Judy Margolin & Seth Schwartz
Guests of Honor
Judy Margolin and Seth Schwartz met at Ansche Chesed in 2005, and were married the following year by Rabbi Kalmanofsky. Together, and with their children Ayelet (whose bat mitzvah was celebrated at Minyan M'at this past January) and Jonah, they have built a life and family devoted to Jewish life and learning and the Jewish community, with unending commitment to Minyan M’at and Ansche Chesed.
Judy is a senior media and entertainment lawyer who serves as the Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Penske Media Corporation. But she has reserved some of her best counsel for Ansche Chesed. Over the years, Judy has worked tirelessly on countless programs and initiatives for Minyan M’at, where she has served on the Minyan’s coordinating committee (the Troika) and its chesed committee. She was also a long-time member of Ansche Chesed’s Board of Trustees, where she served as Vice President and a member of the Executive Committee. She has also contributed her time to AC's Finance committee and Rav Chesed campaign.
Seth is the Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Classical Jewish Civilization at Columbia University. A leading historian of ancient Judaism, Seth has written groundbreaking and award-winning books about the social, cultural and political history of the ancient Jews. At modern-day Ansche Chesed and Minyan M’at, Seth is a ringer. He regularly leads the community in leyning and davening on Shabbat and holidays, frequently serves as a gabbai, and is always ready and willing to fill in on a moment’s notice. Though modest and unassuming, Seth is generous with his vast knowledge and understanding of Jewish history, texts and tradition, openly answering questions and helping others in the community find their way.
Judy and Seth’s mutual love of Jewish learning and teaching brought them together when Seth was giving a lecture on Hanukah and the story of the Maccabees at Ansche Chesed. They were soon devoted to each other and, to our great fortune, the Ansche Chesed community.