Fall 2025 - Book - Page 9
SAMSON
NERENBERG
Samson Louis Nerenberg came into the world bright and
early on a Sunday morning, October 14, 2012 at Maimonides
Medical Center. Samson's name comes from the Hebrew
word Shemesh, the Sun. As the first grandchild on both
sides, he immediately--much like the Sun--became the
center of so much attention. An ironic position for him, as
anyone who knows modern-day Samson can attest. His
first couple of years were filled with cuddles, serenades to
Yacht Rock classics, stroller rides through Prospect Park
and a plethora of cool, kid friendly, hipster activities in Park
Slope and the surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Well before his second birthday Samson displayed an
alpha-numeric infatuation that has remained with him. In
this spirit, the theme for his second birthday party was the
NYC subway system with its colorful letters and numbers
abound. By age 3 he was reading and doing arithmetic,
right around the time we moved
to Port Washington to make room for our expanding family
in the form of his little sister, Mayim. Temple Beth Israel
quickly became an integral part of our lives and welcomed
Samson to his initial school experience, first in the 3's and
then pre-K. Of course, TBI has continued to nourish his
Jewish identity through years of community events,
religious school and studies leading up to his joyous Bar
Mitzvah Day. Countless thank yous to Samson9s teachers,
Rabbi Mishkin, Anya and especially Cantor Childs for all the
labor and love you have given him during his time at TBI.
Samson displayed gross and fine motor delays from a very
early age and received therapies to help him accomplish
milestones that are taken for granted in most children.
While he precociously relished and excelled in
mathematical and linguistic endeavors, his father Michael
also fostered a deep love, appreciation and understanding
of sports--particularly baseball-- nearly since Samson's
infancy. It is no doubt this nurtured passion that led a
hesitant and not-a-little-bit clumsy 5-year-old Samson to
agree to venture into little league baseball in the spring of
his Kindergarten year.
Since that time, Samson has harnessed his profound
interests, an indomitable work ethic and a dash of unhealthy
perfectionism into a mix of private and more visible joys and
accomplishments. He read the Harry Potter series in the 1st
grade (before Rowling went rogue). At the age of 7, his
mother Alisa--a solid Scrabble player in her own right-introduced him to the game. By 10, the student (a human
anagram generator) had surpassed the teacher. Around this
time, his 5th grade class read "Because of Mr. Terupt," a
fictional novel that introduced him to the concept of 'dollar
words.' Effectively a play on the ancient Talmudic practice
of Gematria, a 8dollar word9 is one in which the numerical
equivalents of its English letters add up to exactly 100.
tbiport.org
November 15, 2025
24 Cheshvan 5786
Chayei Sara
Samson quickly began to amass a still-growing list of
such words with an uncanny ability to tabulate values in a
matter of seconds. The boy is a whiz with mazes, both
solving and creating. In a similar vein, Samson is a master
of geography and has a special affinity for tri-corners (the
elusive points where 3 states or countries meet) having
visited 4 of them. He has played virtual chess with his
Uncle Craig weekly since 2020 and participates in The
National Math Olympiad each year. Last spring he took
the SAT for fun. He is an ardent fan of Imagine Dragons,
One Republic and Maroon 5 and as of the
week after his Bar Mitzvah will have seen them all in
concert. He rivals his father in verbatim Simpsons quotes
for any occasion and celebrates all seven seasons of
Young Sheldon. His voracious appetite for reading is
currently channeled into whatever genre dystopiastravailed-by-teenagers fall under. He has an
encyclopedic knowledge of professional baseball
statistics, is a rabid Islanders fan and enjoys playing
street hockey and tennis. He is a hyper competitive
bowler and mini golfer. For the culmination of TBI
religious school's Holocaust curriculum, Samson
explored the theme of 'Life After Liberation' by
researching and presenting about survivors who went on
to become renowned mathematicians. He has a strong
sense of social justice and fairness, is passionate about
protecting the environment and treasures friendships and
other relationships with people who truly "get him."
Many of Samson's interests are niche to say the least. His
unadulterated sense of self and lack of preoccupation
with what others may think are some of what sets him
apart and will help shape him into the unique and
exceptional young man he is becoming. But the spark for
playing baseball as a 5-year-old is anything but niche
and has thankfully remained kindled these many years as
he has grown into a more seasoned ball player,
accomplished southpaw and valued teammate. When
Samson stands on the pitcher's mound, again the unlikely
center of everyone's attention, he is somehow in the
most improbable place and completely at home all at
once.
Currently Samson's career aspiration is to combine some
of his deepest loves by becoming a baseball statistician
for The New York Yankees. On his Bar Mitzvah Day and
beyond it is our sincerest hope that Samson continues to
be purely himself, leading him to a warm, nourishing and
fulfilling life full of the things, ideas and people that he
loves.
CHESHVAN/KISLEV 5786
