Jeff Lewis

I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada where I grew up attending Jewish day schools. I moved to NYC and I work in the finance industry as a trader of mortgage backed securities. Others often joke that Canada does not really count as a foreign country! Yet I can relate to many other young Jewish foreigners here, as I too have no immediate family in NYC. I find Steve Eisenberg's Monday night Torah class very insightful and really enjoy the JICNY Friday night Shabbat dinners hosted by Jodi and Gavin Samuels. Numerous countries are represented by the many guests in attendance. My favorite part of the evening are the personal stories, relayed in rather heavy accents, of what it is was like growing up Jewish in their native countries. I am often shocked by the contrast in the freedom of my childhood experience as compared to other guests who grew up in their native countries with very little freedom. O Canada! My JICNY 'connections' have become my very closest friends over time, speak a multitude of languages, share strong (Jewish) values, and enjoy many great times together in this amazing city. One element about the JICNY is that it's success is driven by three main people and Jodi in particular. The Gala dinner is the culmination of their tireless efforts to achieve their goal of bringing people together. Of course, I ate too much and lost the raffle...but other than that, it's a great event each year! Thanks JICNY