ONE MINUTE WITH... Amy Rothman Schonfeld
Libby BarskySPECIAL TO THE JEWISH STATE
January 16, 2009
Name: Amy Rothman Schonfeld
Occupation: Medical writer
Address: East Brunswick
Family: Married to Steven Schonfeld, a neuroradiologist with University Radiology. They have three children. Scott, 27, is a vice president with The Praedium Group, a real estate development firm, and lives in Santa Monica, Calif. Daughter Sara, 25, is a fourth-year medical student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and lives in Manhattan. Evan, 21, is a junior in the Business School at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Community Activities: First term as co-president with Scott Alter of East Brunswick Jewish Center. Former Vice President of Programming for East Brunswick Jewish Center.
Hobbies: "Tennis, and keeping track of my children in three different time zones."
Self-portrait: "I am organized and like to see projects completed. I find it difficult to relax, tend to worry at lot, and like to keep busy. Since childhood I saw myself as a lab scientist, but my career evolved into medical journalism, which I really enjoy and allows me to maintain a flexible schedule but still stay in touch with some of the brightest minds in neuroscience. In recent years, in some part as a result of losing my parents, I have found satisfaction in being a part of EBJC's revival and invigoration."
Motto: "Whenever one door closes, another opens."
Greatest accomplishment: "Creating a family unit that has allowed five different and independent people to grow and achieve success in their own way, but stay connected, loving, and supportive of one another."
Bad habits: Continuous snacking.
Favorite TV show: "I do have a special affection for 'Friends,' which starred my cousin David Schwimmer."
Favorite food: Chocolate ice cream.
Best childhood memory: "Sitting around a large dining room table in our two-family house in Brooklyn hearing my aunts and uncles, cousins, and parents yelling at each other simultaneously about politics, the N.Y.C. public schools, driving taxis, the junk business -- whatever -- and me just listening. My mother called me Miss Ears. I have transferred this skill to the many meetings I currently attend at EBJC."
Last book I read: "Snowflower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. "It's a fictional account of how two Chinese girls, Lily and Snowflower, grew up in 19th century rural China, when the feet of young girls routinely were bound and marriages were arranged. The girls formed a close friendship using a secret language written on a fan to communicate with each other, which lasted throughout their very different lives."
The biggest asset in the local Jewish communities: "Our unsung heroes who quietly and competently use their talents to do good deeds."
The biggest problem in the local Jewish communities: "Kvetching. We don't realize how good we have it as Jews and Americans."
If I had more time... "I would hike and bike in the mountains out west."