WJC 2022 Spring Gala

Celebrate the Return!

Sunday, May 22, 2022 at 6:00pm at Westchester Jewish Center

Join us as we honor two extraordinary couples:
Jennifer & Ian Winters
Linda Alpert & Marc Karell
We can’t wait for an unforgettable evening featuring signature cocktails, incredible cuisine, a silent auction, raffle prizes, and dancing to the best DJ in town! We can’t wait to celebrate our honorees together!

Want to get ahead on those raffle prizes? Purchase your raffle tickets in advance here, including grand prize tickets!

PLUS! We will be offering the cocktail hour both inside and outside of the Activity Center! We will also be live-streaming the honorees’ speeches as well as the formal program, starting at 7:15pm. 

For information about our raffle and silent auction, including virtual participation in the auction, click here!

Festive attire.

About the WJC Gala

Since 1950, WJC has hosted an annual gala and has honored esteemed members of our community.  The WJC Gala, and in particular the Tribute Journal, is the most significant, and critical, yearly fundraising effort for our Center. All donations are appreciated.

All members of our community are encouraged to celebrate WJC and our honorees by placing a message in the Gala Tribute Journal by completing the form here.  The final RSVP date was Friday, May 13. Tribute messages were due Tuesday, May 3.

Enjoy a fun evening with friends and help make the 2022 Spring Gala a success! The raffle, one of the biggest fundraising opportunities for WJC, relies on donations from congregants, friends and our local community. Dig into your resources for incredible items and experiences to donate. Download the Raffle Submission Form

Our 2022 Spring Gala Honorees

Jennifer and Ian Winters

Jennifer and Ian Winters have been proud members and strong supporters of WJC for over 20 years. Jennifer and Ian attend contemporary and traditional shabbat services, are active participants in WJC’s varied programming and are dedicated and valued members of our community. They are grateful to be honored for their service at this year’s Gala.

Jennifer is a graduate of WJC’s Sulam for Emerging Leaders program and a former WJC Trustee. Over the years, she has chaired or served as an active member of the Welcoming, Gala, B’nai Mitzvah, Religious School, New Member Outreach, and Green Committees, in addition to organizing women’s softball events. Jennifer regularly participates in WJC’s Israeli Dancing program, appears in the Purimspiel, and cooks and delivers meals with the Social Action Committee. Several years ago, Jennifer embarked on a project to enhance our Shabbat kiddushim. Each month, she organized a group of volunteers to join her in the WJC kitchen to share recipes and prepare tasty new dishes to supplement the usual kiddush fare.

Ian is also a graduate of WJC’s Sulam for Emerging Leaders program and currently serves as a WJC Trustee, Officer for Development and co-chair of WJC’s endowment campaign. Ian is the former chair of the Spiritual Life Committee and still serves as a high holiday coordinator for the sanctuary service. Ian participated in WJC’s most recent Strategic Planning Committee and has served on past Assistant Rabbi search committees.

Jennifer is a retired special education teacher and the author of two children’s books, including the recently published The Butcher, The Baker, and the Candlestick Maker: A Shabbat Story. She is also an avid crafter, baker, golfer, scuba diver, and a lover of Broadway musicals.

Ian is a partner at Klestadt, Winters, Jureller, Southard & Stevens, LLP, a law firm specializing in bankruptcy, restructuring, and commercial law matters. Ian enjoys cooking, scuba diving, golf, music, and rooting for New York sports teams that lose games with a maddening frequency.

Jennifer and Ian are the proud parents of Isaac, Abigail and Mitchell, each of whom attended WJC’s ECC and Religious School. Isaac is currently finishing his studies at SUNY Delhi, where he is majoring in Culinary Arts and Hospitality. Abigail is a junior at Elon University and hopes to pursue a career as a Physician Associate. Mitchell is currently a junior at The Harvey School in Katonah where he plays football and baseball. He and Isaac enjoy basketball in the open gym night each week at WJC.

Jennifer and Ian look forward to celebrating this honor with their family, friends and the entire WJC community in May.

Linda Alpert and Marc Karell

Marc and Linda (Alpert) Karell have been valued members of WJC since the mid-‘90’s. They are regular attendees at shabbat services, where Linda can sometimes be found assisting with the Haftorah reading, and Marc and Linda are stalwarts at Israeli dancing.

Over the years, Linda has been actively involved in many different aspects of WJC life, including stints as a WJC Trustee, Chair of the Israel Committee, and a member of the Spiritual Life and Music Enrichment Committees. Linda currently participates in the Women’s Renewal Service Choir and has been a member of the Rhythm and Ruach ensemble since its inception, where she plays recorder and tambourine. Linda is extremely proud to have brought Israeli dancing to WJC, as well as various movie nights, speakers, and other programs.

Marc is also active in WJC’s Israeli dancing program. When not dancing, Marc is a regular participant at WJC’s weekly pick-up basketball night. As the Chair of the WJC House Committee, Marc has been a truly invaluable asset. Marc has worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to improve WJC’s physical plant and to make the building more safe, efficient, and sustainable. Marc was instrumental in identifying opportunities for significant energy usage reduction and cost savings for WJC, actively involved in exploring various “green initiatives” and “green improvements”, and he has served as the point person for numerous repair, maintenance, and replacement projects. Marc’s efforts behind the scenes have made ours a more sustainable building, as well as a comfy place to daven, learn, and spend time together.

Linda grew up in Crestwood (Yonkers), NY and received her B.A. degree from Brandeis University and J.D. degree from Brooklyn Law School. Growing up, she was the first woman at her synagogue to read Torah at a Saturday morning Bat Mitzvah service, and still reads Torah and/or Haftorah at WJC as well as giving Divrei Torah. She practiced law for over 25 years and now does anti-money laundering compliance reviews for Barclays’ Financial Crime Unit.

Marc grew up in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, is a Bronx High School of Science graduate, and graduated with a B.S. from New York University. He then got two Masters degrees, one from the University of Wisconsin in Biochemistry and the other from Columbia University in Chemical Engineering. Marc runs his own business, helping companies and building owners reduce their energy usage, costs, and environmental impact.

Marc and Linda got married in 1989 and have two wonderful and active children, Daniel and Jeffrey, who were educated at WJC and are proud to be Jewish and love Israel. They live in the Midwest and attend some WJC events on Zoom. Daniel and his wife, Hannah, have a beautiful daughter, Lily, now 2 years old, who had her baby-naming ceremony at WJC in the summer of 2021.

2022 Gala Committee