At Great Neck Synagogue on Old Mill Road, a neglected garden is receiving new life. Created more than 20 years ago to honor Rabbi Dale Polakoff’s first wife, Gail, it had become run down in recent years. But Polakoff’s second wife, Ellen, has spearheaded an effort to restore the garden, starting with the addition of several dozen native plants thanks to a grant from ReWild Long Island.
This wasn’t simply a landscaping initiative, however. It was a bittersweet labor of love, as Gail and Ellen Polakoff were also best friends. “I never had a friend like that before,” Ellen Polakoff, 69, said.
Gail Polakoff in 1995. Credit: Dale Polakoff For more than a decade, Ellen and Gail Polakoff were inseparable. They and their families shared Shabbat dinners and holidays together, and often went on vacations together.
From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . But in 1999, Gail Polakoff died at age 42 following a 10-month battle with gallbladder cancer.
The congregation brainstormed ways to honor the beloved mother of five, a creative artist and gardener who touched so many of their lives, Ellen Polakoff said. They decided to create a meandering garden at the entrance to the synagogue that its members and neighbors could enjoy indefinitely. They gathered, planned and donated funds to hire a landscape architect, purchase plants, trees, lampposts, a ga.
