by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

March 31, 2009

A personal tragedy during her childhood inspired Beth Krinsky to devote her life to Judaism and Jewish philanthropy.

When she was 12, Krinsky lost her father, Theodore Davidson, and three of her grandparents — all during an 18-month period. Their deaths left Krinsky bereft and confused.

“I found the answers in the synagogue,” said Krinsky, referring to Congregation Beth El in South Orange. “It became my second home, my refuge. It was steadfast — a place of comfort, sanctuary, and peace. It gave me a community, a way to pray, and a sequence of Jewish traditions that matched the sequence of my personal feelings.”

It also gave her a mission: A passion for Jewish activism that has inspired her to take leadership roles at a wide range of local and national organizations.

The Newark native, who now lives in Manalapan with her husband, Joel (the couple’s son, Pery, lives in New York City, and their daughter, Tamara, lives in Los Angeles; both are married) will receive the Woman of Distinction award at the 2009 Main Event on Thursday, April 30, at Congregation Magen David in Deal.

“Beth was chosen to receive the award because of her lifelong commitment to the Jewish community,” said Robin Parness Lipson, who is cochairing the Main Event with Dawn Barofsky. “She has consistently played a leadership role in this community, and we are honoring her for her passion for Judaism and Israel.”

After those family deaths, Krinsky, who was raised in a Conservative home, became increasingly involved in synagogue life. While her mother, Rosalind, worked to support her daughter and son, Krinsky became active in United Synagogue Youth and attended summer camp courtesy of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Essex County. In 1961, when she was 17, she went on a trip to Israel that was sponsored by USY and Beth El.

“I was a Jewish activist all through my college years,” said Krinsky, who received a bachelor’s degree in education and a graduate degree in school guidance and social work from Newark State College. “I marched on behalf of Jewish causes, especially those that focused on the plight of Russian Jewry. The Holocaust was over, but Russian Jews were not free.”

While she was teaching in Newark and Livingston, she met her future husband at a UJA young leadership meeting in New York City, and the two were married in 1969.

They moved to Tampa, where she became program director for the city’s JCC, and in 1972, arrived in Monmouth County and joined Congregation Sons of Israel in Manalapan. The following year, the couple organized a rally to raise money for Israel during the Yom Kippur War.

“We created a steering committee for the development of UJA in western Monmouth County,” she said. “Our home became our office.”

Eventually, the group joined forces with the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County and Krinsky encouraged the federation to open a branch of JF&CS in the county’s western region. She served as an agency board member for 10 years and, in the late 1970s, was instrumental in creating a senior day center at Sons of Israel, in conjunction with the agency.

“My real passion is the federation because of the work they do,” said Krinsky, who has been a board member since 1979 and was active in the group’s resettlement program for Russian Jews, among other committees. “They reach out to the total community, to people in need, and to Israel.” (In 1981, she and Joel received the Young Leadership Award from the federation.)

For the past two years, Krinsky has been on the board of directors of the state’s Hebrew Free Loan Society. “Their work is so important, especially now, because there are so many in need,” she said. “It works in a quiet way and treats people with dignity and respect, and you can see people improving their lives.”

Fifteen years ago, Krinsky developed a program on the Jewish approach to death, bereavement, and loss, which she teaches at synagogues and day schools.

“When my father died, I had so many questions. There was so much I didn’t understand,” she said. “Jewish traditions can help children cope with loss.”

Krinsky has spent the past 25 years in the real estate field, is senior vice president of Weichert Commercial Brokerage in Edison, and is a past president of Industrial and Commercial Real Estate Women in New Jersey. She received the Athena (Woman of the Year) Award in 1996 from the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and the Women of Valor Award from the Chabad of Western Monmouth County 12 years ago.

“But my greatest gifts are my husband, my children, and their spouses,” Krinsky said. “And Joel and I have a ‘team’ marriage; we move in the same direction.”

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