DINNER PREVIEW
leged to maintain a close relationship
with Rav Sholom Kamenetsky of the
Philadelphia Yeshiva.
Carmi is the owner of two in-
surance brokerage firms, OneCap
Services and Preferred Services Group,
but his true specialties are chesed and
community service. He sits on the
board of numerous organizations; is
a dedicated chevra kadisha volunteer;
founded the Nusach Sefard minyan
at the White Shul; and uses his in-
surance expertise to help community
members facing medical challenges,
among other volunteer endeavors.
His wife and partner in chesed,
Katie, was born in Kansas and moved
to Brooklyn as a teenager, where she
attended Ezra Academy and forged a
kesher with Rabbi Eli Freilech. It was
Yitzchok & Shayna Steg
PARENTS OF THE YEAR
Yitzchok and Shayna Steg stand
out as exceptional parents whose su-
preme goal of creating a home focused
on chashivus haTorah and chesed, an
extension of what they have seen in
their own parents’ homes, is clearly
evident in their beautiful family.
Yitzchok was raised in a home
that was renowned for its dedication
from Rabbi Freilech and the other
rebbeim at Ezra that she learned the
impact of welcoming others into one’s
home and family. Katie’s father, Mr.
Joel Balavram, a chevra kadisha vol-
unteer for many years, together with
his wife Bonnie, also instilled in her a
love for chesed. Today, she combines
those lessons with the calm demeanor
she saw demonstrated by her moth-
er, Mrs. Elizabeth Greer, as she gra-
ciously welcomes many guests, often
with little or no notice. She and her
husband have also hosted numerous
Shabbatonim and kiruv functions.
The Gruenbaums are devot-
ed parents to nine children, three
of whom are talmidim of Yeshiva
Darchei Torah: Tzvi, a recent grad-
uate; Yehuda, an eleventh grader in Mesivta Chaim Shlomo; and
Chananya, a sixth grader.
The Gruenbaums stand in awe of
Rav Yaakov Bender’s personal con-
nection with each child in the school,
despite its growth. They are also
very grateful to the warm, caring,
expert staff of rebbeim and teachers.
“Yeshiva Darchei Torah is a school
that is constantly improving, is never
satisfied to rest on its laurels, and is
always looking for new and exciting
ways to engage the talmidim,” share
the Gruenbaums.
Like the yeshiva they love so
much, the Gruenbaum name is syn-
onymous with continuous striving for
excellence in chesed and ruchniyus. It
is our privilege to bestow upon them
this year’s Kesser Shem Tov Award.
to Torah and to helping others; his par-
ents, Mr. Heshy and Mrs. Raizy Steg of
Borough Park, are well-known ba’alei
chesed who have opened their home
and hearts to countless individuals.
Yitzchok attended Yeshivas Ohr
Hameir of Peekskill and then con-
tinued his growth in Yeshivas Mir
Yerushalayim. After marrying his
eishes chayil, Shayna, he continued
learning in the Mir for an additional
five years.
Today, Yitzchok specializes in the
healthcare field, but limud HaTorah
remains the ultimate focus. He is for-
tunate to have forged a close relation-
ship with Rav Moshe Brown, whose
shiur he attends regularly and who
has had a tremendous impact on the
entire Steg family. The Stegs are also
inspired by their rav, Rav Mordechai
Stern, the mara d’asra of Beis Medrash
Heichal Dovid in Lawrence.
Shayna credits her parents, Mr.
Yussie and Mrs. Suzy Ostreicher of
Lawrence, with imparting an appre- ciation for the chashivus of Torah and
constant Torah learning in the home.
Mr. Ostreicher’s sedarim are an impor-
tant part of his daily schedule, and they
have hosted many roshei yeshiva and
events on behalf of Torah institutions.
Shayna attended TAG from nurs-
ery through twelfth grade, followed
by a year at Bnos Chava seminary in
Yerushalayim. Today, Yitzchok and
Shayna are devoted parents to their
seven children, Yaakov, Leah, Chaim,
Menachem, Meir, Faige and Ita.
The Stegs are, Baruch Hashem,
reaping much nachas as they watch
their sons Yaakov and Chaim thrive
as talmidim in the twelfth and ninth
grades at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo;
and Menachem and Meir in the fifth
and third grades at Yeshiva Darchei
Torah. They express their tremendous
hakaras hatov that all their sons are
privileged to benefit from the vision
of Rav Yaakov Bender to instill a
unique blend of the highest levels in
Torah learning, bein adam l’chaveiro,
BEDARCHEI HATORAH
WINTER 5780/2020
7