By Rivka Inger, Features Editor
Mark decided to run for town council at my family’s dining room table. As we heard him speak about our town, politics and his views on policies, we knew that Mark had both an incredible vision for the community and the ability to make it happen. We advocated for him extensively, hosting a barbecue advocating for Jewish voters in our area to get him in office, and rallying extensively on his behalf. Mark won that election, and was sworn into office on January 23, 2024.
Tragically, on May 17, 2024, less than one month after I had last seen him at my brother’s engagement party, Mark passed at the age of 54. His death was sudden, and sent my family and my community into a long state of shock that we haven’t quite recovered from. In a phone call with my mother after hearing the news, I kept on repeating the line, “We just saw him.” To this day, I still feel a sense of deep shock and sadness knowing that he’s gone.
He was a man of many hats. Mark was inspired at a young age to join the military, where he served for a number of years. It took him to Berlin, Germany at the end of the Cold War and on a tour in Iraq in 2004. During this year-long tour, he worked in Civil Affairs, helping to spread democracy and aiding in the development of schools and highways. In between his two military escapades, Mark served his country in a different way by working for the NYPD, where he was involved in rescue efforts during 9/11 and successfully saved minors from sex trafficking as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He held a deep passion for helping veterans which he expressed both in and outside of office by committing himself to veterans initiatives such as BRIDGES. Under his watch, he also oversaw the construction of one of the largest accessible playgrounds in New York state.
Mark was an enormous friend of the Jewish people and of Israel. He always wore an Israeli-American flag pin attached to his suit, and advocated for the rights and tolerance of Jewish people of all walks of life living in Clarkstown, and Rockland County more broadly.
Outside of his career, Mark was also a loving husband and father of two children. Mark’s wife, Jeanne, continues to post content about her husband on Facebook, ranging in tone from laugh-out-loud to deeply moving.
Though I did not attend his funeral, my mother described it as “just about the saddest thing that I’ve ever seen.” It was attended by hundreds, and included full military honors and a flyover by the NYPD Aviation Unit. Mark’s professional and personal achievements were rightfully celebrated, and he was remembered for the stellar personality which he always embodied.
On a personal level, I did not know Mark as well as I would have liked. My family would have him, Jeanne and his teenage daughter Maggie for Friday night dinner semi-frequently, and went out to formal dinners on weeknights a couple of times, just us two families. At one of these dinners, Mark told my father that I was one of the funniest people that he’d ever met, a compliment which I still hold dear and hope to remember for the rest of my life.
Mark’s deep commitment to justice, doing the right thing, and the Jewish people were a refreshing change from the antisemitism and discrimination which we so often see in people holding positions of power. Even if he didn’t serve my town for very long, his presence continues to reverberate through the community, and we miss him every single day.