Jerry Bernstein was a businessman and avid golfer

Jerry Bernstein, a long-time Atlantic Beach resident and business owner, died June 10, of a cerebral hemorrhage at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside. He was 83.

Bernstein grew up in Brooklyn and attended Samuel J. Tilden High School where he won all-city honors for football, and later attended Brooklyn College. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army as a demolitions expert, and later started his career in fashion at the department store Russek’s.

He then worked at the buying office Advance, became a coat and suit buyer for the Van Buren buying office, and in 1968 created a buying office, Hausen Bernstein, with his then business partner Harry Hausen. He sold his business in 1987 and later launched Mieka, a women’s clothing store, with his wife Mimi.

Bernstein moved to Atlantic Beach in 1966. He served as president of the Atlantic Beach Estates Civic Association in the early 1970s and was instrumental in the design and construction of the “pocket park” on Scott Drive.

Mieka, his woman’s clothing store on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst, was established in 1981. The store closed in 2011; however Bernstein’s daughter, Karen Richter, and her husband Ken, operate two stores in Woodbury and Greenvale and now own the company.

“He was a people person, always quick with a smile and a warm embrace,” said his son, Jeffrey Bernstein. “He was an ‘outside the box’ thinker and sought to foster a vibrant and viable shopping district within the Five Towns.”

One of his more memorable outside the box ideas was using a real life camel to promote a trunk show at the Cedarhurst store for a designer who used Middle Eastern influence to design a very distinct clothing line.

An avid golfer, Bernstein was a long-time member of the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club. He enjoyed playing with anyone of any age, as he was quick to make friends and often played with men considerably younger than him, his son said.

A member of the Jewish Center of Atlantic beach for 47 years, he served on the temple’s Board of Trustees for many years. He and his wife, Mimi, were honored at the temple’s 35th anniversary dinner dance in 1985.

“Jerry’s [commitment] is dramatically and abundantly displayed in the many philanthropic causes in which he identifies himself with and to which he brings strength,” said Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth. “He invariably performs in an admirable and impressive manner.”

Bernstein is survived by his wife Mimi, three children Bonnie (husband David Esrig), Jeffrey (wife Fern) and Karen (husband Ken Richter), and 7 grandchildren: Adam and Lindsay Esrig, Dara and Matthew Bernstein; and Brittany, Brandon and Brett.