2026 BHC Gala Honors Gail Robinson and Martin Kessel - Introductions by Lucy Goodhart, Nancy Fages and Rabbi Lipton
Gail and Martin enjoy a first dance,
Photo by Robin Greenlaw
A Tribute to Gail Robinson, July 2026, by Nancy Fages
Who can turn the world on with her smile?
If you’re of a certain generation, you probably just finished that lyric in your head. And if you know Gail, you also know why it’s the perfect place to begin.
Because Gail has spent her life doing something remarkable. She has a way of making people feel seen. She makes people feel that they belong. And somehow, quietly, without fanfare, she leaves every place she touches just a little warmer than she found it.
When we gather to honor someone, it’s easy to recite accomplishments. And with Gail, there are plenty.
She earned a Ph.D. in the 1970s, at a time when women were still fighting to be taken seriously in academia. She became a nationally respected leader in mental health policy, helping shape systems of care for people who too often had no voice. She advised governments, wrote landmark research, translated complex ideas into practical solutions, and spent decades improving the lives of countless people she would never meet.
That résumé is extraordinary.
But it still doesn’t tell you who Gail is.
To understand Gail, you must notice something else.
Throughout her life, she has never asked, “How do I stand out?”
She has always asked, “How do I bring people in?”
You see it in the lunches she helped prepare every Christmas for Washington’s homeless community. You see it in the teams she built throughout her professional life. And you certainly see it here at BHC.
When Gail and Martin became members in 2008, they didn’t just join a synagogue.
They helped create a home.
When Gail started Books of Jewish Interest, she wasn’t simply organizing another book club. She imagined something richer—a place where ideas mattered, where conversations were thoughtful, where every voice was welcome. Together, she and Martin created a cultural life that reflects who they are: curious, generous, and deeply committed to community.
And isn’t that such a Jewish idea?
Not simply to build a congregation—but to build belonging.
There is another story that reveals Gail’s heart more than any title ever could.
Years ago, Gail and Martin’s son was born deaf.
Many people would have focused on what had been lost.
Gail focused on what was possible.
She has said that the question she asked herself was not, “Why did this happen?”
It was, “Will my son have a fulfilling life?”
And then she answered that question—not with words, but with action.
She refused to let deafness become a limitation. She met her son where he was. She found his strengths. And today, when she reflects on that chapter, she doesn’t ask for sympathy.
She speaks about strength.
That tells you everything you need to know about Gail Robinson.
She sees possibility where others see obstacles.
She chooses hope over fear.
She believes people are greater than their circumstances.
Those qualities didn’t begin with her.
They were planted long ago by her parents, Evi and Jud.
They were, by Gail’s description, endlessly optimistic. Ready for adventure. Lovers of skiing, the outdoors, hugs, laughter, and what Gail affectionately calls “everything, everywhere, all at once.”
Those gifts became Gail’s inheritance.
And she has spent a lifetime passing them on.
Then, one day, she met Martin.
When Gail talks about meeting Martin, her voice changes.
She says she feels as though she had been looking for him her whole life.
She says he possesses every quality she values and respects.
And then she says something beautifully simple:
“He is absolutely the love of my life.”
Together they have created something beautiful—not only for each other, but for all of us. Martin brings music into this sanctuary. Gail brings conversation, warmth, and wisdom. Together they have woven themselves into the fabric of this community.
Even their Israeli grandchildren know this love. Gail gives them English lessons, not because anyone asked her to, but because relationships matter. Connection matters. Family matters.
That is Gail.
Whether she is teaching, cooking for friends, entertaining around her table, leading a discussion, or simply greeting someone with that unmistakable smile, she is always doing the same thing.
She is building connections.
When I asked Gail what she hopes people will remember about her, her answer was wonderfully brief.
“That I was generous and loving.”
Tonight, we can answer that for you.
Yes, Gail, you are generous.
Yes, you are loving.
But you are something more.
You remind us that the greatest measure of a life is not the titles we earn or the papers we publish.
It is the people we lift.
The people we welcome.
The people who leave our presence believing a little more in themselves because they were fortunate enough to know us.
Gail, your smile has indeed turned our world into a kinder place.
And for that—for your wisdom, your resilience, your optimism, your love, your partnership with Martin, and your extraordinary gift for building community—we honor you tonight with gratitude, admiration, and affection.
I don’t have a lot of friends, but Gail, you are a dear friend to me … so mazel tov, you could not be more deserving!
Gala Introduction for Martin Kessel, July 2026, by Lucy Goodhart
We have just heard so much about a wonderful woman – and isn’t it nice that we went “ladies first”! Gail is a woman of valor – tenacious, energetic, funny and loving. So, where and how would she meet her match?
It is my heartfelt pleasure to introduce to you tonight the other half of our honored couple. In doing so, I am going to ask you, a question isposed to us by one of this summer’s blockbuster movies – what is a man? And how might that man become a hero?
To start, and because we are at Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation, I am going to consider a character who, like Odysseus, gains strength from movement. In Genesis, Chapter Twelve, God says to Abram (later Abraham), “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” God says broadly what will happen, but the instructions are only this. And Abram goes. His father, Terah, has gone towards Canaan but has reached only Haran. Abram must go beyond where his father has gone.
There was another man, whose tale I will recount, raised by his parents, Abe and Bea, in Johannesburg, South Africa. His parents trained him to be a good student, but also to support the young state of Israel, taking part in Habonim, a Zionist Youth Movement, and coming to school an hour early each day to learn Hebrew.
This man, who is indeed Martin, goes to Israel, with Habonim, right after high school, to spend immersive time in Israel. He becomes fluent in its language while working on a kibbutz. He drinks in the history, the culture, the people, the weather.
Martin returns to South Africa and commences on the life that his family have foreseen for him. He starts training to be a dentist – as his father was. And, as the owner of a set of very British teeth – he could also have been a hero as a dentist. I love a good dentist.
But it was not to be. Something nagged at Martin, something drew him away from his father and mother’s house towards a new land that held promise, but also peril. So, when he was just twenty, he left as the first member of his immediate family to make Aliyah.
So, what’s the big deal. If you saw Christopher Nolan’s version of the Odyssey, you might say that a hero carries a shield, displays chiseled abs, and might be played by Matt Damon. To many of you in this audience, who might once upon a time have been called “a nice Jewish boy,” (or if you are not of that crowd, then a nice guy), there is a gift in this story. Almost always, a hero is not a Greek God. Gods are way too difficult.
The hero is the nice Jewish boy who does what nice Jewish boys do. They prepare! They organize! And if the nice Jewish boy voyages to a new land and finds they love it, this hero has the confidence to go where his curiosity and open-eyed wonder takes him. They go forth.
Life in Israel was not always easy. Martin married Judy, his first wife, who shared his dream of building the new state and they start a family. Martin continues with his education, becoming ever more specialized. And, this being Israel, in its formative years, daily life is also buffeted by war.
In May 1967, there is what Martin calls, in his diary, “an insistent knocking at the front door.” He and the other reservists are called up. Martin, being Martin, enters the details of each day in his regular calendar. From that diary, we know about the platoon commander, Pinchas, in whom Martin has implicit trust. We hear about the tedium of days spent doing little, along with the tension of the officers as they clearly wonder, “When? When will the fighting begin? And what can we tell the troops?”
And we hear these words from Martin, “Lying under the carrier in the afternoon you are suddenly grasped by a horrible empty feeling that you are actually in the throes of preparation for a WAR, a war, in which people will be killed, hurt, and that you yourself may never return from.” And yet, being Martin, while some men break under this pressure, our hero can see it and move on.
So, Martin wanders and grows. He leads a full life. But this is clearly not the full story. We have two people on this head table!!
In Israel, Martin helps raise a wonderful family of three children. After he and Judy part ways, Martin takes on more travel abroad for study and conferences. It is in 1984, when Martin is on sabbatical in Albany, NY, that he meets Gail Robinson, who is working at the NY State Office of Mental Health. As Alice Dreier wrote in her wonderful profile of Martin, he was immediately taken with Gail as someone “vivacious and extremely friendly.” They married four years later and have a son together.
I could say more about Gail and Martin’s relationship – but I think I should just stick with the facts. They have been together over forty years. Martin’s sense of wonder has been matched by the adventurism of Gail. Both love to explore. Martin skis for at least 40 days a year and they kayak every morning in the summer. They bring out the best in each other -- and they are never bored.
It is to our profound benefit, here at BHC, that Martin and Gail work so well together. They’ve been at the heart of by-laws, executive leadership, membership and finance. Their most vivid and glowing contribution is Sounds in the Sanctuary – and so Martin gives a gift to us that helps assuage his regret at giving up the piano as a young man. His loss is our gift. They have both been gifts to us.
How do I sum up Martin? I go back again to understanding what builds us. A hero is one who can go forth and withstand the trials and tribulations of the journey. But the happy hero? That is the one who creates family, sustains friendships and finds the love of a true partner.
And speaking of family…
What might be the most piercing, grounded and informed comments on our honorees? Have none of us ever wondered, sometimes with fear, about what our loved ones might say about us? This morning, Dalit Kessel, emailed me, on behalf of herself and her brothers, to describe what Gail and Martin mean to their family. They described everything the beauty and excitement of time in Bethlehem and call for many years of sweet summer dancing and signature cocktails. And then they say:
“Beyond everything you have done for Bethlehem, your greatest legacy is the example you have set for your family. As parents, grandparents, and now great-grandparents, you have established a standard for all of us to aspire to: embrace who you are, treat others with kindness, strive for excellence, and leave the world better than you found it.
The incredible contributions you have made to the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation are the definition of selfless service. They embody Tikkun Olam—repairing the world—not through grand gestures alone, but through decades of quiet dedication, generosity, leadership, and love.”
That’s a statement from family, folks. So, with those words ringing in our ears, I beg you, ladies and gentlemen, one and all, to raise your glasses to Martin and Gail, a happy hero and his his charming ayshit chayil – MAZAL TOV!
TRIBUTE TO GAIL ROBINSON AND MARTIN KESSEL
BHC ANNUAL GALA – TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026
RABBI JEREMY LIPTON
We learn in the Yerushalmi, the Jerusalem Talmud the following:
[JT, Berachot 5:1]
רַב יִרְמְיָה אָמַר
Rabbi Jeremiah says,
הָעוֹסֵק בְּצוֹרְכֵי צִיבּוּר
Those who dedicate themselves
to the needs of the community
כְּעוֹסֵק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה
Are equal to those who seriously engage
in the study of Torah.
I can’t think of two individuals who fit this Talmudic description more than this evening’s honorees, Gail and Martin. Tonight, our community has gathered not only to celebrate our shared history, but to express our profound gratitude to you both, for the selfless work in which you have been engaged over the years on behalf of Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation. We are here not only to acknowledge how you—individually and together—have shaped who we are as a community, but also to recognize the seeds that you have both planted to successfully fortify our congregation’s future.
Although Kay and I have only been here in New Hampshire for a month, we have already been blessed to personally experience your unswerving commitment to every aspect of communal life at BHC—from worship services, to social and cultural programming, and beyond.
Martin, it is you who made sure that Kay and I received a copy of the congregation’s remarkable 90th Anniversary Journal, to provide us with as much context as possible about the history and accomplishments of our community, and who shared with us your deep passion about Israel, and your rootedness to traditional Jewish practice.
And Gail, it is you whose presence has warmly greeted us at services, who participates so enthusiastically in our interactive Shabbat Morning Torah Study, and who has made us feel welcomed and included through your thoughtful facilitation of the community’s bi-weekly “Books of Jewish Interest” discussions.
But don’t take our word for it. When I asked members in our community to characterize each of your “essences,” here is what people are saying about you behind your back:
MARTIN is:
· Modest, Precise, Incredible,
· Friendly, A Rock, Deeply-Caring,
· Creative, Sporty, Dedicated,
· Patient, Worldly, Open-Minded,
· Brilliant, Fun-Loving, Compassionate
· Diplomatic, Charming, Thorough,
· A Visionary, Thoughtful, and Loving
AND GAIL is:
· Energetic, A Great Organizer, Magnetic,
· Informed, Happy, Reasonable,
· Warm, Outgoing, Hospitable,
· Enthusiastic, Cheerful, Vibrant,
· Youthful, Generous, Practical,
· Fiscally-Diligent, Expressive, Helpful,
· Intelligent, Determined, and Empathetic
Gail and Martin, your unequalled legacy of leadership and volunteerism has spanned decades. To truly honor the depth of your devotion, it is fitting this evening for me to invoke words from our Torah—ancient and living words that have anchored our people throughout the generations—the words of Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessings, in which we ask God to provide sustenance, strength, illumination, and completeness—by the way, and not coincidently, these are the same blessings that you have both consistently and generously bestow upon our community through your dedication and presence.
יְבָרֶכְךָ יי וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ׃
May Adonai bless you and keep you –
Providing you both
with abundant health and strength,
mirroring the protection and care
you have so faithfully provided to us.
יָאֵר יי פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּךָּ׃
May Adonai make His face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you –
May you always feel
the warmth of that Divine presence,
and may the community
you have both helped to build
continue to benefit from and reflect
your compassionate values.
יִשָּׂא יי פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ ויָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם׃
May Adonai turn His face toward you –
As you reflect upon your years of leadership
with a profound sense of pride and fulfillment,
knowing that your efforts
continue to bear sacred fruit;
And, may you be granted
the blessing of lasting shalom –
peace, satisfaction, and completeness,
surrounded by the joy of your families,
and the enduring gratitude
of this congregation.
And together we say, Amen!