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One Minute With... Barry Levinson

Libby Barsky
THE JEWISH STATE
October 23, 2009

Name: Barry Levinson

Occupation:Vice president of business development at Aton Pharma, Lawrenceville

Address: Highland Park

Family: Married 28 years to Marcia, a part-time assistant at Park Eye Center Highland Park. They have two sons: Eli, 22, is in his third year at Yeshiva University following two years at Yeshiva Derech HaTalmud (Rav Ilson’s) in Jerusalem; and Avi, 19, is in his second year at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh (KBY) in Israel. Brother Art lives in Florida and parents Morris and Pauline Levinson live in Mt. Laurel.

Community activities: Gabbai and in fourth and final term as president of Highland Park’s Congregation Ahavas Achim. Former vice president of fundraising and member of various committees. Founding member and longtime board member and secretary of Moshe Aaron Yeshiva High School. A Cub and Boy Scout committee member for 10 years.

Hobbies: “I like reading, gardening, fixing things, but these days there isn’t much time for them.”

Self-portrait: “I’m calm, confident, analytical, low-key with a penchant for puns.”

Motto: “In business: ‘Chance favors the prepared mind’ from a lecture by French scientist Louis Pasteur. In life: ‘It is not for you to complete the task, but neither are you free to stand aside from it’ — Rabbi Tarfon in Pirke Avot (2:21).”

Greatest accomplishment: “My family. Staying happily married for 28 years and bringing up two fine young Jewish men and seeing the start of building the new Ahavas Achim addition with the ground breaking ceremony on Aug. 8, 2009.”

Bad habits: “Impatience with stupidity. I believe one can learn something from every person, but sometimes it seems to take too long to get there.”

Favorite TV show: “None. I’ve no time for TV and not much interest. I stopped watching anything regularly in high school. I am almost clueless about popular culture any time past the early ‘70s.”

Favorite food: “I don’t have any favorites — I’ll eat almost anything as long as it’s kosher. But if it’s a favorite drink, it’s a toss up between a 90-plus rated cabernet or a good single malt scotch.”

Best childhood memory: “Helping my 8th grade College Bowl team win by answering correctly the last and tie-breaking question about Ponce de Leon discovering Florida while looking for the Fountain of Youth.”

People don’t know that... “By nature, I am a shy person.”

Last book I read: “Every Patient Tells a Story” by Lisa Sanders. “It is basically a doctor’s investigation into how they make diagnoses, sprinkled with medical mysteries, so it’s readable.”

The biggest asset in the local Jewish communities: “It is achdut — unity. Despite increasing diversity, I am amazed and gratified by how the community can pull together to help out on common communal issues. I do a fair amount of traveling, and don’t see this in other communities.”

The biggest problem in the local Jewish communities: “The high cost of Jewish education for families with young children. We really must create an alternative funding mechanism.”

If I had more time... “I would attempt to finish renovating and organizing my house. But I would probably end up doing more volunteer work and never get to it.”