Teaneck—SINAI Schools held its Annual Benefit Dinner on February 8 to a packed house at the Marriott Glenpointe, with over 800 people in attendance to support the school for children with special needs. Honorees Shelley and Ruvan Cohen of Manhattan launched the Nathaniel Richman Cohen, a’h, Scholarship Fund in memory of their son, a beloved SINAI student. Shelley spoke movingly about the need for the Jewish community to shift its approach toward inclusion from one of chesed—kindness—to chiyuv—obligation. The other honorees were Dr. Elie and Nancy Elmann of Englewood, NJ; Rabbi Brian and Laurie Gopin of Bergenfield, NJ; Rabbi Shimshon and Ashley Jacob of Jerusalem (formerly of Livingston, NJ); and Nathan and Judy Rephan of Fair Lawn, NJ. Michael Maron, President and CEO of Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ, accepted SINAI’s Community Partnership Award on behalf of Holy Name, and spoke stirringly about respect for all individuals and the ability to recognize what unites us rather than divides us. Among the highlights at the dinner was the premiere of this year’s SINAI feature documentary, Sweet Boy, which addresses the stigma faced by many parents of children with special needs.

All of the speeches from the dinner, as well as the film Sweet Boy, are available on SINAI’s website at www.sinaischools.org.