“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Steve and Cheryl both grew up in New York and come from very humble backgrounds. Although they were raised in Jewish homes, both were not part of a greater Jewish community. In fact, there were very few Jewish families living in their neighborhoods. To celebrate their gratitude for their amazing daughters and the Temple Beth Sholom Jewish community to which they feel a strong sense of belonging, they have endeavored to “pay it forward” by helping others who are less fortunate.
Steve and Cheryl met in 1996 at the University of Miami School of Law. They were married on March 16, 2002. Due to a last minute change in plans and sheer serendipity, the officiant for their wedding ceremony was Rabbi Pomerantz. From that moment on, Steve and Cheryl had a long-lasting connection with Temple Beth Sholom. They moved to Miami Beach in 2003. A few years later, in the fall of 2008, their eldest daughter, Hannah, started attending the Foundation School. Hannah had some separation anxiety (to put it mildly) during the first few weeks of school. The Foundation School, especially Margie, Ms. Lee, and Ms. Gulver, stepped into action and nurtured and comforted Hannah during her transition. Hannah flourished while attending the Foundation School. The once shy and restless child became a happy social butterfly! She developed a passion for art and dance, and her overall disposition brightened. Soon thereafter, in the fall of 2010, Myla Rose, Hannah’s little sister, started her transformative Foundation School experience. Hannah and Myla always felt safe and deeply loved at the Foundation School.
The Foundation School gave Steve, Cheryl, Hannah, and Myla a wonderful sense of belonging in the Miami Beach Jewish community. It also provided them with the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with other parents and children within the Temple Beth Sholom community. Their Foundation School “family” shared in their joy when Hannah and Myla graduated from the Foundation School, while also providing much needed comfort and support during Steve’s mother’s illness.
Steve and Cheryl feel very fortunate that Hannah and Myla had the opportunity to attend the Foundation School. The Foundation School reinforced values in Hannah and Myla that Steve and Cheryl consider integral for a happy and meaningful life: being kind, loving, compassionate, mindful, tolerant, grateful, and honest. For that, they will always be grateful to Temple Beth Sholom and the Foundation School.
In recognition of the fact that neither Steve nor Cheryl’s families could have afforded the Foundation School when they were children, they want to share the gift of the Foundation School with families in need. To that end, they created the Zuckerman Family Foundation School Scholarship Fund, the purpose of which is to ensure that families who wish to have their children enrolled in the Foundation School receive financial assistance to do so.