Messages from GNS Leadership
Letter from the Rabbi
Dear Friends,
As we gather for the 74th Annual Dinner of Great Neck Synagogue, it is my profound privilege to express our community's deep appreciation for this year's distinguished honorees, whose dedication and generosity have enriched our congregation and the broader Jewish world in immeasurable ways.
Didi and Adam Hutt have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to causes that lie at the very heart of Jewish continuity and security. Their generous support of critical needs in Israel, particularly their dedication to the soldiers of the IDF who stand guard over our people, reflects a profound understanding of our collective responsibility for one another. Their support of the North Shore Hebrew Academy has helped ensure that another generation of young Jews will grow in Torah knowledge and Jewish identity. The Hutts remind us that chesed and tzedakah are not merely acts of kindness, but sacred obligations that bind us to our people across distances and circumstances.
Ariella and Abe Sedgh embody the very essence of communal devotion. Abe's leadership has strengthened the fabric of our synagogue through his service in numerous lay leadership positions, each undertaken with wisdom, dedication, and genuine care for our community's welfare. His willingness to step forward whenever called upon—whether to lead the davening or to read from the Torah—reflects a commitment that goes far beyond obligation. It is the mark of someone who understands that a thriving shul is built not through grand gestures alone, but through consistent, humble service. And yet, as those who know them well understand, behind every great leader stands an even greater partner. Ariella is the lynchpin that holds their family together, providing the foundation of strength, warmth, and wisdom that makes all else possible. Together, the Sedghs exemplify the ideal of a bayit ne'eman b'Yisrael—a faithful Jewish home dedicated to Torah, community, and service.
We are also privileged to present the Keter Torah Award to Steven Zuckerman, whose efforts to expand Torah learning opportunities in our community have created ripples that will be felt for generations. The founding of the morning scholars' kollel stands as a testament to Steven's vision and dedication, providing a framework for serious Torah study that elevates our entire community. This commitment to limud Torah is clearly woven into the fabric of the Zuckerman family legacy—Steven's father played an instrumental role in founding the Westchester Jewish Day School, establishing a tradition of investing in Torah education that Steven has embraced and extended. In honoring Steven with the Keter Torah Award, we recognize not only his individual accomplishments but also a multigenerational commitment to ensuring that the crown of Torah continues to shine brightly in our community.
As we celebrate these remarkable individuals, we are reminded that a synagogue is far more than a building—it is a living community built by people who care, who give, who lead, and who inspire. The Sedghs, the Hutts, and Steven Zuckerman each represent different dimensions of what it means to be actively engaged Jews, yet they share a common vision: a commitment to ensuring that our community, our institutions, and our people not only survive but flourish.
On behalf of the entire Great Neck Synagogue community, I extend our heartfelt gratitude and warmest mazal tov to our honorees. May Hashem grant you continued strength to pursue your holy work, and may you continue to be a source of blessing to our community and to Klal Yisrael.
With admiration,
Rabbi Dale Polakoff
Great Neck Synagogue
As we gather to celebrate the 74th Annual Dinner of the Great Neck Synagogue, I am filled with deep gratitude and admiration for this year’s honorees: Adam and Didi Hutt, Abe and Ariella Sedgh, and Steve Zuckerman. Each of these outstanding individuals exemplifies the devotion, leadership, and sense of responsibility that sustain and elevate our kehilla.
Adam and Didi Hutt have become an inseparable part of the fabric of Great Neck Synagogue. Adam’s steady commitment to Torah and tefillah, expressed through his consistent presence at minyan and the Beit Midrash Minyan each Shabbos, reflects quiet leadership and deep humility. Didi brings warmth, kindness, and a contagious positivity that uplifts everyone around her, and together with their children they embody the heart and soul of our shul.
Abe and Ariella Sedgh represent dedication, humility, and service to the community. Abe’s many years of leadership which include his service on the board and as Treasurer, have helped strengthen and guide our synagogue through important initiatives. Ariella’s warmth and volunteerism enrich our community, and together with their children they model commitment and love for Great Neck Synagogue.
Steve Zuckerman is a pillar of Great Neck Synagogue and of Orthodox Jewish life in our community. For nearly six decades, his vision and tireless devotion - from building the eruv and founding minyanim to advancing Torah learning and Jewish education - have shaped the spiritual landscape of Great Neck. Together with his wife Shellie and their family, his legacy continues to inspire generations.
Together with my wife Jenny, it is a true privilege to recognize these exceptional honorees whose lives reflect the highest ideals of Torah, chesed, and communal responsibility. May Hashem bless them and their families with good health, happiness, and continued success.
With deep appreciation and heartfelt thanks,
Rabbi Moshe Genack
Assistant Rabbi
Great Neck Synagogue
I can barely contain my excitement each year as the annual dinner approaches. It’s always an incredible night that allow us to showcase so many elements of what makes the Great Neck Synagogue the premier religious institution that it is. We focus on the incredible strength of communal activism, steadfast Zionism, and the continued commitment to a set of values that has been with us for thousands of years.
This year, we turn our attention to yet another set of honorees that exemplifies these values and more.
Ariella & Abe Sedge, Didi & Adam Hutt, and Steven Zuckerman - you have all modeled volunteerism, dedication, leadership, and vision.
Abe & Ariella, we are always thankful to all that you do both in public and behind the scenes. Abe, whether dedicating the endless hours it takes to prepare Torah readings through the year, or helping to balance our shul’s finances, we truly cannot show enough appreciation for it all. We also know that without Ariella at your side, none of your accomplishments would be possible. Ariella provides the warmth and the smile behind the Sedgh family, and she does so with grace and strength. Thank you both for modeling what it means to be a family that models Torah values with true dedication.
Didi & Adam, you have endless energy for those causes that you hold dear, and we are truly grateful to be among them. Your work with Israel and FIDF shows your commitment to the security our homeland and the safety of those who protect it. Your dedication to the North Shore Hebrew Academy tells of your vision to ensure that our future generations are educated in Torah and secular matters at the highest levels, without compromise. Thank you both for your continuous dedication to Chesed in a way that we all strive to emulate.
Steven, there is no better honor to grant you than the Keter Torah award. Your goal has always been to do what the Keter does - to adorn the Torah, to beautify it, and to let it shine with its most beautiful splendor. Each and every time I’ve had the privilege to teach at the Kollel has been an eye opening experience for me, and the ability to engage with people who dedicate time daily to Torah study at all levels is all to your credit. I look forward to your weekly printouts that show us how colorfully the Torah can shine. Thank you for your continued dedication to Torah learning in our community.
This is who we are. This is the Great Neck Synagogue. We are the sum of so many parts, and each of you is a cog in our machine without whom we wouldn’t be the same.
Thank you for inspiring, and thank you for teaching us to give in so many different ways. We are truly lucky to be able to honor you all.
With deep gratitude,
Chazzan Yitzy Spinner
On behalf of the GNS Youth Department, we would like to wish a heartfelt Mazal Tov to each of the honorees, Didi and Adam Hutt, Arilella and Abreham Sedgh, and Steve Zuckerman on this well-deserved recognition. Your dedication to Great Neck Synagogue has helped create a wonderful shul community, and tonight is a meaningful moment to acknowledge that commitment.
Thank you for the time, care, and consistency you give to the shul. Your involvement helps set the tone for the community we strive to be and the values we hope to pass on. As our tradition teaches, דּוֹר לְדוֹר יְשַׁבַּח מַעֲשֶׂיךָ “Generation to generation shall praise Your works.”
Thank you for being role models and helping create a warm and welcoming place where our youth feel proud to belong. Your dedication helps shape not only the present of Great Neck Synagogue, but its future as well.
With appreciation,
Dr. Mike and Morah Zehava
Rabbi Chinskey
Letter from the Rabbi
Dear Friends,
As we gather for the 74th Annual Dinner of Great Neck Synagogue, it is my profound privilege to express our community's deep appreciation for this year's distinguished honorees, whose dedication and generosity have enriched our congregation and the broader Jewish world in immeasurable ways.
Didi and Adam Hutt have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to causes that lie at the very heart of Jewish continuity and security. Their generous support of critical needs in Israel, particularly their dedication to the soldiers of the IDF who stand guard over our people, reflects a profound understanding of our collective responsibility for one another. Their support of the North Shore Hebrew Academy has helped ensure that another generation of young Jews will grow in Torah knowledge and Jewish identity. The Hutts remind us that chesed and tzedakah are not merely acts of kindness, but sacred obligations that bind us to our people across distances and circumstances.
Ariella and Abe Sedgh embody the very essence of communal devotion. Abe's leadership has strengthened the fabric of our synagogue through his service in numerous lay leadership positions, each undertaken with wisdom, dedication, and genuine care for our community's welfare. His willingness to step forward whenever called upon—whether to lead the davening or to read from the Torah—reflects a commitment that goes far beyond obligation. It is the mark of someone who understands that a thriving shul is built not through grand gestures alone, but through consistent, humble service. And yet, as those who know them well understand, behind every great leader stands an even greater partner. Ariella is the lynchpin that holds their family together, providing the foundation of strength, warmth, and wisdom that makes all else possible. Together, the Sedghs exemplify the ideal of a bayit ne'eman b'Yisrael—a faithful Jewish home dedicated to Torah, community, and service.
We are also privileged to present the Keter Torah Award to Steven Zuckerman, whose efforts to expand Torah learning opportunities in our community have created ripples that will be felt for generations. The founding of the morning scholars' kollel stands as a testament to Steven's vision and dedication, providing a framework for serious Torah study that elevates our entire community. This commitment to limud Torah is clearly woven into the fabric of the Zuckerman family legacy—Steven's father played an instrumental role in founding the Westchester Jewish Day School, establishing a tradition of investing in Torah education that Steven has embraced and extended. In honoring Steven with the Keter Torah Award, we recognize not only his individual accomplishments but also a multigenerational commitment to ensuring that the crown of Torah continues to shine brightly in our community.
As we celebrate these remarkable individuals, we are reminded that a synagogue is far more than a building—it is a living community built by people who care, who give, who lead, and who inspire. The Sedghs, the Hutts, and Steven Zuckerman each represent different dimensions of what it means to be actively engaged Jews, yet they share a common vision: a commitment to ensuring that our community, our institutions, and our people not only survive but flourish.
On behalf of the entire Great Neck Synagogue community, I extend our heartfelt gratitude and warmest mazal tov to our honorees. May Hashem grant you continued strength to pursue your holy work, and may you continue to be a source of blessing to our community and to Klal Yisrael.
With admiration,
Rabbi Dale Polakoff
Great Neck Synagogue
As we gather to celebrate the 74th Annual Dinner of the Great Neck Synagogue, I am filled with deep gratitude and admiration for this year’s honorees: Adam and Didi Hutt, Abe and Ariella Sedgh, and Steve Zuckerman. Each of these outstanding individuals exemplifies the devotion, leadership, and sense of responsibility that sustain and elevate our kehilla.
Adam and Didi Hutt have become an inseparable part of the fabric of Great Neck Synagogue. Adam’s steady commitment to Torah and tefillah, expressed through his consistent presence at minyan and the Beit Midrash Minyan each Shabbos, reflects quiet leadership and deep humility. Didi brings warmth, kindness, and a contagious positivity that uplifts everyone around her, and together with their children they embody the heart and soul of our shul.
Abe and Ariella Sedgh represent dedication, humility, and service to the community. Abe’s many years of leadership which include his service on the board and as Treasurer, have helped strengthen and guide our synagogue through important initiatives. Ariella’s warmth and volunteerism enrich our community, and together with their children they model commitment and love for Great Neck Synagogue.
Steve Zuckerman is a pillar of Great Neck Synagogue and of Orthodox Jewish life in our community. For nearly six decades, his vision and tireless devotion - from building the eruv and founding minyanim to advancing Torah learning and Jewish education - have shaped the spiritual landscape of Great Neck. Together with his wife Shellie and their family, his legacy continues to inspire generations.
Together with my wife Jenny, it is a true privilege to recognize these exceptional honorees whose lives reflect the highest ideals of Torah, chesed, and communal responsibility. May Hashem bless them and their families with good health, happiness, and continued success.
With deep appreciation and heartfelt thanks,
Rabbi Moshe Genack
Assistant Rabbi
Great Neck Synagogue
I can barely contain my excitement each year as the annual dinner approaches. It’s always an incredible night that allow us to showcase so many elements of what makes the Great Neck Synagogue the premier religious institution that it is. We focus on the incredible strength of communal activism, steadfast Zionism, and the continued commitment to a set of values that has been with us for thousands of years.
This year, we turn our attention to yet another set of honorees that exemplifies these values and more.
Ariella & Abe Sedge, Didi & Adam Hutt, and Steven Zuckerman - you have all modeled volunteerism, dedication, leadership, and vision.
Abe & Ariella, we are always thankful to all that you do both in public and behind the scenes. Abe, whether dedicating the endless hours it takes to prepare Torah readings through the year, or helping to balance our shul’s finances, we truly cannot show enough appreciation for it all. We also know that without Ariella at your side, none of your accomplishments would be possible. Ariella provides the warmth and the smile behind the Sedgh family, and she does so with grace and strength. Thank you both for modeling what it means to be a family that models Torah values with true dedication.
Didi & Adam, you have endless energy for those causes that you hold dear, and we are truly grateful to be among them. Your work with Israel and FIDF shows your commitment to the security our homeland and the safety of those who protect it. Your dedication to the North Shore Hebrew Academy tells of your vision to ensure that our future generations are educated in Torah and secular matters at the highest levels, without compromise. Thank you both for your continuous dedication to Chesed in a way that we all strive to emulate.
Steven, there is no better honor to grant you than the Keter Torah award. Your goal has always been to do what the Keter does - to adorn the Torah, to beautify it, and to let it shine with its most beautiful splendor. Each and every time I’ve had the privilege to teach at the Kollel has been an eye opening experience for me, and the ability to engage with people who dedicate time daily to Torah study at all levels is all to your credit. I look forward to your weekly printouts that show us how colorfully the Torah can shine. Thank you for your continued dedication to Torah learning in our community.
This is who we are. This is the Great Neck Synagogue. We are the sum of so many parts, and each of you is a cog in our machine without whom we wouldn’t be the same.
Thank you for inspiring, and thank you for teaching us to give in so many different ways. We are truly lucky to be able to honor you all.
With deep gratitude,
Chazzan Yitzy Spinner
On behalf of the GNS Youth Department, we would like to wish a heartfelt Mazal Tov to each of the honorees, Didi and Adam Hutt, Arilella and Abreham Sedgh, and Steve Zuckerman on this well-deserved recognition. Your dedication to Great Neck Synagogue has helped create a wonderful shul community, and tonight is a meaningful moment to acknowledge that commitment.
Thank you for the time, care, and consistency you give to the shul. Your involvement helps set the tone for the community we strive to be and the values we hope to pass on. As our tradition teaches, דּוֹר לְדוֹר יְשַׁבַּח מַעֲשֶׂיךָ “Generation to generation shall praise Your works.”
Thank you for being role models and helping create a warm and welcoming place where our youth feel proud to belong. Your dedication helps shape not only the present of Great Neck Synagogue, but its future as well.
With appreciation,
Dr. Mike and Morah Zehava
Rabbi Chinskey