January-February 2025
“How Synagogues Become Central to Andrea Viders’ Life“
by Marcia Muskat
Whenever Andrea moves into a new town, her first stop is the local synagogue. Having grown up in Freeport, Long Island in the 1970s — a town with few Jewish families — the local Reform temple was a place of joy and connection for the Viders family.
Though non-observant, Andrea’s middle and high school years at a modern Orthodox day school were also integral. She took a 1983-84 gap year at Hebrew University’s Mechina studies program for students from around the world. Andrea’s visit at the East Jerusalem home of a Palestinian classmate was eye-opening.
In 1988, Andrea graduated with a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell. She then worked as a labor representative for hospital doctors. Missing Israel’s globalism, Andrea graduated in 1994 with a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University. She worked for a variety of international and non-governmental organizations, focusing on labor and community development.
In 2004, Andrea married Andrew Seiz, whom she had met in graduate school. For nine years they took up residence in Hong Kong, giving birth to Ethan in 2005 and Elora in 2009. Andrea volunteered with a refugee organization and learned Mandarin.
Hong Kong’s progressive synagogue became a centerpiece of their family’s life. Andrea taught at the Hebrew school. She also helped plan the congregation’s trip to Israel and MitzvahDay, which matched congregants to local organizations for a day of service.
In 2018, Ethan’s EET bar mitzvah was an international affair, extraordinaire. Friends and family flew in from everywhere. Today, in keeping with Andrea’s for-the-people vitae, she involves herself in EET Social Justice initiatives that advocate for immigrants’ and voters’ rights. As co-chair of Sisterhood’s Birthday Fund, Andrea supports organizations that improve the lives of NY women and girls. Once again, a synagogue becomes central to Andrea Viders’ life.
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November-December 2024
“Jeffrey Hahn Shows Up“
by Marcia Muskat
EET’s Men’s Club President Jeffrey Hahn hails from White Plains, New York. While Jeffrey’s family did not practice a strict Judaism, they were proudly Jewish. And while Jeffrey frowned upon the game of ‘Who had the biggest bet mitzvah party?’ and ‘Who got the most gifts?,’ Jeffrey followed in Judaism’s tradition of showing up for friends’ mitzvot.
In 1984, a starry-eyed Jeffrey entered the hallowed Ivy League’s halls of Cornell University. With his head for math and philosophy and his gift for photography intact, whenever Jeffrey found himself in the role of explaining real-world marketing and sales, his teaching skills became apparent to his colleagues. And to his young daughters, Emily and Olivia, now ages 25 and 22.
Jeffrey would not be the first to parlay a career in business economics into teaching high school mathematics. And now, 25 years later and retired from the classroom, Jeffrey is a private tutor to high school students who struggle in large class settings. He is also a press-credentialed street photographer (instagram @8n8photoarts) who captures shots from the Lower East Side to East Harlem. And he’s a NY poll worker.
Moreover, Jeffrey was just married at EET to Board Certified Holistic Nurse Faye White-Willinger. He is a dedicated house spouse to Faye and her son, Robert, a University of Massachusetts-Amherst neuropsychology student and a 2017 bar mitzvah. Jeffrey and Faye are also studying to become bet mitzvah.
So, in an era when people are spending more time online, the men of EET Men’s Club get people to show up. To build Sukkot. To march in the Israel Day Parade. And so much more, because showing up is what Jeffrey Hahn does.
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September-October 2024
Faye White-Willinger… Doing What Comes Naturally
by Marcia Muskat
Faye was raised a non-practicing Catholic in Milwaukee. During Faye’s freshman year at U Penn (Nursing ’88-BSN), she found herself close with lots of Jewish friends and their holiday traditions. In 2003, Faye married Jewish. And much to her mother-in-law’s delight, felt the need to raise her children Jewish.
Union Temple of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (now part of Congregation Beth Elohim/CBE) became pivotal. Faye was so active in the Religious School that she eventually co-chaired and directed (hiring Mindy Sherry). Adding to the momentum, Faye “audited” RS classes, studied Torah and sang Hebrew prayers alongside her son, Robert. And when Faye needed people most – during her separation from Robert’s dad and her bout with several serious illnesses – Faye couldn’t help but think of Union Temple as family and of herself as Jewish. In 2013, in the presence of a three-rabbi beit din, Faye converted to Judaism.
Earlier that year, Faye and Robert went camping at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY. As beshert would have it, they pitched their tent next to Jeff Hahn, a nice Jewish guy from Westchester County. In 2017, one month before Robert’s bar mitzvah, Faye and Robert invited Jeff to come live with them. This past June, Rabbi Josh did the honors at Faye and Jeff’s wedding.
Robert is active in Hillel at U Mass Amherst, where he studies neuropsychology in hopes of becoming a doctor. Faye is Board Certified in Holistic Nursing and Travel Health, keeping NYU/Langone international travelers safe. Jeff is retired as a H.S./college math instructor and is a current math tutor and volunteer poll worker. And because a nurse’s day is never done, Jeff is their family’s “house-spouse,” keeping everything together at home.
At EET, Faye loves singing with the choir. Jeff loves schmoozing with the Men’s Club. And all things being equal, loves doing what comes naturally.