Last Saturday night I had the great pleasure to travel to Westminster’s Temple Beth David for the annual Men of Reformed Judaism (MRJ), “Man of the Year” dinner. The wine was flowing and the food was great, but that was only a side benefit of my attendance. The highlight of the night was getting the opportunity to stand and applaud for Temple Beth Ami’s Man of the Year, Jeff Stein!
Jeff Stein (2nd from right) being honored by MRJ representatives
and Rick Kaufman (2nd from the left) MRJ Western Region President
Perhaps summed up best by our own TBA Trustee and MRJ Western Region President, Rick Kaufman, during his introduction speech, “there are three distinct tracks of Jewish life at Temple Beth Ami – the religious; the cultural; and the social. Jeff can be found at the center of each track.” While most TBA congregants participate in one, or maybe at best, two of these tracks, Jeff is one of the few congregants who have found a way to combine all three into a wonderful Jewish sundae, and his commitment to mitzvot is the cherry on top!
Members of Temple Beth Ami since 2000; Jeff is the 2010 PASHA award recipient and is a regular at virtually every TBA religious study program including Talmud and Torah Study. He and his wife, Immediate Past President Joyce Stein, are a continual presence at Shabbat and religious holiday services. When it comes to social events that TBA host like the recent Casino Night or our annual Kosher Turkey Bowl football game, you can count on Jeff to be there – warmly greeting old friends and kindly welcoming new ones. And no matter where the cultural event we are hosting – from the trips to Israel led by Rabbi Blazer to being in attendance at one of our many guest speakers’seminars hosted at TBA, Jeff will be there!
Simply being there is not enough for Jeff – he becomes part of the fabric of events. From manning the grill at the recent TBA Purim Carnival to setting up or breaking down chairs for group events, Jeff can be counted on! And if that weren’t enough, Jeff is a founding member of the Men’s Club and has been the Treasurer for three years running!
What makes Jeff all the more special is that he embodies the character traits we hope for our children to grow up with! Jeff is a fighter as evidenced by his courageous battle against, and victory over Bladder Cancer! Jeff is a mentor to his son David (yet one more Stein making TBA proud by way of his service in the US Navy!)! Jeff is, to sum up, a true Jewish role model!
If you did not know Jeff and were to simply read this article you might imagine him to be a “larger than life”character – and you would be right! Don’t misunderstand me; Jeff isn’t “larger than life” because he is boisterous. You see he doesn’t need to be the loudest man in the room to be among the most respected, because Jeff has earned his respect through his deeds. So please join me in applauding our man of the year, Jeff Stein!
Jeff Stein (2nd from right) being honored by MRJ representatives
and Rick Kaufman (2nd from the left) MRJ Western Region President
Perhaps summed up best by our own TBA Trustee and MRJ Western Region President, Rick Kaufman, during his introduction speech, “there are three distinct tracks of Jewish life at Temple Beth Ami – the religious; the cultural; and the social. Jeff can be found at the center of each track.” While most TBA congregants participate in one, or maybe at best, two of these tracks, Jeff is one of the few congregants who have found a way to combine all three into a wonderful Jewish sundae, and his commitment to mitzvot is the cherry on top!
Members of Temple Beth Ami since 2000; Jeff is the 2010 PASHA award recipient and is a regular at virtually every TBA religious study program including Talmud and Torah Study. He and his wife, Immediate Past President Joyce Stein, are a continual presence at Shabbat and religious holiday services. When it comes to social events that TBA host like the recent Casino Night or our annual Kosher Turkey Bowl football game, you can count on Jeff to be there – warmly greeting old friends and kindly welcoming new ones. And no matter where the cultural event we are hosting – from the trips to Israel led by Rabbi Blazer to being in attendance at one of our many guest speakers’seminars hosted at TBA, Jeff will be there!
Simply being there is not enough for Jeff – he becomes part of the fabric of events. From manning the grill at the recent TBA Purim Carnival to setting up or breaking down chairs for group events, Jeff can be counted on! And if that weren’t enough, Jeff is a founding member of the Men’s Club and has been the Treasurer for three years running!
What makes Jeff all the more special is that he embodies the character traits we hope for our children to grow up with! Jeff is a fighter as evidenced by his courageous battle against, and victory over Bladder Cancer! Jeff is a mentor to his son David (yet one more Stein making TBA proud by way of his service in the US Navy!)! Jeff is, to sum up, a true Jewish role model!
If you did not know Jeff and were to simply read this article you might imagine him to be a “larger than life”character – and you would be right! Don’t misunderstand me; Jeff isn’t “larger than life” because he is boisterous. You see he doesn’t need to be the loudest man in the room to be among the most respected, because Jeff has earned his respect through his deeds. So please join me in applauding our man of the year, Jeff Stein!
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