Simchat Torah Honorees

Jessica (Jess) Yudewitz wears many hats: she is a mom, a wife, a friend, daughter, a sister, a professional and -- in her spare time -- a volunteer at Temple Israel. She grew up in Newton, MA and attended Solomon Schechter and Gann Academy. She spent 12 summers at Camp Yavneh where she met Efraim Yudewitz, the love of her life, when she was merely 15. She attended Barnard College and after a brief stint in NYC, returned to Mass to attend Northeastern University School of Law.

In 2012, Jess and Efraim moved to Sharon and live here happily with their two daughters, Mia (10), Lana (8), and their dog Summer. Jess now works as an HR Director at Point32Health, the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan. Together with her family, Jess is lucky enough to spend summers at Crane Lake Camp in the Berkshires where Efraim is the Director. When they have a free minute, Jess and Efraim k’vell as they see their daughters embraced by the magic of Jewish summer camp.

Jess and her family became members of Temple Israel in 2014. Mia and Elana have been enthusiastic members of the Hebrew School community since kindergarten, where they are learning alongside their aunt and incredible religious school educator Gila Yudewitz. Jess joined the Board of Trustees in 2020. She also served on the Senior Rabbi Search Committee from 2022 - 2022. This past year, Jess also had the pleasure of serving alongside Ravin Davidoff as the Co-Chair of the Second Clergy Search Committee. Jess is now a member of the Strategic Planning Committee that is leading a year-long initiative to help establish a mission, vision, and values for the Temple. Jess has learned many valuable lessons from her work at the Temple and is most grateful for the friendships she has made along the way.

Temple Israel has played many important roles in our life over the last 9 years. It is a place where we can bring our children and teach them to love Judaism, to learn the traditional prayers and songs, and most importantly to learn Jewish values that can be incorporated into their daily lives. It is a place where we have built community and made intergenerational friendships. Over the pandemic it saved us. The empty parking lot was where my daughters learned to ride their bikes and we spent countless hours on zoom calls while the girls played in the Woodland Wilderness. At Temple Israel, I have found mentors, learned leadership skills, been challenged intellectually, and grown in ways I could not have imagined. This is a community that I do not take for granted, and I am so excited to see it continue to grow and evolve under the leadership of Rabbi Fineberg and the dedicated Lay Leadership stewarded by Debra Getz and Harris Grandberg.