Throwback to the 80s on Sunday, May 18!
Join the WJC community as we celebrate our annual gala with a vibrant ’80s theme, honoring WJC Members Evan and Tracey Levy & Mark and Marcie Berger.
Sunday, May 18, 2025
6:00 pm
Westchester Jewish Center
Featuring: Silent Auction & Sign-Up Parties • Dining and Drinks • 80s fun, arcade games, dancing • 80s Music by Incidental Contact
Cocktail attire: Leave the costumes at home…we’ll bring the 80s vibes.
About the WJC Gala
For over six decades, the Westchester Jewish Center (WJC) has hosted an annual gala to celebrate our vibrant community, raise essential funds, and honor those who have impacted our shul. This year, we’re turning up the fun with “Throwback to the ’80s”—a fantastic party you won’t want to miss! Under the enthusiastic leadership of co-chairs Joanna Shlesinger and Erica Strongin, we invite you to join us for a night of great music, dancing, and celebration.
Join us as we celebrate and show gratitude to our honorees, Evan and Tracey Levy & Mark and Marcie Berger, for their commitment and dedication to WJC.
Our 2025 Gala Honorees
Evan and Tracey Levy
Evan and Tracey first engaged with WJC when their middle son Ben enrolled in the ECC in 2006, and they then joined when their youngest sons, Ethan and Daniel, went to the ECC in 2008. It was after they moved closer to WJC that the Levy family (including their oldest son Sam) made WJC their primary spiritual home in 2018. Regulars at Shabbat morning services with all their boys, Tracey and Evan quickly developed relationships with the clergy team as regular attendees for Shabbat evening services, and Evan also became a part of the daily minyan. During COVID, the Levy clan, with all their post-bar mitzvah boys, provided a foundation for the in-person component of WJC’s Shabbat and holiday services.
Evan and Tracey have each found unique ways to contribute to WJC. Tracey chairs the Spiritual Life Committee, chaired the Spiritual Life Subcommittee of the Strategic Planning Committee, served on the search committee that led to hiring Rabbi Dalton, and is currently an officer on the Board of Trustees. Evan, who prefers not to attend meetings, is an integral part of Shabbat and festival morning services as the gabbai coordinating honors, where he enjoys enhancing s’machot with a gentle toss of candy and wearing silly hats. Evan and Tracey both enjoy proudly marching up 5th Avenue with WJC for the annual Celebrate Israel parade, and they each have had cameo appearances in the Purim Shpiel.
In the broader community, Evan and Tracey are active in AIPAC and have previously held positions in the UJA Federation Westchester leadership. Evan also served as the President of Carmel Academy. Tracey is currently a Director on the Feeding Westchester Board.
Professionally, Tracey is committed to helping workplaces thrive. She founded Levy Employment Law, LLC, 11 years ago, through which she regularly conducts workplace investigations, often in sensitive situations, and advises employers on legal compliance and policies. Tracey is also Co-Founder of Impact Workplace Training, LLC, through which she improves workplace culture and performance effectiveness. Tracey’s background includes both large law firm practice and working in-house at a financial services firm. Outside her work, family time, and involvement with WJC, Tracey can most often be found tending to her plant beds.
Evan spent most of his career as an internationally recognized commercial real estate and finance lawyer, serving on the management committee and as head of the Real Estate Capital Markets practice at the international law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP. Evan then led the global Real Estate practice at Weil Gotschal & Manges LLP. Evan recently left the practice of law to pursue real estate business opportunities. Evan is currently Vice Chairman at The Amherst Group and is also pursuing some real estate development opportunities. Aside from gently tossing candy at WJC, Evan would prefer to spend all of his time sitting on his boat, cruising the world.
Marcie and Mark Berger
Mark and Marcie’s story began in 1989 when they met at Hamilton College. Mark, a Biology major and Music minor from West Orange, New Jersey, and Marcie, a Mathematics major and Psychology minor from Middletown, Connecticut, soon became college sweethearts. They have been inseparable ever since! After college and several years in the Washington, DC area, the Bergers relocated to Larchmont, bringing them closer to their parents and extended families. Mark and Marcie joined WJC approximately 25 years ago. From the moment they entered the shul for their first visit to a quiet Friday night service, the Bergers were sold. They were greeted with such open arms and wonderful, warm welcomes from friendly congregants. It also didn’t hurt that Mark had a surprise connection to Rabbi Segelman, who had been the Rabbi in Wayne, NJ, for two sides of his family. What a small world connection!
Mark and Marcie are the proud parents of Jared (25) and Elissa (22), who both grew up in the WJC community. They attended nursery school, Religious school, Hebrew high school, and many youth group events, and both graduated from Mamaroneck High School before attending Williams College. Jared is a Software Engineer in the Boston area, and Elissa will soon start her career as an Associate Financial and Wealth Manager in Chicago after her upcoming graduation.
At WJC, Mark volunteered in many roles including Brotherhood, leading Team Tefillin, participating in the Spiritual Life Committee, serving as a Trustee and Officer for many years, chairing the Security Committee, assisting with strategic planning, co-chairing a Cantor Search Committee, leading daily and Shabbat morning services, and much more. He was also a previous Julian Y. Bernstein Volunteer Award recipient from the Westchester Jewish Council.
Marcie volunteered as a Class Parent in the nursery school and as a part of the nursery’s Parent Auxiliary Committee. She was a regular member of the Religious School Parent Subcommittee and helped with special events such as class celebrations, dinners, the Purim Carnival, and Succah decorating, just to name a few. She has been a consistent cook for the Bikur Cholim Committee (20+ years and still going!). But what she is most proud of is holding down the fort at home to allow Mark to attend meetings and events over the years.
When not at WJC, Mark currently works as an Assistant Treasury Director and Intercompany Reinsurance Manager at AIG, Inc., preparing global reinsurance policies. He previously worked at Booz Allen Hamilton, supporting government programs including EPA hazardous waste management, DOT hazmat transportation, and the HHS Head Start and Early Head Start programs, in addition to serving as a Northeast Business Development Lead. Mark earned his MBA from East Texas A&M University.
Marcie is currently a high-school Mathematics teacher at Rye Country Day School in Rye, New York, teaching Algebra I and II, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Pre-Calculus. She specializes in grades 8 – 10, serves as an advisor, and is the mentor to new faculty in the high school. She previously taught at the Maret School in Washington, DC, and the Green Acres School in Bethesda, MD.
Beyond work and WJC, Mark enjoys spending time with his family and working on his genealogy projects. His family tree currently has more than 4,200 people identified! Marcie enjoys cooking nice family dinners, taking long nature walks, listening to 70’s and 80’s “Yacht Rock” music, and spending time with family and friends. Together, they enjoy watching major league baseball and are also both NY Yankee fans, but are slowly converting to Tampa Bay Rays fans – ask them if curious.
Mark and Marcie are filled with gratitude for this amazing honor and wish to thank their co-honorees, Evan and Tracey Levy, the entire WJC community, and especially the members of the Gala committee.
2025 Gala Committee
Gala Chairs
Joanna Shlesinger and Erica Strongin
Decorations
Glenna Lee, Scott Aronow,
Shanee Cohen, Janisha Batista
Raffle
Jacqui Kaplan, Jennifer Winters, Isabelle Arditi
Sign Up Parties
Amy Bennett
Food/Drinks
Ann Colin
Journal
Sherry Thaler, Lisa Zeitoun, Amy Fastenberg
Music
Scott Sholder
Marketing
Lauren Sholder
At-Large Members
Laura and Yuval Grill
Michael Lapides
Susan and David Miller
Larry Thaler
Ian Winters
Wendy and Yale Zoland
Evan and Tracey first engaged with WJC when their middle son Ben enrolled in the ECC in 2006, and they then joined when their youngest sons, Ethan and Daniel, went to the ECC in 2008. It was after they moved closer to WJC that the Levy family (including their oldest son Sam) made WJC their primary spiritual home in 2018. Regulars at Shabbat morning services with all their boys, Tracey and Evan quickly developed relationships with the clergy team as regular attendees for Shabbat evening services, and Evan also became a part of the daily minyan. During COVID, the Levy clan, with all their post-bar mitzvah boys, provided a foundation for the in-person component of WJC’s Shabbat and holiday services. 
Mark and Marcie’s story began in 1989 when they met at Hamilton College. Mark, a Biology major and Music minor from West Orange, New Jersey, and Marcie, a Mathematics major and Psychology minor from Middletown, Connecticut, soon became college sweethearts. They have been inseparable ever since! After college and several years in the Washington, DC area, the Bergers relocated to Larchmont, bringing them closer to their parents and extended families. Mark and Marcie joined WJC approximately 25 years ago. From the moment they entered the shul for their first visit to a quiet Friday night service, the Bergers were sold. They were greeted with such open arms and wonderful, warm welcomes from friendly congregants. It also didn’t hurt that Mark had a surprise connection to Rabbi Segelman, who had been the Rabbi in Wayne, NJ, for two sides of his family. What a small world connection!
