Neal Picker has been a member of Temple Israel of Great Neck in Great Neck, NY for 12 years. At Temple Israel, Neal has served on the Board of Trustees, Membership Committee, Finance Committee, and currently serves as co-President of the Men’s Club. Prior to Temple Israel, Neal was a Congregant, Board Member, and Treasurer of the historic Stanton Street Shul on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Neal grew up in East Meadow, NY, where he attended religious school and had his Bar Mitzvah. He then graduated from SUNY Albany and began his career in Information Technology, working for various consulting and financial services firms, including Andersen Consulting, Alliance Bernstein, Barclays, Bank of America, and most recently, Mizuho.
Neal served as Den Leader and Cubmaster for Cub Scout Pack 178 in Great Neck and led many activities for the Pack, including the popular Pinewood Derby.
Neal is married to his wife Harriet, a teacher in the Roslyn School District. They have two boys, ages 17 and 20. The Pickers reside in Great Neck and are deeply humbled by the honor bestowed upon them by the Temple Israel Men’s Club.
Support Neal Picker by placing an ad in his honor.
Shira Khoda is an 8th grader at Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School. She lives in Great Neck with her parents, Shawn and Jennifer, and sister Sarah. Shira has been involved in synagogue life since before she could walk, regularly attending Shabbat and holiday services at Temple Israel. Now, she is a dedicated student at the Youth House of Kulanu Religious School, participating in numerous volunteer events and programs.
In addition to her involvement at Temple Israel, Shira enjoys running, field hockey, and art. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and with her extended family.
Shira would like to thank the Temple Israel clergy and teachers for helping her grow as a Jewish adult.
Support Shira Khoda by placing an ad in her honor.
Riley Kurpiel is a hard-working 8th grader at Great Neck South Middle School. Riley has grown up as part of the Temple Israel family starting as a young child in Tot Shabbat and had his Bar Mitzvah last March 11th. Being a part of the Youth House was never a doubt in Riley’s mind, and he has enjoyed the past few years sharing his ideas with other teens and volunteering in various activities, such as the Daffodil Project, engaging with senior citizens at the Atria and packaging supplies for the Midnight Run.
Likewise, Riley has shown dedication to both school and outside activities. He has been an honor roll student every quarter since starting at SMS and particularly loves science, math and Latin. Riley has enjoyed being an active scout since kindergarten, rising through the ranks of Cub Scouts and now Boy Scouts with his dad, Seth, as Den Leader. Riley now serves as Den Chief for the younger scouts and helps to plan camp outs and other events. Riley’s favorite sport is baseball and he played on the SMS team last spring. He also excels at Ninja Warrior and was recently able to compete for the first time this year against other teenagers from the tri-state area. In the winter, Riley can be found skiing on slopes and showing off tricks that scare his mom, Morgan, on the terrain park. Riley has a younger brother, Benson, whom he mostly adores but also likes to scare by jumping out from behind walls at unexpected times.
On weekends, Riley can be found roaming around Great Neck in search of Pokemon with his friends, eating candy that is forbidden to eat with his braces and voraciously reading into the night. Riley is very excited about starting high school in the fall and was accepted into the Science Research program. Riley’s family is extremely proud of his accomplishments, including this wonderful honor from Temple Israel, a place that truly feels like home.
Support Riley Kurpiel by placing an ad in his honor.
Sigal Weitzman began her Jewish journey at Temple Israel Beit Hagen Nursery School. She continued her education throughout Temple Israel’s Hebrew school and the Waxman Youth House. Sigal has attended Camp Ramah in the Berkshire’s since the age of 10 which has shaped her Jewish identity. She is excited to continue this connection training staff in the coming years. Sigal became a Bat Mitzvah at Robinson’s Arch at the Kotel.
She was selected to be a fellow for AJC’s leaders for tomorrow program which trains teens as advocates for Israel and to be voices against antisemitism.
Sigal spent this past summer in Israel as part of Ramah Berkshire’s seminar program where she gained an in-depth perspective of Israel’s history and future.
After high school graduation, Sigal is taking a gap year at the Shalom Hartman institute.