Schechter Community Attends Annual Gala

By Yonatan Pedram, SSLI '27

Last night, Schechter had its yearly gala. The event happened at East Meadow Beth-El Jewish Center. The honorees included Jeffrey Shlefstein, the president of Schechter’s board of trustees, Rabbi Joel Levenson of Midway Jewish Center, Leora Cohen, Chesed committee co-chair and school social worker, and Danielle Truglio, a Schechter alumnus who graduated in 2013. Truglio also won the Keter Shem Tov award.

The seniors had a great time at the Gala! (Schechterli Instagram)

Attendees included the senior class of 2025, alumni, Schechter parents and grandparents, teachers, and all others who wished to come from the Schechter community. The event began with a cocktail reception, which included food and a silent auction. Ellie Strachan, a senior and Paw Print Now editor, said, “There was a cocktail hour where everyone got to socialize and catch up.”

Following the cocktail hour, there was a presentation in which the gala video was played and the honorees received their awards. Leora Cohen stated, “The highlight of the program was a video produced by Tyson [Bidner] and Ilana Lax, our marketing director, highlighting what, each of us as honorees, was most important and impactful about our Schechter experience and the Schechter community as a whole.”

The presentation also included a performance in which the seniors sang a song called "Shesh Besh" from their Hebrew play, Sallah Shabbati. Strachan shared, “My favorite part was definitely when the seniors even got to sing a song from our Hebrew play. It was super exciting, and I thought we did a pretty great job.”

Lastly, the attendees enjoyed a party that included dessert and dancing. Cohen described the party as “fun” and “energetic.” Senior Addison Pravato said, “The night was really fun because we got to be with our whole grade and dance for the second half of the night.”

The event had a great turnout. Strachan added, “I had a great time at the gala! I got to hangout with my friends, and it was such a good time.” Cohen said, “The gala last night was truly a beautiful night for our community. It was such a special thing to be honored by what felt like family, among members of our family, and both Joel and I felt so grateful to be able to celebrate with the rest of the Schechter community.”

Yonatan Pedram is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since October 2023. Yonatan is currently a sophomore at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: ypedram27@schechterli.org.