Alumni Newsletter: February 2016

back to bt the beth tfiloh alumni newsletter Volume IV | Issue 4 | February 2016 | Shevat 5776 page 1

Alumni Weekend Recap

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Hungry for Impact ’10

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Allison Heyden Scholarship Fund ’04

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Family in Focus ’02

dalia bauman ’14

olivia mauer ’15 alex cohn ’14

jennifer miller ’15

bt alumni taking the lead on college campus

henry sholk ’11

warrior day is february 24!

from our parents of alumni chairs

Dear Parents of Alumni, As a parent of a Beth Tfiloh Alumni you are an important part of the BT community. We are thrilled that your children are on to their next adventures and hopefully applying all the skills and values they learned during their days at Beth Tfiloh. Please know that BT is still here for you and your family. We are working to create special programing geared just for Parents of Beth Tfiloh Alumni. There will be opportunities for you to come back to BT for events and other planned functions. We will include information for you in the Alumni Newsletter to keep you posted on what is going on here at BT and what we have planned for you as a parent. We would also love to share your nachas for all of the accomplishments of your alumni children so please feel free to share updates with BT. If you would like to be more involved in this effort, please contact Diane Stulman at dstulman@btfiloh.org or call her at (410)413-2350.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Jill Spector Parent of Hannah ’16 and Alex ’14

Natalie Chason Parent of Alyson ’15, Max ’12, and Eric ’10

P.S. Watch for upcoming details for a pre-Pesach event hosted by Mrs. Zipora Schorr at her home on Wednesday, March 30!

Rabbi Steven Exler ’98 succeeds Rabbi Avi Weiss as Senior Rabbi of Hebrew Institute of Riverdale

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azel tov to Rabbi Steven Exler, who succeeded Rabbi Avi Weiss, who has served as Senior Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale for over 40 years. Rabbi Weiss has earned a reputation for being a political activist and a champion of “open” Modern Orthodoxy, and is the founder of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and Yeshivat Maharat, the first yeshiva to ordain women as Orthodox clergy.

“We are extremely proud to have a graduate of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School attain such a prestigious rabbinic position,” said Mrs. Zipora Schorr, Director of Education. “Steven was one of our best and brightest students, with a keen intellect and a warm, endearing spirit. We wish him much hatzlacha as he assumes this challenging new role.”

Steven attended Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School from Kindergarten through High School, as did his sister Lisa Exler ’96, who was one of two students in her BT class to achieve perfect SAT scores. Their mother, Emma Exler, was a beloved teacher who taught in Beth Tfiloh PreSchool for over 20 years.

Steven studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion before attending Brandeis University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a BA in biology. He received an MA in Bible from Bernard Revel Graduate School and studied in the Yeshiva University Beit Midrash and Yeshivat Maale Gilboa in Israel. Steven received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He and his wife, Shira Billet, are the proud parents of a son, Ilan Shmuel.

We wish Rabbi Exler much success in his new role as Senior Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale!

alumni weekend recap

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hanksgiving is not only that special time of year filled with family time, pumpkin patch visits, and hayrides, but it is also the annual BT Alumni Weekend, where alums come back to Beth Tfiloh for reminiscing visits, schmoozing with old classmates, and inducting new members in to the Alumni Hall of Fame.

This year, alumni weekend was jam-

packed with BT visits, meet-ups, basketball and reunions. Beth Tfiloh hosted alums at our annual Alumni Brunch, and later that evening a meet-up was held at the Mt. Washington Tavern. On Shabbat, a D’var Torah was given by alumna, Nina (Auster) Cusner ’00, reflecting on her years at BT, and coming back as an alum parent, and teacher here at Beth Tfiloh. Saturday

evening, Beth Tfiloh hosted the annual alumni basketball games, and Hall of Fame Induction and Reception. The classes of 2000, 2005, and 2010 got together for their milestone reunions, a BT tradition that has kept classmates connected over the years.

Our 2015 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees were Sam Fuchs ’04 and Jesse Hervitz ’04.

Both athletes are recognized not only for their athletic abilities, but also for their sportsmanship and leadership on the court.

Brittany Herzenberg ’13, Miriam Pomerantz ’13, Lindsay Hurwitz ’13, Marisa Kassimir ’13, Julie Harans ’13, Shira Bor ’13

The Schwartz brothers: Andrew ’16, Josh ’15 and Joe ’12

Class of ’10 graduates, Lindsay Dermer, Jeremy Schmerling, Joel Cohen, Andrea Bookoff, Melissa Harans, Eric Chason

Class of 2005 graduates, Andrew Schuster, Erica Roth, Allison Sellman Raphael, Jenna Moray, Seth Koretsky, Jamie Miliman

Class of 2000 graduates, Jackie Fuchs Yahr, Shuli Berman Tropp, Nina Auster Cusner, Renata Isaacson Kepner, Eliana Daniel, wife of Justin Daniel, Rivka Rosenbaum, wife of Ted Rosenbaum

2015 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees Sam Fuchs ’04 (left) and Jesse Hervitz ’04 (right)

bt alumni

Taking the Lead on college campuses Alex Cohn ’14 University of Pennsylvania Penn Mock Trial, the Penn Political Coalition (PoCo), Education Coordinator on the Executive Board of the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee (PIPAC)

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graduated from Beth Tfiloh in 2014 and I am now a sophomore at Penn majoring in Political Science. Outside of the classroom, I’m involved in a few clubs including Penn Mock Trial, the Penn Political Coalition (PoCo), and the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee (PIPAC). I am an executive board member on PIPAC, the largest pro-Israel advocacy group on campus, and as the education coordinator, I am responsible for coordinating monthly seminars featuring speakers and discussion panels, maintaining a weekly newsletter of Israel-related events and news that is sent to hundreds of people associated with the Penn community, and improving our PIPAC Google Drive, which has dozens of fact sheets on a variety of topics related to Israel. In essence, I help further educate PIPAC and the Penn community at large about Israel. My time at Beth Tfiloh has definitely provided me with the foundation for my leadership role at PIPAC, especially through my experiences with Israel advocacy and education. Beginning in Middle School and culminating with the senior class trip to Israel, the roots instilled in me for advocating on behalf of Israel began early at BT. I found it very important to remain committed to this cause at Penn, especially after leaving BT where doing so came naturally. n Jennifer Miller ’15 University of Maryland Member of Hillel, Terps for Israel, op-ed columnist for The Diamondback

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fter attending Jewish day school my entire grade school career and becoming increasingly passionate about Judaism and Israel, ceasing my Jewish education and commu-

nity involvement seemed frivolous. The Motivated and inspired by my 16 years at University of Maryland has such an BT, I have placed a strong emphasis on incredible presence of Jewish students, dedicating time and energy to my new many of whom are committed to making Jewish community. During my sophomore Jewish life and Israel advocacy vibrant at year, I served as the social action coordinathe University. While being in close tor at Michigan Hillel and I just completed quarters with 40-plus other students in a my term as Vice Chair of the Hillel dorm may scare some, I’ve found it a great Governing Board where I was responsible way to meet other people outside of the for determining Hillel policy, overseeing classroom. I attend Hillel events as often the direction of Hillel as an organization, as I can, and Maryland’s massive, thriving and making major programming decisions Jewish community definitely holds a huge for the University of Michigan Jewish presence there. I’ve also become involved community. Additionally, I have played an with Terps for Israel (TFI), the University active role in WolvPac (Michigan’s AIPAC of Maryland’s largest and most powerful group) and TAMID Investment Group. BT’s pro-Israel group on campus. Through this emphasis on tikun olam and an individual’s organization, I’m an op-ed columnist for role in making our world a better place The Diamondback, the school’s student-run also encouraged me to pursue a minor in news publication. Staying committed to social work where I learned how I can both Jewish and Israel-related organizations make sustainable and positive change in post-BT has been my way of bringing a bit communities across the US. Without BT, of home to College Park. n I would not be the young leader in the Jewish community that I am today. I am Dalia Bauman ’14 very excited to bring all my experiences, University of Maryland both from BT and Michigan, to Chicago Chair of Business Developnext year! n ment for the National Hillel Basketball Tournament Olivia Mauer ’15 (NHBT) www.hilleltournaCollege of Charleston ment.com, Executive Board Member of the new and member of Terps for Israel, Campus thriving Hillel where the Representative for Masa Israel Journey University’s Jewish population makes up 10% t Beth Tfiloh, I was given the necesof its students! sary resources to explore my Jewish

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fter graduating from BT and attending the College of Charleston, I quickly realized how strongly Beth Tfiloh rooted my Jewish identity in me. Growing up in the halls of BT for 15 years I knew I wanted to make Jewish friends and continue Jewish learning in college. As Henry Sholk ’11 soon as I committed to College of CharlesUniversity of Michigan ton the Hillel reached out to me, making Social Action Coordinator at me comfortable. My Hebrew class is in the Michigan Hillel (sophomore Hillel building so I am able to stay up to year), Vice Chair of the date on events and activities. I am looking Hillel Governing Board, forward to the January opening of the WolvPac (Michigan’s beautiful NEW Hillel vegetarian/kosher AIPAC group), TAMID Investment Group dining hall, a great option especially ince coming to Ann Arbor, the Jewish during the holidays. n community at the University of Michigan has become my new family. identity and discover my role in the larger Jewish community. Using what I learned at BT, I have involved myself in Maryland Hillel with the purpose of not only creating my own Jewish community, but building a new one for others to be a part of. n

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Have you joined the Beth Tfiloh Professional Network yet?

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hungry for impact:

Mark Leybengrub ’10

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by michelle cherry ’02

t just 23 years old, former BT athlete, mock trial team, admissions council and BT choir member Mark Leybengrub ’10 already has an impressive resume that includes positions at both IBM and Unilever, where he learned the importance of impact. Today, he applies that lesson in his role as Chief Strategy Officer for Hungry Harvest, the social venture that delivers “recovered produce” to homes on a weekly basis while also delivering to those in need.

BT: Tell us about Hungry Harvest in a nutshell.

Mark (right) with Evan Lutz, CEO of Hungry Harvest

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the latest health trends and going out to eat was a luxury reserved for special nights. And that definitely has had a lasting impact on my eating habits.

Mark Leybengrub: BT: How have your years at BT helped in Hungry Harvest is a influencing your passion and drive for such a social venture that turns meaningful mission? the produce delivery service model on its head. ML: Honestly, I think BT influenced me a lot differently than you would think. It’s not necessarily We deliver recovered the specific scriptures that I learned or the Judaic produce through a CSA holidays that we observed. I think Beth Tfiloh’s value model to people’s homes is that it constantly forced me to re-evaluate my on a weekly basis. The belief system and my values. That doesn’t mean produce we deliver, I necessarily always agreed, but I can certainly say I “recovered produce,” is wouldn’t have been as introspective and empathetic perfectly nutritious and delicious and often times as I am now without my schooling. aesthetically beautiful but otherwise goes to waste BT: What is your favorite Hungry Harvest recipe? because of (1) supply chain inefficiencies, (2) being ML: I don’t really have a particular one. I’ve tried too big or too small, (3) having a funny shape, (4) farmers grow too much. For every bag we deliver, we several and what I really like about them is they are donate 1 ½–2 pounds of produce to needy individuals simple and easy to make and taste great. Our chef, Barry Fleischman, who is actually the father of three in the community. That includes our Free Farmer’s Markets in West Baltimore where we supply produce BT alums, creates recipes that are tailored to each bag so you have most of the ingredients you need. in a food desert to our donation partners that will Not too far off from a company like Plated or Blue distribute bags to families in their communities.

Apron (we’ll be there soon). As for my favorite BT: Would you consider yourself a foodie or recipe, I usually take my harvests and turn them into someone who eats particularly healthy? smoothies. We’ll soon be featuring a smoothie ML: Until very recently, I was not someone who harvest for smoothie enthusiasts. really indulged in culinary experiences. My girlBT: You’ve previously worked at IBM and friend changed that by living in NYC and pushing Unilever. Can you compare those experiences me out of my culinary comfort zones. But healthy food has been part of my pedigree from the start; my with Hungry Harvest?

ML: IBM and Unilever are great companies. They mom ingrained healthy food into my mind from a both strive for continuous innovation and they have really early age, and my dad, Feliks, eats about 10-15 a passion for have an impact on our future. I measure fruits a day. And it’s not like we had the money to my work on really one main indicator, impact. I loved always eat healthy—my dad started at a $5/hour salary, but healthy eating was always a top priority. My the impact I had at both companies. At Unilever, mom’s really focused on healthy food, not because it’s I was super lucky that they entrusted me with managing millions of dollars of goods in process what she grew up on, but because she really just and it was high-paced and exciting. At IBM, I worked cares about the health of her children. So I grew up eating exclusively home-cooked meals that adhere to on a government contract with the Navy where we Continued on Page 7

“Robed in Dignity and Strength:”

the allison heyden scholarship fund

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n Eishet Chayil, King Solomon’s lyrical poem, he extols the virtues of his beloved wife. Among her praises are numerous references to clothing—both her wardrobe and that which she provides for her family, who are dressed “in fine clothing” made of “fine linen and luxurious cloth.” But perhaps her greatest adornment is that “she is robed in strength and dignity, and she smiles at the future.” Alli Heyden was the embodiment of King Solomon’s praise.

A talented and athletic High School student, Alli was known for her sparkling smile, her effervescent personality and most of all, her passion for fashion design. An up-and-coming designer, Alli’s dessertthemed senior collection put her school, Savannah College of Art and Design, on the map when it was showcased in Neimann Marcus’ Atlanta store window, featured in Cosmopolitan magazine and in the New York Times fashion magazine. Alli’s accomplishments landed her a spot in Sally CongdonMartin’s book, Emerging Fashion Designers.

Alli’s life was tragically cut short in 2011 due to complications following a surgery. To perpetuate her memory, her parents, David and Renee Heyden, have established the Allison Heyden Scholarship Fund, a permanent fund in Beth Tfiloh’s endowment that will provide scholarship grants to BT students.

“We felt that something Jewish was needed to keep Alli’s memory alive at someplace she loved, where she loved being with her friends every day, where she made a commitment to travel to every day from Harrisburg, PA, where she loved the teachers as she did,” says David. “The perfect place to create the scholarship was at BT, to get her friends involved. Now that it’s the 10th anniversary of their graduation, it’s the right time to do something to keep her memory alive.”

Her close friend from High School, Jessica Kowitz ’05, shares that one of Alli’s favorite experiences at BT was their senior year art class, “where we could design something of our own,” and, of course, the Weiner Basketball Tournaments. But one of Alli’s most meaningful experiences at BT was her senior trip to Poland and Israel. Although she’d previously visited Israel, “going with her friends gave it a whole different perspective,” says Renee.

It was also her first visit to Auschwitz, where both of her paternal grandparents had been imprisoned.

The Heydens note that several BT graduates have followed in Alli’s footsteps, attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, and that

Alli’s artistic legacy helped spark the growth of BT’s arts curriculum. “She made an impact on BT in her life, with what she accomplished. It’s important to keep that memory alive,” says Renee.

But Alli left her mark on BT, friends and family as well, even beyond her artistic contributions. She was an accomplished athlete, playing for four years on the BT Girls Soccer team, as well as winning numerous medals as a member of the Harrisburg, PA Maccabi swim team at national Maccabi competitions—she even got to meet her idol, Olympic champion Mark Spitz. Her experiences even influenced the career path of her sister, Stephanie ’09, who chose to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Temple University after observing the interactions between Alli and her therapist.

Alli’s own career trajectory was set in motion in part by her High School history and English teacher who “gave her the backbone to find a fashion school where she’d really be happy,” says David. Her teachers describe her as a “delightful person, well-respected by faculty and students, who went on to pursue her passion in life. When her fashion design showed up in the New York Times magazine one Sunday, we felt so proud to have taught her.”

That admiration for Alli extended throughout the school. “Allison was an upbeat, beautiful, positive person who made others smile because she always smiled,” remembers Mrs. Zipora Schorr, BT’s Director of Education, with whom Alli was very close. “She lit up the room with her smile, but the external was a representation of how beautiful she was inside.”

Now, Alli’s inner beauty and outer glow will illuminate other BT students’ educational journeys.

“The Allison Heyden Scholarship Fund gives other students a chance to live her legacy,” observes Jessica. “It will give them a chance to pursue and fulfill their own dreams, like Alli did.”

To make a gift to the Allison Heyden Scholarship fund please visit www.bethtfiloh.com/donate n

Allison Heyden ’05

Designs from Alli’s nationallyrecognized collection

Alli with Olympian Mark Spitz

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2015–2016 alumni campaign update Our goal is 300 Gifts! Thank you to the 132 alums who have contributed thus far!

To make a gift to the Alumni Campaign, please visit bethtfiloh.com/alumnigiving

Abigail (Baer) Aghion ’02 Rena (Rosenzweig) Antebi ’02 Daniel Aronhime ’05* Michael Attman ’05* Rachel Attman ’03 Alisa Baer ’98 Sharon (Samuel) Bar ’01 Eyal Bendicoff ’99 Yehuda Bennett ’04 Leah Bennett ’04 Benjamin Berger ’07 Lily Berger ’07 Ariella Berger ’09 Rachel Bolotin ’94 Paige Bookoff ’08 Levi Brandriss ’00 Rivka Bresler ’98 Dina (Moss) Brookmyer ’02* Jocelyn Broth ’15 Alicia Broth ’90 Jason Broth ’90 Matt Brown ’01 Samuel Brown ’05* Marc Burkom ’98 Joe Carliner ’05 Angelica (Sabintsev) Carliner ’07 Eric Chason ’10 Max Chason ’12 Alyson Chason ’15

Rebecca Chinsky ’04 Katie Cohen ’96 Alex Cohn ’14 Nina (Auster) Cusner ’00 Tara Daniels ’11 Jeremy Diamond ’93 Joshua Eidelman ’08 Sara Eidelman ’08 Eric Eidelman ’11 Marc Ershler ’94 Jonathan Falk ’06 Erin (Dahan) Fenigstein ’02 Joel Fink ’01 Pamela Franklin ’06 Melanie Franklin ’09 Joshua Frazer ’05* Aliza (King) Friedlander ’05* Igor Friedman ’05* Jackie (Fuchs) Yahr ’00 Samuel Fuchs ’04 Stacy (Hollander) Fuld ’02 Lindsay Gaister ’02 Jordan Genut ’99 Judy Gerstenblith ’09 Aaron Gillette ’09 Teri (Ershler) Gitlitz ’92 Corey Gold ’14 Jessica (Barthlow) Goldberg ’03 Spencer Goldberg ’07

Justine Miliman Goldschmitt ’05* Steve Goloskov ’91 Cynthia Grosberg ’07 Daniel Gross ’14 Lauren (Birenbaum) Hammond ’97 Megan (Goldsmith) Harkavy ’01 Rachel Hercenberg ’05* David Hercenberg ’03 Jonathan Hoffman ’09 Marlene Hollander ’97 Aaron Hollander ’00 JB Hollander ’04 Jesse Isaacson ’98 Micheal Jaskulsky ’02 Daniel Josephs ’03 Jonathan Kalish ’06 Lisa Exler ’96 Renata (Isaacson) Kepner ’00 Adam Klaff ’94 Jessica (Kowitz) Bazian ’05* Bradley Kronthal ’11 Spencer Kronthal ’14 Adam Kruger ’05* Natalie Kuznetsova Shoshan ’96 Fred Lavon ’15 Paulina (Rosenbaum) Lerman ’08

Casey Lichter ’10 Jordan Magat ’09 Jamie Miliman ’05* Joanna (Friner) Millman ’01 Jonathan Minkove ’98 Molly Moran ’05* Idon Natanzon ’15* David Platt ’04 Rachel (Leavey) Plotkin ’98 Micheal Podberesky ’93 Shoshi Ponczak ’03 Brian Ponczak ’98 Cheryl Pruce ’04 Erika Rief ’09 Austin Rief ’13 Nancy (Holzman) Roffman ’02 Ted Rosenbaum ’00 Geoffrey Rosenberg ’05* Rebecca (Gardner) Rosenfelt ’01 Lisa Roskes ’14 Shawn Rosofsky ’13 Rebecca (Feldman) Rubin ’03 Dodi Samuel ’98 Joseph Samuel ’98 Allyson (Bank Sapherstein ’00 Yelena (Shklyar) Sapoznick ’96

warrior day! february 24, 2016 Y ou’ve heard about the BT alumni campaign. But do you know what it really is?

Whether or not you received financial aid, a good percentage your classmates did. Today, the percentage of students receiving tuition assistance is larger— more than 40 percent of current BT students. For those students, the alumni campaign makes the difference between getting a BT education or not.

It’s the same BT education that served as your foundation for success; it’s the same Beth Tfiloh that provided you a home away from home—a safe place where you could explore your intellectual strength, build lasting friendships, and foster your Jewish identity.

The Alumni Campaign allows you to acknowledge your teachers’ roles in you 5

becoming the person you are today; to remind you of how much you looked forward to the end of the day to get to play rehearsal and sports games; to appreciate that Mrs. Schorr probably hasn't slept for more than eight hours total since she started working at BT because she is so dedicated to her students and to creating an educational institution that would contribute to their success—as it did to our success today.

That's the kind of dedication that filled the library with books and your stomach with Goldberg’s bagels for lunch on Fridays; that sent you on you senior trip to Israel and brought inspiring speakers to Friday assemblies; it’s what helped put that hard-earned diploma in your hand.

Warrior Day is February 24—it’s your chance to acknowledge that because of Beth

Daniel Schmerling ’04 Hudi Schorr ’01 Dena (Leavey) Schrier ’05* Andrew Schuster ’05* Joshua Schwartz ’15 Sheri (Ershler) Seaman ’90 Emily Sellman ’09 Yelena (Gleger) Shirkin ’96 Leigh Siegel ’05* Jessica Smolarz ’05* Jason Sochol ’04 Lizzy Solovey ’09 Ellen Spunt ’09 Joshua Stein ’14 Nicole Talor ’09 Marty Taylor ’94 Vered Taylor ’95 Dmitry Volshonok ’91 Rachel Steinberg Warschawski ’96 Chanan Weissman ’01 Jonathan Wohlberg ’91 Joshua Wolf ’98 *Indicating those that have donated towards the Allison Heyden Scholarship Fund

Tfiloh’s lay leaders and professionals, you are who you are today. You had what you had in High School because so many people worked tirelessly on your behalf. You were so, so, incredibly lucky to attend a school where teachers cared, where every student had both a guidance counselor and a college counselor, and there was always chocolate in the English Department’s office.

You're out in the real world now. Maybe you’re still in college; maybe you’re a parent and are paying your own child’s Jewish day school tuition. But now you can show your gratitude for what you received… and pay it forward. Now’s the time to contribute— even a little bit—to the bigger picture.

Continued on Page 7

mazal tov to

Daniel Josephs ’03 on his marriage to Tziona Katz.

Jared Lustman ’99 and his wife, Danielle, on the birth of their son Greyson Taylor.

Shira Dickler ’05 on her marriage to Joshua Schneck.

Elana Lesser ’12 on her engagement to Stephan Gilbert.

Jamie Miliman ’05 on her marriage to Brian Barr.

Sarah (Brem) Sunshine ’04 and her husband, Joel, on the birth of their daughter, Yael Galit (Gabrielle Michelle).

Allison (Sellman) Raphael ’05 and her husband, Michael, on the birth of their daughter, Isabelle Eva. Jessica (Kowitz) Bazian ’05 on her marriage to Sam Bazian.

Stacy (Hollander) Fuld ’02 and Judah, her husband, on the birth of their daughter, Stephanie “Stevie” Yael .

Matt Brown ’01 on his marriage to Amanda Ries.

Zach Alter ’06 and Rachel Rosen ’06 on their marriage.

good news…

Ben Rubin ’04 was featured in the Baltimore Jewish Times and on WBAL for a segment on Latkes!

Dr. Alisa Baer ’98 and Emily Levine ’98 (aka “The Car Seat Ladies”) were featured on FOX News demonstrating new recommendations for child car seat safety.

Matthew Bassan ’03 completed his sports medicine fellowship at North Shore LIJ—Plainview Hospital in New York. He will begin employment as a sports medicine physician at Garden State Orthopedics in New Jersey.

Cory Brown ’08 is a first-year student at Drexel Medical School.

Dina Burcat ’02 received the Community Service Award at the JC NY Annual Dinner, and was appointed Director of Alumni Affairs at Yeshiva University.

Rabbi Steven Exler ’98 was installed as Senior Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale (New York), where he succeeds Rabbi Avi Weiss. (See article on page 1.)

Matthew Jeffers ’09 continues to achieve success in his acting career. Matthew made his television debut in an episode of The Blacklist and was featured in a commercial as Madder Bomber.

Gil Kuttler ’15 was officially inducted into the IDF.

Ari Ross ’97 was a member of the digital animation team for The Peanuts Movie where he served as one of the lighting leads.

Benjamin Stein ’96, CTO and Co-Founder of Mobile Commons, a cloud-based mobile messaging software provider, was featured in an article about the acquisition of his company by Upland Software.

Atara Vogelstein ’11 wrote a blog post for The Times of Israel entitled, “Peace, Love & Basketball.”

Ezra Olman ’91 published a book of short stories entitled The Attempted Destruction of Herr Neumann.

Gideon Bass ’05 received his Ph.D. in Physics from George Mason University.

Solomon Eichner ’06 is one of the winners of the GoldenKey Debut International Piano Competition.

condolences to

Joshua Chinsky ’01, Benjamin Chinsky ’04 and Rebecca Chinsky ’04 on the loss of their grandfather, Hillel Chinsky.

Zach Alter ’06 (wife Rachel Rosen ’06) on the loss of his grandmother, Lucille Alter.

Jennifer Fradlin ’02 on the loss of her grandfather, Miron Magidman.

Adina Blas ’10 on the loss of her father, Howard Kashnow.

Mrs. Zipora Schorr on the loss of her sister, Rivkah Schreiber.

Dena Cohen ’07 (Ryan Blaustein) and Joel Cohen ’10 on the loss of their grandfather, Jerome Stanley Gudelsky.

Samantha Seidman ’13 on the loss of her grandfather, Peter Scher.

Solomon (Rebecca) Eichner ’06 on the loss of his grandmother, Gail Fleischmann.

Ricki Linkoff ’06 (fiancee Bryan Weisbrot) on the loss of her grandfather, Erwin Sagenkahn.

Joshua Land ’11 and Benjamin Youngworth ’07 on the loss of their grandfather, Nelson Hyman.

Alex Cohn ’14 on the loss of his grandfather, Dr. Larry Becker.

Get updates as they happen on our BT Alumni Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ bethtfilohalumni

family in focus: becoming a new dad and owning a business

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ecoming a father has always been on my to do list. But, now that I can actually check it off the list it’s a crazy responsibility and still makes my head spin a little bit. I love being a dad and everything that comes with it, but there are some unforeseen challenges that come with the title, “father.”

Although my life is not the same as it was five months ago, it has not turned upside down, just slanted in a different direction… Charlie’s direction, wherever he

by david hercenberg ’03

may be. We now are fully stocked with diapers, baby clothes, toys, accessories, bottles and pacifiers. However, we are now running low on sleep, food, and a social life… but that comes with the territory.

Life is a balancing act, and so is running your own business. Documented Video Productions has enabled me to document the lives of other people and earn a living telling their stories. Fortunately I’ll be able to document the life of Charlie Solomon as he grows up, and one day create a killer bar mitzvah montage that will be one for the history books!

At the end of the day juggling various projects such as aerial drone videos, corporate promotional videos, wedding

and bar/bat mitzvah’s and teaching a film course at Beth Tfiloh finding the time to sleep has been quite the juggling act, but one that I would not trade for anything.

One thing I’ve found to be helpful between me and my wife Danielle has been a shared Google calendar that we can access from our phones. This prevents us from scheduling something at the same time to make sure Charlie gets the care he needs.

We try to be as organized as possible to keep us on the same page. We have found that maintaining open communication and transparency are key to less headaches and complications and more smooth sailing and sleep (hopefully one day).

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mark leybengrub Continued from Page 3 those two beliefs are very congruent with each other. We want to provide everyone in the United States with a source of delicious and nutritious food, as well as eliminate all food deserts across the country with our donation model. And we want to make eating fruits and vegetables exciting and interesting, so we’re starting to build out a strong community of influencers that can guide our customers through recipes, health hacks, volunteer opportunities at farms and events, and so forth.

We think that will be a game changer.

BT: You mentioned that your favorite job was starting your own DJ company in 8th grade…..do you still DJ? ML: Nope. I realized pretty quickly I wasn’t that great, but I still have the equipment and mix for friends/family.

Non-Profit Org u.s. Postage paid Permit No. 1262 Baltimore, md

Roz & Marvin H. Weiner Family Campus 3300 Old Court Road • Baltimore, md 21208

Check out BT’s Alumni Site.

Jackie Fuchs ’00 Development Chair jacqueline.fuchs@gmail.com

(410) 413-2336 • alumni@btfiloh.org www.facebook.com/bethtfilohalumni www.youtube.com/bethtfilohalums Twitter: @bethtfilohalums

Jessie Barthlow Goldberg ’03 Events Chair Jgbarthlow@gmail.com

www.BethTfiloh.com/alumni

warrior day The Alumni Campaign is not just about the students who do need your help; it’s also about you simply doing the right thing.

Continued from Page 6

Let’s go, Warriors.

Our goal is 300 gifts.

On Warrior Day, let’s make BT proud of us once again.

New York Reunion Thursday, February 18 at 6:30 pm Talia’s Steakhouse 668 Amsterdam Ave. New York, NY 10025 College Park Reunion Sunday, February 21 at 6 pm Hillel—7612 Mowatt Lane College Park, MD 20740 7

Welcome new Alumni Council Members!

Casey Spigel ’01 Burton Daniel ’04 Ariela Rodban ’10

Lisa Miliman Diamond ’00 Chair, Beth Tfiloh Alumni Council diamondesq@gmail.com

soy sauce chicken stacy (hollander) fuld ’02

Stacy recently moved back to Baltimore with her family, where she became the new Director of Physical Education here at Beth Tfiloh.

She, and husband, Judah, have two children, future BT alums— Harrison ’25 (age 3) and Stevie (4 months). ingredients n Package of chicken thighs n ¾ cup honey n ¼ cup soy sauce n ¼ cup olive oil n 1 tbsp garlic powder n 1 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Clean chicken and put in a pan n Mix all the ingredients into a bowl n Pour ingredients all over the chicken n Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until ready n n

recipe corner

2016 save the dates

Teri Ershler Gitlitz ’92 Chesed Chair ershey@yahoo.com

Michelle Cherry ’02 Director of Alumni Relations (410) 413-2336 mcherry@btfiloh.org

design by tracie lissauer

maintained the Navy’s billing system, moving billions of dollars around the world—also a huge project that I was really lucky to work on. But the level of impact that someone can have at a small startup like Hungry Harvest, especially if you are one of the first employees, is awesome. I’m so lucky that I was given this opportunity. And the impact you have at a business like this really determines the life, growth, or death of your company. That gets me psyched.

BT: Where do you see Hungry Harvest in five years from now?

ML: Hungry Harvest will be the most affordable and largest produce delivery service in the country. We believe that healthy eating shouldn’t be a luxury. We also believe that good food should never go to waste.

It’s just really convenient