From: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/05/susquehanna_township_couple_ho.html

When Ted and Lorri Bernstein moved to Harrisburg in 1990, they found it “a drastic change from downtown Chicago” and wondered if their hearts would find a home in a synagogue and the Harrisburg-area Jewish community.

Almost instantly, the Susquehanna Township couple found themselves lovingly embraced by members of Chisuk Emuna synagogue and the broader Jewish community.

“We felt at home right from the get-go,” Ted Bernstein said at the Jewish Community Center during the “Celebration of Lorri and Ted Bernstein” on Sunday. “Everyone was warm and welcoming. They still are.”

That warmth was evident in the celebration, part of the Chisuk Emuna Donor Dinner hosted by Chisuk Emuna congregation in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. At the Bernsteins’ request, proceeds will go to the rebuilding of Chisuk Emuna, heavily damaged by a fire April 3.

The Bernsteins, parents of two daughters and two sons, have had a familiar presence in the Harrisburg Jewish community for years. With energy, enthusiasm and innovative ideas, both loved and led the Jewish community.

Ted Bernstein said they moved to Harrisburg after his father, the late Mort Bernstein, offered him a business opportunity. His father, who had founded Ollie’s and Just Cabinets, wanted him to be manager of Just Cabinets.

In addition to running Just Cabinets, Ted Bernstein became involved in the United Jewish Community of Greater Harrisburg, now the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. He served on the board, eventually becoming president from 2002-04. He co-chaired the JCC Preservation Campaign, helping to raise $5 million. He currently chairs the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, which serves the community’s philanthropic needs.

His wife became active in the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, Londonderry School, Chisuk Emuna Congregation, Jewish Family Service, Harrisburg Academy, Jewish Home Guild, Susquehanna Tzedakah Society, Josh Klein Bikkur Cholim Society, Hadassah, and National Council of Jewish Women.

She co-founded the Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival and started the Holocaust Education Seminar, the B. Terry Brazelton Lecture, “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing” and a teen philanthropy program.

“Ted and Lorri and their remarkable children have a precious gift, the ability to love unconditionally,” said Rabbi Ron Muroff of Chisuk Emuna. “The lives of family, friends, co-workers, community members and even strangers have been transformed by the Bernsteins’ love and positive energy. The positive effect of the Bernsteins on the Greater Harrisburg community is proof that a few people can change the world.”