Mark LakritzPresidium Member
Mark is a longstanding member of Congregation Agudas Israel. He joined the Synagogue in 1984. He married his wife Shelly in 1984 with the service held in our main sanctuary.
Over the decades Mark has served as President and Chairman of the Board on several occasions. He has served on a number of committees and is presently a member of the Ritual Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. Mark and Shelly have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. |
Sharon KelsonTreasurer
Sharon moved to Orange County in 1994 and met her husband Todd shortly thereafter. Todd was already a member of Congregation Agudas Israel and they were married by the congregation Rabbi.
Sharon became an active member of the Congregation Agudas Israel Board of Trustees in 1998. She has served as the Treasurer and then as the President from 2010 - 2013. She remained active on the Board of Trustees. She also was the President of the sisterhood and remains active on the Cemetery, Programming, and Calendar committees. She volunteers for Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America and is the National Vice-Chair of Geographic Areas. She served as the Lower New York State Region President from 2017-2019 and is a member of the local chapter, Hadassah Noar Of Newburgh. Other organizations that Sharon volunteers with include the Jewish Community Center in Newburgh, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County, and Access: Supports For Living, an agency in the Hudson Valley that helps people with challenges to live the fullest life possible. Having received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the University of Phoenix, she is self employed performing work for various clients including day to day bookkeeping and reviewing Guardianship accountings and writing reports for the court. Sharon believes that Congregation Agudas Israel is a spiritual home which comforts and nurtures its members, and instills a love of Jewish heritage and inspires those that enter its halls and sanctuary to grow and to prosper on their respective Jewish journeys. |
Dr. Barry HymanFinancial Secretary
Barry has been a member of the Agudas Israel congregation since 1994 when he moved to the area with his wife, Mimica. His two children grew up in Newburgh and Agudas Israel was fundamental in their religious education. He is an orthopedic surgeon and has served as Chairman of Orthopedics at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital. His interest in orthopedics stemmed from his involvement in sports. He represented the US team for the Maccabiah Games in Judo in 1981 and 1985 winning team gold and silver medals, respectively, as well as two individual bronze medals. He returned to Israel in 1989 as a team physician for the US Team. He has been the Team Physician for the Hudson Valley Renegades since 1994. He is currently head of the orthopedic department at Middletown Medical. He is a cellist and was a member of the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra. Barry has served as President of Agudas Israel and is currently a member of the CAI Board.
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Jeffrey GrossRecording Secretary
Jeff and his wife Ann have lived in Fishkill since 1994 and have been members of CAI since 2015. Jeff is retired from the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. He has enjoyed serving on the CAI Board since 2022.
He has also served on the Board of the Dutchess County Jewish Federation and currently serves on the committee for the Dutchess Federation's Yom Hashoah commemoration. |