Fried Family Donor Spotlight

Many families enjoy summertime get-togethers, but the gathering for Drs. Sylvia and Seymour Fried was more than just another reunion. On August 22, 2010, some twenty-five members of the Fried family came to The Jewish Theological Seminary to commemorate the couple's notable mitzvah of years of generous support to fund a scholarship at The Rabbinical School.

Sylvia, a retired pediatrician, and Seymour, better known as Sy, a retired dermatologist, saw their names inscribed on a new plaque commemorating their giving to JTS. The Frieds endowed the Sylvia and Seymour Fried Rabbinic Scholarship Fund, and as a result, one student receives scholarship assistance each year.

"The Jewish education of our children was of great importance to us—and all that education came from the rabbis. That's why we endowed a scholarship at The Rabbinical School. We have always been Conservative Jews, and this is where we wanted to put our money," said Sylvia.

At a ceremony dedicating the plaque, JTS rabbinical student Charlie Schwartz offered a devar Torah, saying that the Frieds exemplified the mitzvah of increasing the ways individuals can help spread the word of Torah: by having their own children and teaching them, and by enabling JTS students to learn and then teach Torah. In addition to the presence of their four children, grandchildren, and a great grandchild, the occasion was made even more memorable because it took place during the bar mitzvah weekend of one of their grandsons, Max Kornbluth.

Following Charlie's devar Torah and the family's recitation of the sheheheyanu, the Frieds experienced a real treat: a private tour of The Library's Rare Book Room, conducted by Library consultant David Wachtel. Since many of the family members are doctors, special attention was given to Jewish texts concerning medical issues.

Max was able to read his bar mitzvah parashah in an ancient Torah that belongs to the Rare Book Room collection. It was all part of a celebratory weekend for a remarkable family, and JTS was honored to play such a key role in their simhah.

Enjoy additional photos from the event: