Bill Yelen has been a member of HJC since 2015 when he was seeking out a place to say kaddish for his mother who had recently passed away. He found daily minyan attendance helped not only to comfort him but also served to reconnect him to his early Jewish roots in a more profound and meaningful manner than he had anticipated. The warmth and welcoming attitude of the community soon fostered even greater engagement.
Bill finds regular attendance at Shabbat services very meaningful and gratifying. He values the opportunity to serve as a greeter at Shabbat and High Holy Day services and to participate in Men’s Club functions and on the Social Action and Inclusion Committees, and in HIHI, relishing the sense of community, camaraderie and purpose afforded. Bill was previously Minyannnaire of the Year and tries to attend daily minyan as often as possible. He found pre-pandemic participation in HJC’s musical theater production, a wonderfully fun group activity and looks forward to more in the future. In May 2022, Bill joined other congregants and the Rabbi on the HJC Israel Trip and was enriched by the relationships with other travelers and by our mutually deepened and reinforced bond with Israel.
Throughout his 50 plus year professional career in the mental health field in a variety of settings, Bill has worked as a clinician, supervisor, director, consultant, teacher and primarily as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Some of his most fondly recalled and personally meaningful accomplishments over the years have been: individual and group work with second-generation holocaust survivors, helping to establish and manage a mental health program in Queens for Russian-speaking Bakharian Jews in the late 80s-90s, providing pro bono clinical services for survivors and family members of the World Trade Center disaster, and later, for post 9/11 Veterans and their significant others.
Bill graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in psychology, did graduate studies at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University, completed a certificate program in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and received a Masters degree in Social Work from Adelphi University. Bill feels a synergistic relationship exists between his academic studies, clinical practice and Jewish values emphasizing the infinite worth of human life, compassion, kindness and social justice.
Bill is grateful to his fellow HJC Men’s Club members for this honor and extends a hearty congratulations to all the other nominees.
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Heather Herman is a sophomore honor student at Huntington High School and has been an active student member of Huntington Jewish Center since she was six years old. She attended HJC religious school and volunteered for any activity where she could work with younger students as she grew up. She participated in HJC youth groups and was a Madricha (classroom helper) at HJC for two years after she became a Bat Mitzvah. Heather enjoys volunteering for HJC’s JNN (Jewish Nutritional Network which feeds the food insecure in Huntington).
Outside of HJC, Heather is a member of the Huntington Blue Devil Marching Band, involved in stage crew at Huntington High School and participates in several high school clubs that help the community. During the summer, Heather works at Mystic Seaport helping educate kids about sailing and marine biology and she looks forward to doing more of this type of work at The WaterFront Center in Oyster Bay this summer.
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Jacob Novick began his Jewish education at the Chabad of Stony Brook nursery school. From there he made a seamless transition to the Jewish Academy of Suffolk County. He continued at the JA until its closing at the end of his third grade year. At this time we became members of the South Huntington Jewish Center (now Melville Jewish Center). He then continued his education at the religious school as well as additional tutoring from Lisa Maron. Morah Lisa immediately resumed his Hebrew studies and began teaching trope. Jacob first learned the Rosh Chodesh Torah service at this time. He became an honorary member of the SHJC Men’s Clue for their monthly Rosh Chodesh services. Even during the school year Jacob would read Torah and then go to school.
Jacob is currently a 10th grader at Harborfields High School. He is on the Harborfields Football Team, a member of the Multicultural Club, and plays trumpet in the band. He still enjoys reading Torah for the Rosh Chodesh service. He frequently volunteers at HJC for Religious School (Purim carnival) and Sisterhood functions (Hamantashen Family Baking). Jacob was happy to participate in the Men’s Club World Wide Wrap and looks forward to many more wonderful events at HJC. Jacob is proud and honored to be one of this year’s youth honorees!