North Shore Jewish Center 2026
Robert Benson is the immediate past president of North Shore Jewish Center’s Men’s Club of which he served as recording secretary for prior to his presidency. He first came to North Shore in the Fall of 2021 after moving back from South Florida. He and his family felt immediately at home in North Shore and immediately started reading Torah on a regular basis for Shabbat and Holiday services. The Bensons have been actively involved since then. Robert is now on the ritual board as the co-chair and leads services and reads Torah on a regular basis for Shabbat, holidays and daily evening Minyan as well as shiva services. He also works on the Men’s Club Shabbat and dinner, the yearly trip to Central Islip Cemetery and prepares students at the religious school for their bar/bat mitzvahs.
Robert has been married to his wife Danielle for approaching 18 years and have one daughter together named Risa who just had her bat mitzvah in May of 2025. Robert also is a musician in local bands and performs with fellow musicians at North Shore for Purim, Hanukkah and other festivals. He also performs in various venues in Long Island.
Robert is also involved with FJMC and most recently went to the LDI retreat meeting with Jewish men from all across the country. There were many events throughout the weekend including leading Shabbat services, chanting Torah and giving a presentation regarding antisemitism and what programs there are to address this issue for adults and children in the Jewish community and the broader community as well.
Robert is a band teacher with the New York City Department of Education teaching kids to play in Springfield Gardens Queens. With the high school band there he has done many performances including a spot at the Queens Borough Arts Festival in May of 2025 in which only 20 bands from all of Queens schools were chosen to participate.
Robert also is a supporter of all sorts of Jewish causes and gives of his time and resources whenever possible. He truly cherishes the North Shore Jewish Center as his spiritual home as well as his friends and family.
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Gavin Welkes is a high school senior at Comsewogue High School. He has made the honor roll every quarter and has maintained a 4.0 GPA for every year since he enrolled at Comsewogue High School. He is involved in 4 honor societies including National Honors Society, Italian Honors Society, Social Studies Honors Society, which he is the treasurer of, and Tri M Music Honors Society. He is also a runner and member of the Comsewogue High School varsity track and field team.
Outside of school Gavin works part time at the Comsewogue Public Library putting books back and cataloging them, he is also involved in Scouting America and has almost reached the status of eagle scout. He is also involved in a scouting honors society. He is also involved in the USY with North Shore Jewish Center. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his friends, he has been teaching himself guitar and spends most of his time playing it or listening to music, he enjoys reading especially comics, and he enjoys watching comedy movies.
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Although he was born in Los Angeles, Monty Benson considers himself a New Yorker as he has grown up in Port Jefferson Station since the age of five. The son of Isabel Smith and Rabbi Aaron Benson, Monty is the oldest of their three children, followed by brothers Redford and Pierce. Monty is a senior at the Stony Brook School in Stony Brook, New York. While at school, he played lacrosse and basketball and now plays volleyball. Monty plays the cello in orchestra at SBS. While at the Stony Brook School, Monty has had the opportunity to study, among other things, philosophy and the Bible. These subjects have given him deeper insights into his Jewish faith and heritage.
Monty went through Hebrew School and had a COVID-era bar mitzvah at the North Shore Jewish Center, where his father serves as rabbi. Currently, Monty attends USY programs and the rabbi’s lunch and learn discussions on Shabbat.
Motivated by a sense of responsibility to the planet and inspired by the example of his grandfather, a farmer, Monty plans to study agricultural science and sustainability at college next year. He has been accepted into several schools but as of the time of publication, he has yet to decide where he will go.
Monty is grateful to the NSJC Men’s Club for awarding him this honor.