[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 133 (Friday, August 4, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING SHEILA REINHOLD AND RICHARD SACKS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 4, 2017

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor two individuals who have 
become pillars of the Riverdale community. As active members 
Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, Sheila Reinhold and 
Richard Sacks have helped CSAIR grow by leaps and bounds for over 20 
years. It's no wonder why CSAIR has chosen to honor them with the Hazon 
Award at this year's Spring Gala.
  Sheila and Richard moved to Riverdale in 1991 with their children 
Eli, Rachel and Deborah. They took different paths to CSAIR 
involvement. Sheila grew up in Manhattan in a Modern Orthodox home with 
Holocaust survivor parents from Belgium. A natural violinist, at age 15 
she went to Los Angeles to study with world-famous violinist Jascha 
Heifetz, with whom she worked--and had all her Seders--for five years 
while living with a non-Jewish host family. She then moved to Cambridge 
and was a Resident Musician at Harvard, where she had the opportunities 
to re-immerse herself in Judaism, and where she met Richard whose 
Jewish trajectory had been rather different.
  Richard grew up in Albany in a secular family, never had a bar 
mitzvah ceremony, and never attended a Shabbat service from the age of 
14 through graduate school--even when he and Sheila were dating, though 
he used to walk her to Shabbat services. They were married in 1977, and 
moved to NYC in 1978 when Richard finished his PhD and began teaching 
at Columbia, where he specializes in ancient myth and literature. He 
also regularly teaches Columbia's core great books course for first-
year students, and it was this course that gave him his first 
experience of the joys of teaching biblical texts. Couple that with 
Sheila and all three children loving both CSAIR and talking Torah, and 
Richard's fate was sealed.
  At CSAIR, their shared passion has been the quiet mitzvah of helping 
with shiva needs and logistics. They both have served on various 
committees as well. Sheila frequently plays violin at CSAIR's Yom 
Hashoah observance, and she has brought her performing career to CSAIR 
as founder and music director of Intimate Voices. Richard served a term 
as CSAIR's Treasurer and loves giving divrei Torah. CSAIR is fortunate 
to have two such devoted members. Congratulations to them on this great 
honor.

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