More than 300 Five Towns residents gathered for the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York’s South Shore Inaugural last week at the Seawane Club in Hewlett.
The Sept. 16 awards dinner recognized community philanthropy, honoring five active members of the Jewish community. The honorees were introduced by the event’s four longtime chairs, Ilene and Lawrence Cohen and Barbara and Alan Hartstein.
“What these individuals bring to the organization, to the community, and to us as Jews during this time is truly special,” Nancy Hoffman, the federation’s South Shore Executive Committee chair, said. “We really felt a sense of community in the room.”
Melinda Strauss
Melinda Strauss has been a content creator since 2011. Strauss, who received the Community Advocate Award, began with a food blog, “Kitchen Tested,” exploring kosher food while joining, she said, a group of Jewish bloggers.
During the pandemic, Strauss began using TikTok with the handle “themelindastrauss.” Since then she has continued to explore Jewish culture with her following, which exceeded 1.5 million as of press time.
After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, Strauss began using her platforms to spread Jewish pride and awareness. When she learned she was being recognized, she said that her work had always been second nature to her.
“The word ‘advocate’ has so much weight because it was not my intention to be this Jewish advocate and educator,” she said. “To be recognized for that was so cool, because it’s just part of what I do.”
Strauss lives in Woodmere with her husband, Justin, and their two children, Zachary, 18, and Nora, 16.
Ronnie Gerber
As a youngster growing up in Cedarhurst, Ronnie Bernstein and her parents, Joy and Julian Bernstein, were heavily involved with UJA and the Jewish community. Her parents were involved with Sisterhood and Hadassah.
Now Ronnie Gerber, she lives in Hewlett and has worked in sales for 50 years. She started her career in the 1970s, in Manhattan’s Garment District, while selling homemade sweaters out of her home. In 2004 she began working for Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
Gerber’s two children, Lindsay and Danny, flew in for the awards dinner — Lindsay from Denver and Danny from Los Angeles. Gerber said she was proud to receive the Business Leader Award as they watched.
“I’ve always watched my parents giving back, and I know this would have been very meaningful to them,” Gerber said. “Not only was I having business success, but also supporting something in the Jewish community.”
Hildy and Paul Feldman
Hildy and Paul Feldman have been involved in the Jewish community for decades. Recipients of the Partners In Purpose award, their commitment began with Hildy’s parents, Arlene and Lester Pollack, who were involved with the UJA and its events.
For decades, the Feldmans have supported organizations such as Central Synagogue and the Hewlett Fire Department, in addition to being members of the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre. Hildy has chaired a UJA Long Island Women’s Spring Event and serves on the South Shore Women’s Day Committee.
The Feldmans have passed their belief in supporting the community on to their three children and five grandchildren, and were deeply honored to be recognized this year, according to their biography.
Nancy Stoll
Nancy Stoll, the recipient of the Woman of Valor Award, is a lifetime member of Temple Israel of Lawrence and its Sisterhood. She is also a lifetime member of the National Council of Jewish Women and Hadassah, where she served as president of the Hewlett chapter.
Through her involvement at the Seawane Club, Stoll, helped run its annual UJA Day while organizing fundraising efforts.
“Nancy’s enduring generosity reflects her deeply held belief that we must always take care of one another,” Stoll’s introduction read. “She sets a high standard, shows up for every event, and is someone you can always count on.”
