Suffolk Signature Event
Thursday, November 20, 2025
6:30 PM
placeTemple Beth Torah, 35 Bagatelle Road, Melville, NY, 11747

Join us as we honor UJA’s critical work and celebrate the contributions of our inspiring honorees. At a time when UJA is responding to urgent needs in Israel and rising antisemitism here in New York, coming together as a community has never mattered more.

The suggested minimum donation is $500 to UJA’s 2026 Annual Campaign. 

A ROLL OF HONOR is published for the Signature Event, distinguishing the generosity of the honored guests, from Philanthropist to Supporter levels. Whether this is your first Signature Event or one of many, we urge you to place yourself on the Signature Event Roll of Honor.

The deadline for the Roll of Honor is Friday, October 31, 2025. 

 
Level Contribution
Philanthropist $25,000 and over*
Visionary $18,000 - $24,999*
Presidential $10,000 - $17,999*
Ambassador $7,500 - $9,999
Guardian $5,000 - $7,499
Benefactor $3,600 - $4,999
Patron $1,800 - $1,799
Friend $1,00 - $1,799
Supporter $500 - $999


*A donation of $10,000 or more includes membership in one or more of UJA's donor giving societies: Tzedek Society ($10,000+), King David Society ($25,000+), Ambassador's Round Table ($50,000+), and Prime Minister's Council ($100,000+). Membership includes exclusive access to briefings, volunteer experiences, missions, and other benefits.  

Dietary Laws Observed 

MAKE A DONATION

Show your support for our honorees with a gift to UJA.

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Honoring

Rabbi Howard Buechler

Rabbi Howard Buechler

Rabbinic Leadership Award

Rabbi Howard Buechler has served as the spiritual leader of the Dix Hills Jewish Center since 1992, guiding the congregation with wisdom, compassion, and a deep commitment to Jewish life and learning. A respected voice in the broader Jewish community, Rabbi Buechler has held numerous leadership roles, including president of the Rabbinical Assembly of Nassau-Suffolk (1996 – 2000) and the Suffolk County Board of Rabbis (1990 – 1992). He is a founding member and officer of the Suffolk County Mikveh and has served on the Board of Governors of the New York Board of Rabbis since 1997. 

Rabbi Buechler’s dedication to Jewish education...

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Julie Gray

Julie Gray

Community Advocate Award

Julie Gray’s lifelong commitment to Jewish values and community engagement began in a Boston suburb, where tradition and giving back were part of everyday life. A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in business, Julie built a successful career as the designer shoe buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue before dedicating herself to raising her three children—Alexandra, Brett, and Tyler—each of whom has embraced Jewish causes and leadership in their own way. 

Julie and her husband, Kenneth, who leads the fifth-generation family business, Bushwick Potato Commission, have made philanthropy a cornerstone of their lives. From supporting...

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Leslie and Jed Hantverk

Leslie and Jed Hantverk

Community Leadership Award

Leslie and Jed Hantverk are honored and humbled to receive the Community Leadership Award from UJA. Residents of Melville for 32 years, they have raised their two children, Sam and Emily, with strong Jewish values and a deep commitment to community. Jed, a dedicated internist, has served the Long Island community for 36 years. Together, they have instilled in their family the importance of giving back to both the Jewish and broader communities. 

Their Jewish journey has been deeply rooted in synagogue life, beginning at Temple Beth Torah, where their children became bar and bat mitzvah. A transformative trip to Israel in 2007 inspired...

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Craig Padover

Craig Padover

Business Leader Award

Craig Padover has dedicated over 25 years to Jewish communal service and philanthropy. He began his involvement with Suffolk Association for Jewish Education Services (SAJES), eventually becoming president during its merger with the Board of Jewish Education to form the Jewish Education Project, a UJA partner. Under his leadership, the agency expanded from serving the New York metropolitan area to supporting Jewish communities nationwide. Craig is a past president and current board member of the Suffolk Y JCC. He has also played a key role in UJA’s Synergy initiative, aimed at strengthening synagogues. Craig was a member of the UJA Suffolk Business...

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Guest Speaker

Eylon Levy

Eylon Levy

Eylon Levy is a former spokesman for the state of Israel, who became one of the most globally recognized voices for Israel in the October 7 War. He previously served as international spokesman to President Isaac Herzog after a career as a television news anchor. He holds degrees from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and served in the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier after immigrating to Israel from the UK. He now heads the spokes office, a civil society initiative to advocate for Israel and the Jewish people on international media.

Leadership

Chair

Dr. Jay Steinberg

Dr. Hilton Adler 
Jamie Adler 
Meryl Ain 
Stewart Ain 
Rabbi Aaron Benson 
Larry Bloomstein 
Lisa Bloomstein 
Rachel Brill 
Rabbi Howard Buechler 
Dr. Linda Chernoff 
Dr. Marc Chernoff 
Adam Cole 
Betty Cole 
Dr. Alex Finger 
Beth Finger 
Alexandra Fingerman 
Joseph Fingerman 
Mona Goldstein 
Stephen Goldstein 
Alan Gordon 
Emily Gordon 
Julie Gray 
Ken Gray 
Kevin Gray 
Cecilia Greenhut 
Jonathan Greenhut 
Jessica Grossman 
Matthew Grossman 
Dr. Jed Hantverk 
Leslie Hantverk 
Ilene Herz 
Jerry Herz 
Jennifer Ingber 
Dr. Scott Ingber 
Gail Jospa 
Gerald Jospa 
Michael Kessler 
Ronnit Kessler 
Elaine Kleinmann 
Walter Kleinmann 
Matthew Kreinces 
Missy Kreinces 
Lisa Lashin 
Terry Lashin 
Gene Lesserson 
Andrew Meyer 
Jaime Meyer 
Arlene Morse 
Richard Morse 
Rabbi Susie Moskowitz 
Jeffrey Nemshin 
Craig Padover 
Ari Perler 
Arthur Perler 
Johanna Perler 
Vicki Perler 
Suzanne Ravitz 
Allison Reiver 
Mitchell Reiver 
Brenda Rosenberg 
David Rosenberg 
Rabbi Eric Rosin 
Samuel Rudman 
Susan Rudman 
Larry Rush 
Susan Rush 
Craig Schioppo 
Renni Schioppo 
Dr. Alan Schuller 
Randi Schuller 
Hania Shatzer 
Dr. Matthew Shatzer 
Dr. Joel Siev 
Arlene Sirlin 
Richard Sirlin 
Dr. Ellen Steinberg 
Daniel Steinberg 
Kimberley Steinberg 
Renee Steinig 
Stephen Steinig 
Rabbi Mendel Teldon 
Rabbi Tuvia Teldon 
David Travis 
Lisa Travis 
Harry Wagner 
Myra Wagner 
Craig Weinstein 
Michelle Weinstein 
Dr. Toba Weinstein 
Joseph M. Willen 
Kimberly Willen 
Joel Wirchin 
Miriam Wirchin 
Adam Wolf 
Lisa Wolf 
Ellen Zuckerman 
Len Zuckerman

(in formation)

Dr. Jay Steinberg

contact us

Questions? Get in touch.
Laurie Birzon

516.762.5819