Long Island Shliach Named Local Person of the Year

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Between serving as the rabbi at the Chabad of Oceanside, a chaplain for Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital and the Oceanside Fire Department, and a member of the chevra kadisha, or “secret society” that ensures that the bodies of deceased Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition, Levi Gurkov rarely has time to himself.

According to his friends, family members and Chabad congregants, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“He’s like the psychologist in residence in Oceanside,” said Carol Katz, who has belonged to the Chabad for about 15 years. “If you have a question, a family problem, a personal problem, a marital problem, he’s there for you. He opens his doors. If he gets a call in the middle of the night, he’s there for the community. He will run if he thinks he’s needed.”

For all he has done for the community for the past two decades, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, Gurkov, 49, is the Herald’s 2020 Person of the Year.

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