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Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) is proud to announce that it will be hosting its 2025 Gala on Tuesday, April 8, at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, NY. The Gala will be honoring Scarsdale residents Joel S. Beckman and Gillian Rittmaster. 

“We are very excited to salute two individuals who have made an enormous impact on the people of Westchester County,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “Joel Beckman’s commitment to ensuring that Westchester residents who are struggling receive the services and programs they need has been evident in his years of service as a member of the board of WJCS. Gillian Rittmaster has been an invaluable resource to people who are suffering from chronic illness, caregiving stress, bereavement, and other emotional challenges. Her work has transformed lives, as she helps those in pain find the strength and resilience they need to overcome significant obstacles.”

Joel S. Beckman co-founded Greenbriar Equity Group, a private investment firm, in 1999 and retired in 2017. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director and Partner at Goldman Sachs. He has been a dedicated member of the WJCS Board, is co-chair of Friends of JCC Budapest, a member of the Board of Advisors of the Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law, and a board member of Brave Generation, an organization founded to help Ukrainian students further their college and graduate school education in the United States. He previously served as a board member of UJA-Federation of New York, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, the Chordoma Foundation, SteppingStone Day School, and several other philanthropic organizations.

Beckman received his J.D. from Yale Law School and his B.A. from the University of Rochester, where he is a Trustee Emeritus. He is married to Shari and together they have two sons, Steve and Jake, two daughters-in-law, Amanda and Alisa, and six grandchildren.

Gillian Rittmaster is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a private practice based in Rye, NY, where she specializes in supporting individuals and families navigating critical and chronic illness, caregiving, end-of-life issues, and bereavement. With over a decade of experience at WJCS, Rittmaster continues her impactful work through clinical consulting for WJCS. In her previous role as WJCS Assistant Executive Director of Jewish Programs and Health and Healing Support Services, Rittmaster oversaw the agency’s Holocaust Survivor Program, caregiver support services for loved ones caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia, bereavement services, and community-based palliative care. She also facilitated WJCS mental health and wellness programs for over 25 synagogues, day schools, and JCCs throughout Westchester County, ensuring these institutions received critical support in addressing the needs of their communities. She holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She and her husband Peter are the proud parents of Davis, William, and Holly.

Visit https://www.wjcs.com/get-involved/wjcs-events/gala/ for more information about attending the WJCS Gala. Contact Jennifer Kaplan, WJCS Director of Development, at jkaplan1@wjcs.com for information about becoming a WJCS Corporate Gala Sponsor.