Judith and Rev. David Benke

While serving at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in 1970s East New York, Judy and Rev. Dave Benke felt the pain of benign neglect on their doorstep, and heard horror stories from parishioners who were struggling to live in desolation. Working with Mike Gecan, Ed Chambers, Carmelia Goffe, and others, the Benkes were part of the earliest efforts to organize East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC). They would go on to make a critical contribution to the original Nehemiah fundraising plan by helping to secure a $1 million loan from their church’s governing body, the Missouri Synod. Once building got underway, Judy Benke served as the unofficial photographer of the Nehemiah transformation, and many of her archival images are being displayed in exhibitions of From The Ground Up. Today, the Benkes reside in Bayside, Queens and continue to keep up their lifelong devotion to justice work.

Interview by Phillip Norman