Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame 2023
“BJHI was created to tell the extraordinary story of the Jewish community of Brooklyn, so the world would know’ said Howard Teich, BJHI Founder and Co-chair, “and the BJHI Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame will recognize the leading Brooklynites who have truly made a difference in the world, and there are many.”
“We wanted to be sure that the first class had a representative balance,” said Sarina Roffé, BJHI Co-chair. “So we have someone from the Russian community, the Syrian community, etc., as well as business leaders, social activists and entertainers.”
BJHI BROOKLYN JEWISH HALL OF FAME
CLASS OF 2023
Photo Gallery
Event Coverage
Inductees
Steven Cohn
BJHI is happy to induct Steven D. Cohn, Esq. into the Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame Class of 2023 for his work and dedication to the Brooklyn Jewish community.
Cohn is a proud native Brooklynite, who was raised in Williamsburg, and is the product of the city’s public school system. His public and private sector experiences allowed him to become a noted attorney, while giving back to city he loves.
His volunteer work includes taking an active role in the Democratic party as State Committeeman for the 50th A.D. in Kings County from 1982 – 2010 and Vice-Chair of NYS Democrats from 1990 – Present. He has taken active roles in both the New York Senate and Assembly, and New York City Council. He is a Colonel in the New York Guard and serves as a Vice President on the Board of Officers at Yeshiva of Flatbush.
Cohn is on the Honorary Board of Trustees for both North Brooklyn Development Corporation and Pesach Tikvah Hope Development, Corp.
Cohn is a Past-President of the Brooklyn Bar Association, and currently sits as Chair of its Continuing Legal Education Committee. He serves on the New York City Bar Matrimonial Committee, as a Delegate to the New York State Bar Association, and Secretary to the General Practice Section.
Professionally, Cohn is the Managing Partner of Goldberg & Cohn, LLP, and has 35-plus years of experience in Family and Matrimonial Law, Government Relations, Real Estate and Litigation, among other niche areas.
Cohn graduated from New York University with a BA in politics, and from Brooklyn Law School where he received his JD. He got a LL M from New York University Law School.
Cohn is an Adjunct Professor, and lectures and conducts continuing legal education presentations for fellow attorneys, legal professionals and business leaders. He has served, and continues to serve as an advisor to local, state and federal elected officials.
His internal knowledge of administrative agencies, governmental agencies, in addition to the New York City Council Chamber and Executive Chamber, along with the New York State Legislature in Albany, allow him to be very successful in helping others.
Cohn has donated his time and expertise in a variety of pro-bono cases over the years. Amongst these matters are, fighting the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge tolls, Mobo Garbage Barge, Brooklyn Brig, and Mobil Oil Plume. In addition, he was a founding member and Trustee of the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP), an offshoot of the Brooklyn Bar Association (BBA), and is active in its serving the local community.
Ezra Friedlander
For more than 15 years, Ezra has managed many complex public relations campaigns, earning a reputation for his diverse skills and broad range of knowledge. Ezra’s expertise lies in understanding the unique needs of the individual client, and customizing strategies accordingly. Ezra’s extensive experience has enabled him to deal proficiently with the various issues that inevitably arise in the course of challenging projects.
Prior to founding The Friedlander Group, Ezra served on the staffs of New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind and former New York Public Advocate Mark Green, establishing a network of personal and professional contacts in the political, commercial, and non-profit sectors. Additionally, Ezra oversaw sensitive governmental foreign-relations projects.
Ezra has earned much admiration from his colleagues and associates for his strong dedication to his clients, and for always representing them in a professional manner.
Ezra's description of how he became interested in government relations.
Ezra Friedlander was born in Brooklyn and attended local yeshivas including Mesivta Eitz Chaim of Bobov located in Brooklyn. His grandfather, the previous Liska Rebbe of blessed memory, established his Hasidic court in Brooklyn in 1947 when he arrived on these shores in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
For more than 20 years, Ezra has managed many complex public relations campaigns, earning a reputation for his diverse skills and broad range of knowledge. Ezra’s expertise lies in understanding the unique needs of the individual client and customizing strategies accordingly. Ezra’s extensive experience has enabled him to deal proficiently with the various issues that inevitably arise in the course of challenging projects.
Prior to founding The Friedlander Group, Ezra served on the staffs of New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind and former New York Public Advocate Mark Green, establishing a network of personal and professional contacts in the political, commercial, and non-profit sectors. Additionally, Ezra oversaw sensitive governmental foreign-relations projects.
Ezra oversaw several high-profile Congressional Gold Medal campaigns that honored individuals whose contributions to humanitarianism and peace have had a lasting impact such as Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, then-Israeli President Shimon Peres, and late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
Hon. Abraham Gerges
Justice of the New York State Supreme Court (Retired)
BJHI is happy to induct the Honorable Abraham G. Gerges into the Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame, Class of 2023.
A Brooklyn native who grew up in Williamsburg and Brooklyn Heights, he made his mother proud. With a passion for Latin dancing, Gerges was a prominent City Councilman representing Greenpoint (1975-1991). He said his most difficult challenge was the lack of available affordable housing in his district. He is most proud of his role mitigating the hostility between the Orthodox Jewish and Hispanic communities in Williamsburg. He resigned to accept an appointment to the bench as a New York State Supreme Court Judge in Kings County (1991-2010).
He served his community as president of the Brooklyn Heights chapter of B’nai B’rith and was a member of the Advisory Board of the Bowery Mission. But what really distinguishes him from his colleagues is his very first career – as a ballroom dancer in the Catskills.
Now a retired Justice, Gerges was Acting Administrative Judge for the civil and criminal terms. He was also co-editor of The Jurist, a state-wide judges’ newspaper, was president of both the State and City Associations of Supreme Court Judges, and was secretary, executive member, and New York State delegate of the National Conference of State Trial Judges of the American Bar Association.
Affectionately referred to as “The Dean of the Judiciary,” Gerges is best known for ruling in the Atlantic Yards $4.9 billion real estate development case. With over two decades of trial experience, he has published over 100 opinions.
As Councilman, he chaired multiple committees, including Government Operations, Economic Development, Standards and Ethics, Subcommittee on the Criminal Court System and the Select Committee for the Homeless. He was the host of New York’s Alive and Kicking on WNYC, a public radio station.
After retirement, Judge Gerges was appointed by the New York State Appellate Division as a special referee for attorney disciplinary matters. He also acts as a mediator/arbitrator and is a certified Circuit Court Mediator for the Florida Supreme Court.
He graduated from Boys High School, Brooklyn College, and New York Law School where he earned his juris doctor.
Dan Hedaya
At 83 years young, Brooklyn-born Dan Hedaya is the child of Syrian Jewish immigrants. BJHI is proud to include him in the 2023 Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame for his roles in television, movies and on the stage.
Even though he is Jewish, Dan often plays a villain and parts where he is portrayed as an Italian-American. His lifetime of acting it too numerous to list completely. BJHI highlights that of his 124 roles, he is known for being Carla’s ex-husband Nick Tortellini on Cheers, husband Coen brothers' crime thriller Blood Simple, and as Morton Cushman, opposite Bette Midler in the movie First Wives Club.
On television, he has served in numerous roles in shows including Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Monk, ER, The Mindy Project, The Book of Daniel, Gotham and L. A. Law. He has had movie roles in Commando, The Usual Suspects, the Addams Family, Clueless, to name a few.
Dan’s stage performances include Broadway roles such as "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" and many New York Shakespeare Festival productions.
Dan graduated from Tufts University in 1962 and studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
Marina Kovalyov
BJHI is happy to induct Marina Kovalyov into the 2023 Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame for her work with the Russian Jewish community in Brooklyn.
Marina always finds time for charitable causes and has served for many years on the board of a number of community organizations including the Russian division of the UJA Federation, The Shorefront YM-YWHA (Brooklyn), The Brownstone, the Jewish Week, COJECO (Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations), Russian American Jewish Experience (RAJE), Annual Celebration at the Borough Hall honoring communities from Former Soviet Union.
Marina Kovalyov is an innovator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who is highly regarded worldwide as a cultural business leader. Born in Odesa, Ukraine, she got her degree from the University of St. Petersburg. After years of serving as Senior Curator at the St. Petersburg Museum in Russia, Marina worked as a curator at the Costumes and Textiles department at the Brooklyn Museum. In 1977 she co-founded with her daughter Rina Kirshner A.S.E. Global Bridges (former Russian American Foundation) with the mission to build bridges between the United States and countries of FSU through art, cultural initiatives, sports, education, and youth programming.
For over twenty-five years, the A.S.E. Global Bridges’ (RAF) initiatives were recognized for creating and supporting ongoing cultural dialogue on national and international levels. Among those are: the Bolshoi Ballet Academy summer intensive programs (USA); NSLI-Y for youth scholarships to study language abroad programs, sponsored by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Annual Heritage Month®, founded in collaboration with the City of New York and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and later supported by Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Mayor Eric Adams. Marina Kovalyov with Sonya Bekkerman co-founded The Sonmar Group to present the first major American Museum Exhibition at the World Expo 2017 in Astana.
Marina always finds time for other charitable causes and has served for many years on the board of a number of community organizations including the Russian division of the UJA Federation, The Shorefront YM-YWHA (Brooklyn), The Brownstone, the Jewish Week, COJECO, RAJE (Brooklyn), Annual Celebration at the Borough Hall honoring communities from FSU.
Marina has been awarded numerous Honors and Awards for her contributions, including:
2018 – “Trusted Partner Award”, Greater New York Chamber of Commerce
2017 – Special recognition for outstanding contributions to New York City, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.
2017 – Award for “Outstanding Commitment to the Jewish Community”, COJECO
2010 – Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Jewish Community”, Queens
2008 – Award for “Contributions to the Successful Development of Cultural Life of New York”, The Office of the Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes
2007 – Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Cultural Life of New York City”, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr.
2006 – Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Cultural Life of New York City”, New York City Council
2005 – Award for “Outstanding Contributions to New York City”, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
2004 – Special recognition by Channel 13, “Immigrant Women Pursuing The American Dream”
2000 and 1996 – “Woman of the Year”, United Jewish Appeal
1994 – “Woman of the Year”, Long Island Business Association
She was also awarded "Woman of the Year" multiple times over the last few decades.
Clement Soffer
BJHI is proud to induct Clement Soffer into the Class of 2023 for his work saving Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine, Portugal, India, Egypt, Germany, and Belarus. Clem’s contributions include building synagogues and helping with the rescue of Syrian Jews in the early 1990s.
From the time he was a child in Egypt where he was jailed as a teen, to his business success and now retirement in Florida, Clement Soffer has volunteered in ways that have a long and lasting impact on klal Israel and the Jewish people.
The harshness of his childhood in Egypt is the inspiration for his lifetime commitment to saving our communities. In October 1956 a war broke out between Israel and Egypt, the Rabbinate was swamped with Jews wanting to escape and leave Egypt due to Nasser terrorizing the Jewish community. The Rabbinate was responsible for government recognized issuing official birth, marriages and death certificates. Egypt used this documentation to issue exit visas needed for Jews to depart. Working with Rabbi Abraham Choueka z’l, Clem and a team hurriedly began preparing documents for all the Jews to leave Egypt.
After being arrested and tortured, Clement Soffer was expelled from Egypt at the age of 16 in 1957 and became stateless. He was able to get a student visa with the help of Senator Jacob Javits and came to study at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn, NY. He had no relatives in the United States as his family was forced to stay in Egypt.
In 1960 he met and later married Emma Gottlieb. Emma and Clement have two married sons and four grandchildren. Clem speaks six languages.
By the age of 20 he was the founder and a board member of the first Jewish Egyptian Synagogue in Brooklyn, NY, Ahava Ve Ahvah Congregation. In 1969, he joined the Commack Jewish Center in Commack, NY and was elected to the board of trustees and chairman of the religious committee on which he served until 1980. He was also a cabinet member of United Jewish Appeal and Israel Bonds of Long Island and Chairman of the Education Committee as well as their spokesman from 1972 until 1980.
In 1983 he was the recipient of the Gold Key to the city of Miami Beach from Mayor Norman Ciment. Clement Soffer was honored by the Lubavitch organization to light the entire Agam Menorah during Chanukkah in Central Park in 1987.
Clement Soffer was instrumental with Alice Sardell to extract and save the life of Yemenite Rabbi Moshe Harrir, who was condemned to death in Yemen in April 1989. From 1983 to 2000 he was Vice President of the International Sephardic Education Foundation in New York.
Shelly Strickler and Larry Strickler
BJHI is proud to induct Shelly and Larry Strickler into the 2023 Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame. The couple had different amazing careers. They have been a team since they met at Brooklyn College in 1959 and married in 1962.
They met in Varsity Players, the College theatre group and planned for a career on the stage. But marriage and the arrival of twins 9 months AND six days after they wed following graduation, set them on different career paths.
After a stint teaching, Shelly went on to a 30-year career in radio news broadcasting and spent most of those years at WOR Radio in New York City as an anchor and reporter. She won over 50 awards and covered the giant stories of the 1970s through the early 2000s. She is considered among the women pioneers in radio journalism. Shelly is a longtime member and until recently director of the Inner Circle Show, a group of 100 present and past New York City journalists, who present a major political spoof show each spring, lampooning city, state and national politicians.
Larry was an educator and administrator at Sheepshead Bay and Edward R. Murrow High Schools and Baruch College. And although it wasn’t Broadway, Larry thrilled audiences, mostly as a singer, MC and Activities Director in the Catskill Mountains resort area (also known as the Borscht Belt or Jewish Himalayas ) at several hotels including 21 years at the Brickman Hotel and 26 years at Kutsher’s Country Club. He is featured in the documentary, “Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills resort.” He also performed a cabaret act. He began his career when he was five years old, appearing on the Milton Berle Show, the Jackie Gleason Show and the Uncle Don Radio Show.
Both Shelly and Larry present multi-media lecture programs.
They have three daughters and nine grandchildren and are still proud to call Brooklyn home. They presently live in Brooklyn Heights and Boynton Beach, Florida.
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Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative (BJHI, Inc) is a 501c3 organization incorporated in New York State and located at 3603 Quentin Road, Brooklyn, NY 11234