in 2022–incidentally, the same year Susie and Jeremy welcomed their youngest child, Gabe, to the family. Odds are that if there is something sports-related within the community, Jeremy is heavily involved (if not running it), whether it be organizing the YIO softball team, coaching and being cocommissioner of the West Hempstead Shuls Little League (which services nearly all youth boys in YIO), and arranging sports-based activities for the youth of our community, including flag football and NFL watch parties, Shabbos pick-up games, and trips to see his beloved Mets play at Citi Field. Jeremy is also a team lead on CSS, has helped out with events, and, most importantly, smokes a mean brisket! In his spare time, he enjoys playing poker, rooting for the Mets, Jets, and Knicks, and crushing his opponents in Madden.
Susie, who grew up primarily in Rockland County NY, attended Reuben Gittelman Hebrew Day School in her youth, before heading to Brandeis University for her BA in English and American Literature and her MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Susie always planned to have a career in education, and a semester abroad at the University of York in the UK solidified her desire to work within the Jewish community in Jewish Education. She attended Manhattanville College for her teaching credentials and has worked in both formal and informal Jewish education since her teenage years. A middle school English and Social Studies teacher for more than 16 years, Susie has worked at Jewish day schools and yeshivas in New Jersey, Connecticut and Queens, before moving more locally to Woodmere to work at HALB in 2018. This fall, Susie joined the middle school team at HANC. Here in Oceanside, Susie got her start in shul affairs by joining the Mishloach Manot committee and has since used her professional expertise to help out on both the Youth Search and Youth committees, and to co-lead the YIO Book Club. Susie leads Tot Shabbat, co-plans the Mega Playdate with Sara Berko, represents YIO on the planning committee for the communal Yom Hashoah commemoration, and is also one of the coordinators of the Chessed meal committee.
A passion for working with children is not all Susie and Jeremy share. They help coordinate the annual graduation kiddush for YIO, but it is their culinary pursuits for which they are perhaps best known. Their shared love of food has led them to host many a meal in their home and many a barbecue in their backyard. Susie and Jeremy’s table is always open to anyone who would like to come eat, as hachnasat orchim is very important to them. In addition to feeding people, Jeremy and Susie love to spend time with their children, Abby, Kenny and Gabe, and their friends and family.
Bea Mauskopf, this year’s Young Israel Hakarat Hatov Awardee, moved to Oceanside with her beloved husband Lennie and son Eric in May 1977, as a family of 3, and soon blossomed into a beautiful family of 6 with the additions of Stephen, Jason and Amy. Bea’s family however, is not excluded to her wonderful immediate one, but extended to all YIO members. From the moment she moved into town, she became actively involved in all aspects of Jewish life in Oceanside, lending her strong organizational skills and steady leadership abilities to the Young Israel, which has reaped the benefits of her extraordinary devotion for 48 years.
Like every new female member, when Bea moved to Oceanside, she started with Phone Squad and quickly advanced to Supperette chairperson. Soon everyone recognized her enormous capabilities, and before long became Sisterhood co-president, a position she held for 2 years, and then president by herself for another 2 years. Decades later, with a reputation that preceded her, she was drafted again to serve as co-president of Sisterhood, the only woman in YIO Sisterhood history, to serve in the presidential role for 6 years. She was also Chairwoman of the Sisterhood Board for several terms. Bea’s resume includes Goods and Services’ Auctions, YIO 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee, and chairing events to foster the YIO Growth Initiative. Her stint on the Youth Committee spanned decades, as her experience as an educator and communal leader was invaluable. In every role that Bea assumed, she demonstrated an instinct for how best to accomplish the goals of her assignment, and her calm demeanor and great sense of humor helped to engage others to join with her in helping the shul. This collaboration helped to foster many close friendships with so many members of our community that last until this day.
Bea’s involvement was not limited to the Young Israel. Bea is a member of the Board of the Mikvah Association, and an active member in the Chevra Kadisha. Anyone who is a member of the Chevra, is by definition a special person, as this is a true chesed shel emet.
Bea has been on the Board of Directors for years and served a term as Corresponding Secretary on the Executive Board. It is not coincidence that one of her responsibilities in this position was Chesed, as Bea Mauskopf’s name has become synonymous with this attribute. Chesed is defined as loving kindness and is a core value of Judaism. It represents acts of goodwill, compassion, and generosity towards others, especially those in need. There is no one who personifies this attribute better than Bea.
Bea is the Co-Chairman of the Bikur Cholim, and in this capacity she visits Mount Sinai/South Nassau Hospital weekly, sets up housing for visiting families for Shabbat and coordinates with Achiezer and the Director of Spiritual Care, making sure that all the physical and spiritual needs of the Jewish patients and their families are met.
During COVID, Bea was the go-to person for anyone in need. Whether it was scheduling vaccine appointments for the elderly, helping to navigate challenging websites, or organizing volunteers to contact those who were lacking support or who were homebound, Bea’s tireless efforts got the job done.
Bea hit the ground running from the moment she moved to Oceanside, and has not let up for 48 years, continuing to enrich our community in so many ways. We honor Bea this year to thank her for all she has contributed to the community. Ad meya v’esrim, we hope and expect to be saying “thank you Bea” for years to come.
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