Nominated and written by Alan Friedenberg, NCSY Alumnus 

Herbie and Renee were our first NCSY chapter advisers, way back in the early 1970s. They had no children of their own back then, so they adopted many of us from the neighborhood as their own; that’s how they ended up with twenty or so kids in their home every Shabbat afternoon, just hanging out. That’s why all the kids in our shule who were frum back then are still frum to this day, and why so many more kids in our neighborhood became frum. Herbie and Renee led by example; they showed us what it meant to be committed Jews. Not only were they active NCSY advisers; they were active board members in the shule as well. If anyone ever needed a meal on Shabbat or the chagim, Herbie and Renee were there for them. If anyone needed to talk or even a shoulder to cry on, Herbie and Renee were there. To this day, many of the kids who hung out at their house (and are parents and even grandparents now) are still close with them. I myself, living in Israel, am still close with them and make sure that I see them whenever I get back to the states.  They were an inspiration to us all because they gave us their time, their effort, and their love, and showed us how we could accomplish whatever we wanted to accomplish. Their inspiration was beyond any individual or chapter awards that we won.