Congregation Beth Judea Men’s Club names man of the year

• Reprints

Updated: March 17, 2012 8:07AM

The Midwest Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs will hold its Man of the Year brunch at 10:30 a.m., Feb. 19 at Beth Hillel Congregation B’nai Emunah, 3220 Big Tree Lane in Wilmette. The brunch will honor the Men of the Year from the various Conservative Jewish congregations.

Congregation Beth Judea’s Men’s Club of Long Grove will honor Jerry Sakol as its 2012 Man of the Year. Sakol has been a member of Beth Judea and its adult choir since 1994 and is now a member of the synagogue’s board of directors.

Sakol is a professional electrician and has been a member of the Electrician’s Union since 1976. He built Beth Judea’s solar Ner Tamid. He also is involved in musical theater and has performed with the Glenview Theater Guild for the last eight years.

What makes him special is his commitment to doing Mitzvot. Even before joining the synagogue, from 1983-1986, he was a Para Chaplain under Rabbi Charney at Northwest Suburban Congregation and visited the ill and those in nursing homes on a one-on-one basis.

Sakol was a leader in the Boy Scouts and on Beth Judea’s Mitzvah Days, and arranges to have congregations bring their dogs to the Brentwood Nursing Home in Riverwoods. Since 1998, he has helped feed the homeless through PADS. From 2002-2005, Sakol volunteered at the Jewish Home for the Blind.

Sakol has become active in Beth Judea’s Men’s Club the past few years and, if possible, he has stepped up his commitment to doing Mitzvot. He is on the Men’s Club Board of Directors and is the co-chair of their Mitzvah Committee. He is responsible for the Men’s Club PADS program and finds volunteers to help at the Lieberman Geriatric Center

“Jerry can always be counted on to pitch in and help with whatever the Men’s Club needs, from playing Haman in a play the Men’s Club puts on for the preschool kids, or helping at the Texas Hold ‘Em tournament, even though he doesn’t play,” said Fred Rabinowitz, president of Beth Judea’s Men’s Club. “What best typifies Jerry was when we were at the Lieberman Geriatric Center together, after helping the residents back to their rooms, he spent time just sitting, talking and listening with one lonely, elderly gentleman. Jerry is just a good man.”

Sakol is married to Hedi and they live in Buffalo Grove. Their adult children are Lauren (Marty) Bolger and Daniel.

The cost for the brunch is $30/adult; $10/child 6-13; free for children ages 1-5.

Beth Judea is located on IL Route 83 and Hilltop Road. For information about the brunch, call the synagogue office at (847) 634-0777 and leave a message for either Fred Rabinowitz or Eric Yegelwel or visit the Men’s Club website at Bethjudeamensclub@gmail.com.