Kallah B’reisheit 2024 - Laura Linkoff
I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY along with my three brothers. My parents were born in Belgium and were hidden children during the shoah. My grandparents all came from Poland but emigrated to Belgium for work opportunities and to escape antisemitism back home. Unfortunately, 99% of their families who remained in Poland were killed. My parents emigrated to the US in 1951 and 1952, separately and met here.
I started attending public school but our parents took us out and put us in the yeshiva. Initially, it was Salanter yeshiva then the school combined with Akiba school and finally joined with Riverdale school in what eventually became the SAR academy in Riverdale NY.
I went to Bronx High School of Science and attended the University of Rochester in Rochester NY where I received my BSN in nursing.
My parents moved to Queens while my brothers and I were in College and I lived there after graduation. I met Bob Linkoff and we were married in 1986. While working, I took classes and completed my masters in nursing at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. Our two children were born while we lived in Queens.
Dora is a clinical pharmacist at Cohens Children Hospital, and Alex is a senior cybersecurity engineer at Rockstar Videos. Alex and Maya recently welcomed a baby girl, and Dora and her husband Mark are expecting the end of October.
When Bob's company moved from NYC to Westchester, we decided to move as well. We settled in Rockland county and really love it here. I found a connection to my yeshiva roots after joining NCJC , being able to participate for the first time in services and Torah. This was highlighted after completing the Bat Torah 2 year program.
My parents always had strong support and connection to Israel and that was passed on to me. My children went to Israel with a Hebrew High School trip as well as thru Birthright. We have many family members there and traveled to see them several times.
Though not religious, we have strived to pass on strong Jewish roots, traditions and yiddishkeit to our children.
Bob and I recently went on heritage trip to Poland and it was incredibly moving and sad yet wholly meaningful and necessary. In these dark days of antisemitism, it is important to see the results of unchecked animosity towards Jews and how that ended in the destruction of pre war life.