Gala Honorees

Hannah & Nate Druckman

Nicole Goldstein & Franklin Rubinstein

Franklin Rubinstein and Nicole Goldstein are attorneys who try not to bring their professional skills to Ohev. Franklin is a partner of Wilson, Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he practices in antitrust, representing high-tech clients. Nicole is a former litigator who now brings her skills to civics and education through the Theodore Roosevelt Association. They have two beautiful children: Meir celebrated his bar mitzvah here in August, and Noa is 10 and can frequently be seen modeling her amazing fashions in the shul hallways.

Franklin and Nicole moved to DC right after they were married, almost 18 years ago.  After a stint on the Hill, they moved to Chevy Chase and then to Shepherd Park in pursuit of the warmth and community of Ohev. The Reiters and the Grises taunted them by getting together without them, and telling them about the fun in lavish detail, until they moved into the community.

Since then, Franklin and Nicole have dedicated themselves to making sure that everyone in the community feels at home. They spent years running the Welcome Committee, trying to make sure that every new member was connected to others in the community, and that more established members felt that their social connections were still vibrant and strong. In addition to planning Welcome Dinners, Game Nights, and other programs, they have also made a point of trying to invite as many new members as possible into their home. Many current shul members made their first connections around their table, and received critical advice in emails or calls with them.

In the same vein, Nicole recognized that there was a very neglected segment of the shul population - kids who had grown up before the baby boom. These kids had few peers at shul, and had taken on a huge responsibility when that Boom hit. They had babysat, run childrens services, and generally spent their teenage years helping the adults, instead of playing as kids. When Aaron Troy, childrens service leader extraordinaire, left for college, Meir wanted to send him something for Sukkot. Nicole realized that Aaron and his peers deserved so much more than a gift from one little boy - and funded and ran a program to send “College Packages” to Ohev students who had left home, including snacks, fun decorations, and special cards and crafts made by the children of Ohev. The packages arrive on the doorsteps of Ohev kids in college and grad school every Sukkot and Pesach, to remind our kids that they are still part of a community which loves and appreciates them.

Of course, the formal Welcome Committee activities are not the sum of Nicole and Franklin's involvement at Ohev, just what they view as their most important contribution. Nicole and Franklin have lent a hand wherever needed - a diferse resume that includes hiring our wonderful Youth Director, helping write Purim Shpiel lyrics, planning events and menus, and pitching in wherever they are asked.