The Sloat Family Honored to Light the Menorah on Pearl Street in Memory of Gerald Sloat

This year the honor of lamplighter at the Pearl Street menorah lighting (Monday, December 30, 5:30pm) goes not to an individual, but to someone’s family. We honor the memory of Gerald Sloat, z”l, who died on October 31st of this year.

His wife Gail and their three children, Adam, Daniel, and Emily will light the menorah in his honor.

Gail said, “Jerry was all about his family and was happiest making his family happy. I know that people will remember Jerry’s warmth, caring and ability to make people feel they are important and remembered.”

Emily wanted people to know who her father was and understand the constant and positive impact he had on his community. “My dad lived by the value of helping others above all else. Community over self. I hope people will take from the way my dad lived every day and remember to be selfless, to work hard, always try to do the right thing and put community and family first.”

Rabbi Pesach Scheiner, co-director of the Boulder County Center for Judaism, said, “Gerald Sloat was a man of extraordinary kindness. He always tried to make you feel like you were doing him a favor when you asked him for a favor. He had a very strong Jewish Identity and was an energetic happy person.”

Gail talked about Jerry’s 50+ years of sounding the shofar at senior centers, noting that he was very serious about practicing shofar starting one month before the holiday. He would practice every night. “We would be driving our minivan back to Colorado from California and he would pull the car off of the highway so he could practice Shofar.” During all those years, she thinks he missed only two services, and “the sounds he could produce were clear, crisp, loud! Jerry worked on creating new ideas about what the sounds meant. He was brilliant!!!”

Among the many stories from those services Gail recalls one where a deaf woman attended, and he had her hold the middle of the shofar as he blew so she could feel the vibration of the sound. “She was thrilled.”

“Jerry Sloat was a beloved presence in our community,” said Susie Valdez, Senior Director of Early Childhood Education. “His kindness, and the generosity of the whole Sloat Family, shone brightly at the Boulder JCC. Jerry shared the tradition of blowing the shofar for our children and their families for years and it was a meaningful experience for everyone.”

The partners in his law firm remember him as, “A fierce yet friendly advocate for justice, Jerry represented over three thousand clients throughout his distinguished career and mentored dozens of lawyers in the specialized field of personal injury law. Respected by his peers and beloved by many, he is remembered for his compassion, generosity, legal expertise, leadership, kindness, and warm presence, [whose] His legacy of unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice and community involvement will be profoundly missed.”

Gail clearly agreed, saying, “Jerry was very steeped in his Judaism. He believed that taking care of his clients was paramount and would follow up with past clients to check on them. He continued to check on them well after their cases were settled.”

Bonni Radarman, longtime member of the Boulder Jewish community said, “A truly amazing man is one whose kindness knows no bounds, whose dedication to his community shapes countless lives, and whose generosity leaves a legacy that inspires others to give. That man was Jerry, and he will be missed. May his memory be for a blessing”.

Please join us for the annual lighting of the largest menorah in Boulder County in honor of this integral part of the Boulder Jewish Community on Monday, December 30 at 5:30pm in front of the court house on the 1300 block of the Pearl Street Mall.