The Sid Jacobson JCC community and the Roslyn area were stunned by the news of the passing of Sidney and Bernice Jacobson, who both died on Tuesday, June 21, 2005 at their home in Great Neck Estates. Neither Great Neck Estates Police nor Nassau County Police have released an official report on the cause of their deaths.

JCC officials hailed the Jacobsons' as "outstanding examples of people whose lives were dedicated to the well-being of the Jewish and general community."

According to Susan Bender, executive director of Sid Jacobson JCC, "Sid and Bernice will long be remembered as leaders of the greater Jewish community for the thousands of lives they have touched and for the hundreds of ways they have improved conditions around the world with their generosity."

As soon as the deaths were made public, tributes immediately poured in. The Wednesday, June 22 edition of The New York Times, contained, for instance, 15 tributes from both close family members and friends.

JCC officials issued other tributes to the couple.

"We, at the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center, are deeply saddened by the passing of Sid and Bernice Jacobson," a release from the JCC read. "Sid Jacobson served on our board of directors and helped to found and later expand the JCC in East Hills. Together, they proudly instilled in their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren a strong sense of Tzedakah (charity) and Tikkum Olam (repairing the world). In the spirit of their parent's leadership, the family named the JCC in honor of their parent's anniversary in 1988."

"Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson were committed to enriching the community through their vision and leadership," the statement continued. "Their insight and compassion lives on in the programs the JCC provides today. Their spirit will inspire generations to come."

Other JCC personnel released their own statements.

"The board of directors, staff and volunteers of the Sid Jacobson JCC mourn your passing and wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Gershwind and Jacobson families---their children Marjorie and Mark Gershwind, and Mitchell and Kathy Jacobson; grandchildren Erik and Jackie Gershwind and Stacey and Michael Bennett and Joshua Jacobson; and great-grandchildren Betsey and Bradley Bennett and Sophie and Jake Gershwind. Sid and Bernice were a vital part of our identity and our activities at the JCC, and they are irreplaceable in our hearts and in our community," the statement read. "May your memory be a blessing and a comfort to your family."

In further recollections, Ms. Bender remembered the couple fondly. "They were very devoted to each other," she said. "They were always together. They were like Bogey and Bacall. They were elegant. They weren't showy. They were just very elegant, the two of them."

Born in Brooklyn, Sid studied chemistry at Brooklyn College. After serving in the army during World War II, he started a tool supply business on Mulberry Street in New York City's lower East Side. His company, MSC Industries, grew and he relocated it to Plainview, where it became a major supplier to the metal industry.

Sid Jacobson pioneered a number of initiatives, including computerized inventory management and order processing, and the establishment of a fully-integrated Quality Assurance Department, that have since become standards for the industry. He retired from the company in 1983, but remained trusted senior adviser. Mitchell Jacobson, Sidney's son continues as the company's chairman and chief executive officer.

As the business developed, so did Sid's involvement with the Jewish community. Both he and his wife, Bernice, gave diligently of their time to the UJA-Federation of New York and its beneficiary agencies, including Sid Jacobson JCC.

Their service of personal commitment is evident in the many institutions with which they were personally involved. Sid Jacobson has served on the boards of directors for both the Mid Island JCC and United JCC's of Long Island, where he witnessed, firsthand, the dynamic programs and expertise that embody the Y movement.

He was past president of the New York UJA-Federation Palm Beach committee and was a leader in the UJA-Federation campaign in his Great Neck community. He was a founder of Long Island Jewish Hospital and an associate trustee of North Shore Hospital.

Bernice, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music and Teachers' College of Columbia University, was a partner with her husband in their philanthropic work. Together they established a family that continues to concern itself with the welfare and betterment of the Jewish community.

Their children Marjorie and Mitchell, and their respective spouses, Mark and Kathy, together with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, have learned much about what it means to translate caring into participating. In the spirit of their parent's leadership, the family, as noted, named the Sid Jacobson JCC in honor of their parents on their anniversary in 1988.

The funeral took place on Wednesday, June 22, at Temple Beth-El in Great Neck. According to JCC officials, Middle Neck Road in Great Neck was bottled up throughout the afternoon, as hundreds of mourners came to pay their final respects.