Michael Raskas
This pasuk from Pirkei Avot describes what our Rabbis believed to be the truest traits of leadership and service, and it is a most fitting pasuk to attribute to our honoree, Michael Raskas, and his wonderful wife Karen, whose 25 years of extraordinary leadership and service to YINR has known no bounds. Michael and Karen made New Rochelle their home, raising their five beautiful children, Elana, Sammy, Nili, Elisheva and Shifra; and the additions of Elana’s husband Eli, and Sammy’s wife Batya, and the newest additions, grandchildren Yedidyah and Yehuda, have expanded their family and joy. Michael and Karen transmitted their love for New Rochelle to Michael’s siblings and parents who chose to make this community their home as well, and all of their family contributions have been, and continue to be limitless!
על שלושה דברים העולם עומד: על התורה, על העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים.” פרקי אבות 1:2
This pasuk from Pirkei Avot describes what our Rabbis believed to be the truest traits of leadership and service, and it is a most fitting pasuk to attribute to our honoree, Michael Raskas, and his wonderful wife Karen, whose 25 years of extraordinary leadership and service to YINR has known no bounds. Michael and Karen made New Rochelle their home, raising their five beautiful children, Elana, Sammy, Nili, Elisheva and Shifra; and the additions of Elana’s husband Eli, and Sammy’s wife Batya, and the newest additions, grandchildren Yedidyah and Yehuda, have expanded their family and joy. Michael and Karen transmitted their love for New Rochelle to Michael’s siblings and parents who chose to make this community their home as well, and all of their family contributions have been, and continue to be limitless!
From the moment Michael and Karen joined YINR they immersed themselves in communal life. Michael, who grew up in St. Louis, learned the importance of community strength and service from his parents, Stanley and Sheri z”l, who modeled these values so beautifully for him. Karen, who grew up in Brooklyn, was also raised in a home steeped in chessed, Torah values, and hachnasat orchim, and Karen and Michael are famed for always opening their home to prospective members, new members, scholars-in-residence, and any and all people in need of a place to stay or a delicious Shabbat meal! Karen was an early treasurer of our Women’s League and ran many of our holiday boutiques, and she is currently working for YUConnects, and has always worked to expand and strengthen the Jewish people. She is the perfect partner to Michael, and together they have always supported each other’s communal goals.
Michael began his service to our community immediately! Within just a few years of his arrival, he joined the Shul Board, and even served as Vice President during that early tenure. Over the years, Michael has served as head -- or creator and head, or active member of so many shul committees and projects. As head of the Programming Committee, he introduced the Simchat Beit Hashoeva programming, and ran the annual Purim Chagiga with Mark Saks, which is a highlight event for our YINR families. Michael co-chaired our Youth Committee, served on the Shiva Committee, and he was a founder and Gabbai of the 8 am weekday minyan and co-founder of the 7 am weekday minyan, which enable more members to daven together before work. There are so many events, programs, and chessed related activities that Michael has been involved with, they are too numerous to name, as he joined himself to any and all activities that could enhance YINR or bring Jews closer to Judaism; but it is his most recent service that truly reflects Michael’s extraordinary leadership:
Several years ago Michael rejoined the Board, and soon thereafter he took on the important position of President of YINR. In ordinary times, this is a most time consuming, and challenging job, but these have not been ordinary times. When Covid-19 hit our community one year ago, Michael was serving out the last months of his presidency. As his neighbor, I had a front row seat in observing Michael’s jump to action and his courage in managing the devastating events that were taking place. New Rochelle became ground zero, and our neighborhood became a ‘containment zone.’ With all the chaos that ensued, many of our government officials were overwhelmed by fear, and were scrambling to figure out policy when so little was understood about this disease. Michael, side by side with Rabbi Fink, became our community ambassador, and worked around the clock for weeks on end to advocate for our community. He was in constant communication with local and state officials, and fought for our physical health and safety, but also for the safety and health of our religious communal life! His actions inspired many of the people being honored at the dinner this year for their work during the pandemic. Michael’s heroic actions came as no surprise to anyone who witnessed his leadership. His actions were simply the culmination of decades of leadership, care and service to our community, and the model he set of what it means to ‘stand’ on Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chassadim.
Michael and Karen have always been our best ambassadors in reflecting the most noble values of our community and of Judaism. But they are not an ‘all work and no play’ couple. In addition to their boundless service, they are kind, fun-loving, and talented people. Michael is an enthusiastic athlete, and has played and coached in many of our local leagues, and Karen has hosted many events in their home, for our Shul, our schools, and for friends too! Their home is always welcoming, and a place we all gravitate to! They are the most special people, and anyone who has ever been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of their goodness, their wise counsel, their generosity or has simply stepped into their orb knows this too. It is therefore with a heavy heart and very real sense of loss for our community, that I wish them the greatest joy and success as they move to Israel this summer. With their children and grandchildren settled in Israel, the pull in that direction has become too great, and they are finally fulfilling their dream of Aliyah. Jonathan and I have been blessed beyond measure to have them as our dear friends and neighbors for most of the 25 years that they have lived in New Rochelle, and I know I speak for every member of our community in echoing this sentiment. They have blessed our community in extraordinary ways, and given us gifts that we will cherish and hold onto for years to come, and YINR will always be their home away from their ‘new home’ in Eretz Yisrael.
We will all miss you everyday, but we will always rejoice in our lifelong friendship with you, and will look forward to seeing you ba’aretz!!
With so much love and gratitude,
Deborah and Jonathan David