Sydell was born in Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY in 1931. She has two sons and one grandchild and has been in Regents for a year and a half. Although she told me very little about her past, she is one of the most active participants in my class at Regents. Every time I ask a question to my audience, she is the first to answer. When I sing, she sings too. The one part of her past that emerges very strong now that she comes to my classes is her Yiddishkeit!