Heidi Kreit has lived in Hewlett her entire life. She is married to Steven Kreit and has three children: Griffin, 29; Mackenzie, 25; and Scarlett, 19. All three are pursuing careers in the science/engineering fields. She also has a menagerie of pets including a seven-year-old Purim goldfish, two 30-year-old turtles, and two 12-year-old dogs. Heidi worked in the East Rockaway School District until last June when she retired after 33 years of teaching elementary school. She currently goes back to volunteer in her district with her former students and staff.

Heidi enjoys the family and community aspects of Jewish life. Heidi grew up having large family gatherings which required rolling up carpets and renting tables for Passover seders and themed Chanukah parties. All food dishes were cooked by her mother and, to this day, her 91-year-old mom still cooks the holiday meals.

Heidi and her husband Steven came to HERJC when Griffin was ten and Mackenzie was eight so they could attend religious school. Prior to that, while still attending Congregation Sons of Israel, Rabbi Ginsburg mentioned in his sermon that “If you do one more Jewish thing a year, each year, you will become more connected to your Judaism.” This inspired Heidi, who was not involved in anything, to try something new and see how it goes.

Heidi follows the mantra that leaders lead by being an example. She is a “minyannaire" which means she attends the morning minyan to ensure those mourning have a group of ten or more. She works in the Mitzvah Garden that grows and tends to a garden that delivers over 300 pounds of fresh produce to a soup kitchen in Far Rockaway. Heidi volunteers to set up and work at the Purim Carnival and the Chanukah party. She organized the congregational Chanukah Party for many years then passed the job along to newer members. Heidi currently serves on the Ruach Committee, Adult Education Committee, the Religious School Director Committee and our annual Gala Committee.

Heidi is currently a member of the Sisterhood board and is very active on their committees and events. She is currently the Sisterhood secretary for monthly meetings, preparing the minutes for the meetings. She also is in charge of community service. She collects the food for the ongoing food drives. The food is given to either local families in need, the local JCC or a food pantry in Far Rockaway. She also coordinates the annual warm clothing drive which collected over 16 large black bags of clothing and donated them to a local charity. Heidi is involved in all of the Sisterhood committees and enjoys being a part of her Sisterhood at HERJC.

Outside of the HERJC community, Heidi has served 28 years on the East Rockaway Grist Mill Committee, the local museum on Woods Avenue, and helps organize and run the Huckleberry Frolic, a 63-year-old annual event in East Rockaway. She is a board member of the East Rockaway Education Foundation, which raises funds for teacher-inspired projects and student scholarships, and a member of operation SPLASH, an organization that cleans the local waterways out of Bay Park. She also is a member of Hatzilu and delivers groceries for families in need.

Heidi is honored to share this event with her fellow honorees.