East Hills resident Jonathan Cheris has been named president of Temple Sinai of Roslyn.
After spending nine years on the Board of Trustees and holding various positions within the temple community, Cheris began his two-year term in early May.
The Cheris family joined Temple Sinai in 2001. Since then, Cheris was president of the Brotherhood, chairman of the membership committee, marketing committee, and administration committee.
“I’m at a comfortable place now where I want to serve this community in a greater way,” Cheris said. “I want to serve our community and I want to develop our regional and national connections more strongly.”
Temple Sinai is currently the largest reform synagogue on Long Island, and Cheris wants to continue the work that his predecessor started years ago.
“There are so many strong leaders at the Temple,” he said. “I am honored to follow Howard Berrent as president and to be part of a community where all the past presidents remain so active.”
One of Cheris’ biggest accomplishments was working with the marketing committee to help rebrand the temple. About a decade ago, he purchased the domain name MySinai.org. Now, that is the temple’s main website.
“The MySinai brand truly symbolizes how I feel about the temple,” he said. “When I’m in the building, something special happens. I feel it, it’s my Sinai and I want to share that with others. When they get it, they love it. Everyone should feel a part of my Sinai.”
Temple Sinai is a special place for Cheris and his family, filled with amazing Temple Sinai memories; from Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s to Confirmations, High Holidays, and other events.
“When you’re in the building, you realize that you don’t need Facebook or Twitter,” Cheris said. “You realize that a brick and mortar institution, the building, and the people around you is still an incredibly powerful experience in the modern world. That is the feeling of my Sinai that means a lot to me.”
Cheris is the director of Marketing Information and Insights at Astoria Bank in Lake Success. He is also a member of the corporate board of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Long Island chapter. He and his wife, Ann, have two children, Aaron, an incoming senior at SUNY Albany, and Sara, a high school junior who was recently elected co-president of Temple Sinai’s senior youth group, SORTY.
Temple Sinai of Roslyn is located at 425 Roslyn Rd. For more information, contact Ethel Liebeskind at 516-621-6800 or visit the website at www.mysinai.org.
