RINAT’S MEET THE MEMBERS FLIPBOOK
The Avishur Family Where did you grow up? Alexis grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, and Maccabee grew up in Los Angeles, California (the Valley, to be exact. How did you meet? We met in Alexis’s sister’s sukkah in North Hollywood, California during Sukkos of 2001. It’s kind of a strange story, actually. Maccabee was supposed to have flown back to England—where he was studying—in mid-September, but all those plans were obviously put on hold. So he called up his friend (who turned out to be Alexis’ brother-in-law) to invite himself over for Sukkos. Alexis and her parents were visiting as well, and the rest is history. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Before we moved to Teaneck in 2012 we lived in Los Angeles, Houston, and Oak Park, MI. Technically, we also lived at camp in the summer of 2012 because we had sold our home in Michigan and hadn’t yet closed on our home in Teaneck. Tell us about your children. We have four children, Eliyah (16) is a sophomore at TABC where his brother, Ohr (13), an 8th grader at Yeshivat HeAtid, will join him next year. Ziv (10) and Eden (6) also attend Yeshivat HeAtid. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Maccabee used to surf, and finally (sadly) sold his longboard when we left Houston after not using it for 5 years. Alexis found a passion for wellness and fitness after years of chronic illness as a teen and has translated that passion into her work as a massage therapist. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love the amazing Rabbonim, the beautiful davening, and the culture of learning and curiosity. We really appreciate that the members of Rinat are great role models for our children: they daven and learn daily while also engaging meaningfully in the broader wo rld.
The Blau Family Where did you grow up? Yaakov grew up in Washington Heights and Sara grew up in Woodmere.
How did you meet? We met at a wedding of a fellow Frisch rebbe, but did not start dating until several months later, when we were set up by a different Frisch teacher.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Yaakov was living in Teaneck in the Walraven apartments and a member of Rinat before we got married. Sara lived in Washington Heights; she moved into Yaakov’s apartment and, after a year of living in a former bachelor pad, was ready to look for a house. We moved into our current house on Winthrop Road in May 2008. Tell us about your family. Yaakov is a rebbe at Yeshivat Frisch and Sara is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. Meira is in 8 th grade, Yehuda in 2nd and Rena in Kindergarten in RYNJ. Aharon is in Yaldenu daycare and will be joining the RYNJ family next year.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Our family loves taking road trips and our kids actually think that 6 hours in a car is a treat.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Our favorite thing about Rinat is the youth department. Martin and Divsha run programming that is both fun, educational and helpful for parents. Our kids love having friendships with children from other schools. Meira has gained valuable leadership skills under Martin and Divsha’s tutelage.
The Block Family Where did you grow up? Noam grew up in Teaneck and even went to Rinat! Rebecca also grew up in Teaneck but went to a different shul (down the block…). As you can tell, we clearly loved Teaneck enough to not want to leave. How did you meet? Although we both attended the same elementary school, we did not know each other. We were introduced by our friends, Ariella and David Braun, who used to be Rinat members but made Aliyah last summer. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We loved in Washington Heights while Rebecca was in Columbia dental school, but as soon as she graduated, we crossed back over the bridge and moved immediately to Teaneck in 2013. We decided to join Rinat for numerous reasons. Firstly, the members were so friendly and welcoming. Rebecca immediately felt at home after attending Tot Shabbat and Noam loved the davening and sermons from Rabbi Adler. Lastly, the groups are second to none. Tell us about your children. Caleb (7) and Amalya (5) both attend Yavneh Academy. Yishai (2) recently started attending Gan Rina Nursery. They all look forward every Shabbos going to Rinat youth groups and Tot Shabbat, respectively, and saying good Shabbos to Rabbi Adler at the 8:30 minyan. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Noam and I are both lefties and have three righty children. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The people! We moved here in 2013 and most of our friends that we have now, we only met through the shul. Rabbi Adler, Rabbi Wiener and the entire community set a great example for both our children and us of what it means to be a Jew both as an individual and as a member of the community.
The Bluman Family Where did you grow up? Although we have lived more than half our lives in Teaneck, 35 years, we are still proud to call ourselves out of towners. Bracha grew up in Dayton, OH and Mark grew up in Syracuse, NY – a real upstate NYer.
How did you meet? Bracha’s roommate at Stern College was Mark’s backyard neighbor in Syracuse. She made the shidduch freshman year of college and the rest is history.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? After marrying right out of college, we moved to Forest Hills. Quickly realizing it is unnatural for trees to grow out of sidewalks, and at the urging of Heidi and Alan Fuchs, we checked out Teaneck. We moved to Terrace Circle in 1986, where we lived for six years before moving to our current home. Since moving to Teaneck, we have been Rinat members where we have formed some of our closest and dearest friendships.
Tell us about your children. Bracha and Mark are proud parents and grandparents of Etan and Kayla Bluman and their children Ahuva, Zevy, Rina, and Elisha of Fair Lawn; Benjy and Shifra Leibowitz and their children Ayelet, Akiva, Gavriel, and Ezra of Fair Lawn; Noah and Yaffa Whittenburg and their children Nessya, Leebi, and Gavriella of San Diego; and Abba and Ronit Szydlo of Teaneck.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? While Morah Bracha is best known for singing with her Moriah School kindergartners, her talents were developed in high school in the Congregation Beth Abraham Youth Chorale; and also made a soloist appearance on the Sunday morning show CBS Eye on America. For many years, Mark traveled extensively to Latin America - fala Portuguese e habla Espanol.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Our favorite thing about Rinat is the fond memories. Rinat has played such a central role in our lives and in the lives of our children. We have shared in a wide range of lifecycle events with our Rinat friends, R’ Adler and R’ Wiener. We look forward to creating wonderful, new memories.
Ruthie Levi & Bob Carroll Where did you grow up? Ruthie grew up in Washington Heights, the home of her Yekke roots! Bob, unlike many more recent Olim to New Jersey, was born and bred in Oakland, 15 min. due west of here. How did you meet? We met through JDate right here in Teaneck! We lived 1 mile apart. Bob sent Ruthie an email and she promptly rejected him, saying that his profile indicated that he wanted to make Aliyah and she, while not opposed to it, had never thought about it. Bob persisted and here we are. We made Aliyah in 2005 but still spend a good deal of time in Teaneck. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Ruthie moved to Teaneck in 1994 as a single woman at the age of 35. She found the general community so very warm and welcoming. Bob moved to Teaneck in about 1989 but had spent a great deal of time here as a teenager and since. We joined Rinat in 2015. Tell us about your children. We have no children except for Mona, the Lion of Zion, our cat, who made Aliyah with all of the appropriate paperwork! What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Ruthie– people are always surprised to learn that she has a real, paying job, other than moderating TeaneckShuls, which is purely volunteer run and operated. Bob– the thing people find most surprising to hear about him is that he was a chayal in an antiterror unit for six years. Or that he has smicha from YU, take your choice. He also collects rocks but everyone knows about that! What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We enjoy the Rinat community, have tremendous respect for the leadership of Rabbi Adler and enjoy the higher level learning opportunities that are continually being offered. The recent WhatsApp initiatives are a great addition to our day!
The Cohn Family Where did you grow up? Brooklyn! (Didn’t everybody?) Yafit grew up in Manhattan Beach, and Moshe grew up in Canarsie.
How did you meet? ? We went to high school together at Yeshivah of Flatbush.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We actually lived in Brooklyn before moving to Teaneck. We moved to Teaneck (and joined Rinat) in August 2011, when our third child, Matan, was only three weeks old.
Tell us about your children. We have four amazing kids. Reiut (15) is a tenth grader at SAR High School. She is a very talented artist, loves to sing, act and play the piano, and is an avid reader. Adeev (13) is in eighth grade at SAR Academy. Despite his age, he is very skilled at kri’at haTorah and has been reading almost weekly at our outdoor minyan; he is also an expert at building complex LEGO structures and plays travel soccer. Matan (10) is a fifth grader at Yavneh Academy. He takes drum lessons and plays in a band, loves to play baseball, and is now also on a travel soccer team. Haddar (8) is in third grade at Yavneh Academy. She loves to play sports, spend time outdoors, do art projects and play the piano. As a family, we love to hike, bike, ski, and travel.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Moshe was one of the founding members of the Jewish a cappella group, Six13, and recorded four albums with the group. Yafit has completed several multi-day hikes, including the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, the Inca trail in Peru, and the barely-marked Landmannalaugar trail in Iceland.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? From the first Shabbat we stepped into the shul, we have felt welcomed. We love the warm environment at Rinat, and our children have always felt comfortable in shul, at groups and at Rinat’s many and varied events. We have also very much appreciated the responsiveness and thoughtfulness of Rinat’s leadership and administration.
Bernice & Steven Gilbert Where did you grow up? Steve was born in Brooklyn and raised in West Hempstead. Bernice was born and raised in Washington Heights, where our daughters later lived as singles and newlyweds. How did you meet? We met (not the first time but the most significant) at a "Yeshivish Shidduch Event" in Brooklyn. Bernice was living on the UWS, hishtadlut on her part to go to this type of event in the hinterland of Brooklyn, and then went out three more times before getting engaged. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Bernice moved, to her great dismay, from the UWS to Steve's neighborhood, Midwood, for two years after we married. We then moved to Teaneck and immediately joined Rinat. The shul was still in the house and everyone was so welcoming. Tell us about your children. Shoshana Gilbert & Jacob More live with their son in Atlanta, Ga. Mordechai & Malki Gilbert live with their family in Springfield, NJ, and Tova & Donny Charlap live with their family in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We appreciate Rinat’s commitment to Yahadut and Zionism. We especially value that Rinat is a Kehilla that takes care of its members in so many ways from chesed to fantastic shiurim for all ages.
The Faber Family Where did you grow up? Bina- Allentown until 13 years old and then Teaneck. Yossi- Los Angeles.
How did you meet? Divsha and Martin's apartment in Washington Heights. Yossi and Martin are old camp Morasha friends and that specific Friday was the shortest of the year and Bina had two exams so easier to go to the Heights than Teaneck. She went to Divsha and Martin for Shabbat and Yossi was one of many guys they had over.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Started in the Heights, then lived in Beer Sheva for a year and then Teaneck's Westgate apartments. Have been members of Rinat for almost 18 years. Tell us about your children. Shalva, 19, is at Hunter College, Yaakov, 17, is at TABC and Emunah, 11, is at Moriah. But currently, all are being home schooled by their fabulous teachers and their exhausted mother.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Yossi was born in London in the same hospital and wing that the royal family delivers their children. Bina- no surprises there. If there was one, one of her siblings or the three Faber kids probably told you already! In many years from now, she'll be known as the first female president of Rinat and tried to hold it together during the Coronavirus pandemic. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The people. And not just our family.
Sarah and Bruce Feder
Where did you grow up? Sarah moved around as a child, her parents now live in Binghampton and Bruce grew up in Staten Island. Where did you meet? A friend set us up and as they say the rest is history.
Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Staten Island and moved to Teaneck in 2016. We joined Rinat a few months later. Tell us about your children. Leora and Yael are twins and are Juniors in Stern College, Michal is a junior in Maayanot and Arielle is in the 4th grade at Noam. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We have 20 year old twins, Sarah is a speech therapist and Bruce is IT Director. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? There is so much but to name a few- Rabbi Adler and Rabbi Weiner, the youth department, The beautiful davening, all the shiurim that are given, all the lay leaders and members who give shiurim.
Shira and Howie Forman Where did you grow up? Howie in Tampa, Florida. Shira in Brooklyn, NY. How did you meet? We were set up by Shira’s high school friend who became Howie’s medical school classmate. Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan before moving to Teaneck 4 years ago. We joined Rinat immediately after we unpacked our stuff. Tell us about your children. Eli is almost 9. Arielle is 4 1/2. They are both parent child learning fanatics. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We are a family of country music fans and NASCAR fans. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Manny Landau
Debbie & Ed Fox and Family Where did you grow up? Debbie grew up in Washington Heights and Ed grew up in Poughkeepsie, a small town in Upstate NY.
How did you meet? We met on Purim night when Debbie and a friend were going to the YU chagiga (which was acceptable in those days!); Debbie and her friend made a mistake (which turned out not to be a mistake!) and came too early, so went to visit someone who happened to be Ed's apartment mate (also was done in those days..); the rest is history.....
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We started out for the first 5 years of our marriage in Washington Heights and moved to Teaneck in 1985 (Really dates us..). We joined Rinat right after we moved because there were rumors that Rinat wanted to remain a small shul (there were about 40 families at the time) and were considering capping the membership.
Tell us about your children. We have 4 wonderful children (all are proudly working in chinuch) and four wonderful in-law children. Tamar and Phil live in Bergenfield and have 4 children. Tamar teaches at RYNJ and Phil is an attorney. Yoni and Ariele live in Chicago and have 5 children. Yoni is a Rebbe at Ida Crown Hebrew Academy and Ariele is a nurse. Daniel and Bryna live in Northbrook (a suburb of Chicago) with their 7 children. Daniel is the Rabbi of Darchei Noam of Glenbrook and is the other Rabbi Fox at Ida Crown and Bryna, a nurse, is currently working as a very busy mom. We are proud to have Shira and Yair and their 3 children living in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Yair is a medical physicist at Hadassah Hospital and Shira, a teacher, is currently acclimating her family to life in Israel. Our grandchildren range in age from 16 to 3 months and give us tons of nachat.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Debbie loves animals; over the years, we have had a frog, a rabbit and a cat as pets. Ed is one of the few people in Teaneck who prefers to mow his own lawn.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love the quiet, serious, and spirited davening and the focus on learning and chessed. We have made many good friends during our years at Rinat.
The Freeman Family Where did you grow up? Alan grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and Devora grew up in Brooklyn, NY. How did you meet? We met on a ski trip in Switzerland. Alan was living in London at the time.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We moved to Teaneck in 2017 and lived on Merrison street at that time. Devora’s sister lives on Churchill, so we moved to Edgewood to live closer to her and joined Rinat. Tell us about your children. We have 3 kids, DJ (almost 10), Remi (8) and JB (1). What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Our favorite thing about Rinat is the tremendous chesed organized by its members. Alan had a bad accident this year and broke his back. Members of Rinat, many of whom we'd never met, mobilized and took such good care of us, and we are so very grateful for everyone’s care and help.
The Friedlander Family Where did you grow up? Aliza grew up in Staten Island, NY and Philip in North Woodmere, NY. We lived in Brookline MA. How did you meet? We met on a blind date arranged by my mother, Philip's aunt and a family friend. We found out later that we had met 10 years earlier through a mutual friend! Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Brookline MA. We moved to Teaneck in 2010. After one year in the Country Club section, we bought a house near Rinat and joined. Tell us about your children. We have 4 daughters, Julie & Esther in Maayanot and Ariella & Elianna in Yavneh. They recently ganged up on me to fulfill my promise of getting them a "furry pet" for Julie being on the basketball team all season so we are fostering a rescue dog. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? I modeled for a national magazine in my 20s. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? My favorite thing(s) about Rinat are Martin & Divsha, I think they do an amazing job with all the kids programming. I also love Rabbi Adler and Rabbi Weiner & Vivi who were so helpful and comforting during the unexpected loss of my mother. This year I am looking forward to all the awesome Nerot events (shameless plug).
Friedman Family Where did you grow up? Aaron – Forest Hills, NY; Mati – Boro Park (there are a bunch of us in Rinat from BP)!
How did you meet? Mati’s brother-in-law set us up.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We first lived in Riverdale, then Fair Lawn, and moved to Teaneck in 1997.
Tell us about your children. Our oldest son, Ami, lives in Florida where he works in an asset management company, frequently lains in local shuls and enjoys having warm weather all year. Our second son, Noam lives with his wife, Shiffy, and children, Avital, Adir and Shachar (who attend Yeshivat He’Atid), in Manhattan where they serve the Columbia/Barnard Orthodox community as the OU-JLIC couple. Shiffy is also a Yoetzet Halacha and teaches Limudei Kodesh at Ma’ayanot. Our youngest, Rachel, lives with her husband, Aminadav Grossman, and children, Chanan and Nitzan, in Alon Shvut. Rachel teaches Talmud and works for Sefaria. Aminadav is a social worker and learns in the Kollel of Yeshivat Har Etzion where he teaches as well.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Aaron speaks Portuguese. Early in Mati’s career she worked at the Metropolitan Opera.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The tefillah, the rabbis, the people, the youth groups – once enjoyed by our children, and now by our grandchildren when they visit – and so many other things.
The Gelbtuch Family Where did you grow up? Tzivya grew up right here in Teaneck and went to Rinat. Tzivya's parents - Charles and Nancy Block continue to live nearby and have been Rinat members for >30 years. In fact, Tzivya's brother and sister-in-law - Noam and Rebecca Block live nearby as well and have likewise come back to Rinat as members. Moshe grew up in Riverdale.
How did you meet? We were set up by mutual friends, though Moshe was friendly with Tzivya's brother Noam beforehand and swears he interacted with Tzivya prior to them dating, even though it was really Tzivya's twin sister Nili.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We got married in June 2012 and moved to Riverdale, where we stayed for 6 years (and 2 children). We moved to Teaneck in June 2018 and became Rinat members shortly after moving. We had the benefit of "strong familiarity" with Rinat and Rabbi Adler given Tzivya having grown up in the shul, as well as attending Rinat when staying with Tzivya's parents for assorted Shabbosim, Yamim Tovim, and family events prior to moving.
Tell us about your children. We have 3 boys - Josh (almost 7, first grade at RYNJ), Ari (4.5, Butterflies class at Gan Rina; expects to attend RYNJ for pre-K next year), and Joey (1.5; expects to attend Gan Rina next year). Our boys are "boys' boys" through and through. Sports, trucks, dinosaurs, dirt under the fingernails, broken TV monitors, etc. The whole 9 yards.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Tzivya has an identical twin, Nili (she lives with her husband and 2 children in Oakland, CA). Since Nili does come to visit occasionally, don't get offended if someone looking like Tzivya totally ignores you in shul. It might not be her! Moshe is the youngest in his family by a wide margin - Moshe's older brothers are 15 and 14 years older, respectively, and his sister (Sora Grunstein, another Teaneck resident, though not a Rinat-goer) is 8 years older. Of Moshe's 11 nephews and nieces on his side of the family, all but 1 are in high school, college, or grad school, and 1 is married.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The diversity of the shul. We value the breadth of membership, across ages, schools, etc. We love that our children have shul friends that go to varying schools and camps. We love that we've developed legitimate friendships with people our age up to people double our age (quite literally). It's been a wonderful experience for us to expand our social circles well beyond the typical tight groups of people your age who live next door and who send their kids to the same schools and camps. We also love the youth department. Martin and Divsha are the best!
Beverly & Andrew Geller Where did you grow up? Andy grew up in Williamsport, PA and Beverly grew up in Worcester, MA. How did you meet? Andy was a student at YU and Beverly was a student at Stern and a friend set us up. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Forest Hills for 7 years before moving to Teaneck in 1978.
Tell us about your children. We are blessed with three children. Rebecca and her husband Daniel and family live in Teaneck. Aviva and her husband Jonathan and family also live in Teaneck. And Joshua and his wife Adina and family live in Great Neck, NY. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Andy’s parents, z”l, donated a Torah to Congregation Rinat Yisrael back in 1980 and our grandson Zachary Wolf was able to lein from it for his Bar Mitzvah. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We enjoy learning from the drashot by Rabbi Adler and Rabbi Wiener and the adult ed presentations, especially from Rabbi J.J. Schacter.
Marcy and Stephen Glicksman
Where did you grow up? Marcy grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Stephen grew up in Livingston, New Jersey.
How did you meet? We met in Camp HASC.
Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We moved to Teaneck from Riverdale around 20 years ago, and joined Rinat the day we arrived.
Tell us about your children. Our oldest, Yonatan, is currently working for the OU and is the founder of Yesh Olam (follow on Facebook and Twitter). Our second, Amitai, is doing kiruv in Oakland, California. Simi is spending the year in Israel at Migdal Oz.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn. The surprising thing about Stephen is that he went to Uman for Rosh Hashana. The surprising thing about Marcy is that she let him.
The Goldsmith Family Where did you grow up? Josh grew up not too far away, in Fair Lawn, NJ. Miriam is from a bit farther away, and you may be surprised that she is from Lakewood, NJ. How did you meet? We were set up by close friends at their engagement party upon our return from our year in Israel. With that said, we didn’t actually go on our first date until a couple of years later. Thank G-d for persistent friends. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We have lived in Teaneck ever since we’ve been married. We spent 4 years in the West Gate apartments before moving to our home about 10 years ago.
Tell us about your children. We’ve got 3 amazing children! Eitan (11), our oldest is kind, mature and intelligent. Ami (9), our athlete, is also a gentle giant. The head of our household title goes to our daughter, Sarah (6). In addition to seeing all of their friends at groups and the great events that the youth department has, our kids are most excited about saying hello to their “besty” Rabbi Adler every Shabbos morning. Going to the candyman is a very close second. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? After almost 15 years of marriage, Miriam still doesn't know what Josh’s job is. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? It’s hard to pick just one thing, but if we had to it would have to be the people. Starting with the Rabbis who greet our kids every week with a warm smile, to all the lay leaders who donate their time to keep Rinat running so smoothly. As an example, we have yet to attend a minyan where they’ve had to spend any time rolling the Torah. We learned that is because of the Gabbai’s dedication in giving of his time to reduce tircha ditzibura. The people of this shul have a real focus on bettering our community.
Amy & Robbie Greenberg and Family Where did you grow up? Amy grew up in Long Beach, NY and Robbie grew up in Washington Heights.
How did you meet? We had a mutual friend who thought Amy would know someone for Robbie, but after we met, we knew we were perfect for each other. We were both big fans of the Honeymooner TV show and on our first date, we spent hours laughing and recalling all 39 episodes.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Before moving to Teaneck we lived in Riverdale for 16 years. When we decided to make the move, we spent several Shabbasim going to different shuls in Teaneck and were very moved by the kavanah that we saw people had while davening in Rinat.
Tell us about your family. We have a daughter, Yocheved, who is an occupational therapist. She is married to Yitzi Diskind, who is an attorney and they have two children, Tikki, 3.5 years old, and Tehilla, 16 months old.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Amy went to Bologna, Italy, to study Italian cooking for two weeks. One of the dishes she perfected was Chicken Fettuccine, which became one of our favorites. Robbie volunteered at Kibbutz Be’erot Yitzhak for six weeks, picking cotton and oranges.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The beautiful davening with kavanah, the inspiring speeches by our wonderful Rabbis: Rabbi Adler, Rabbi Wiener and our new Mara D’asra, Rabbi Strauchler. We also enjoy the variety of and inspirational shiurim that are given by the many learned members of our shul.
The Greenberg Family Where did you grow up? Elana grew up in West Hartford, CT and Yoni grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. How did you meet? We met on Mach Hach Ba'aretz and started dating a year later in high school. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We got married in 2003 and lived in Far Rockaway for 7 years. Elana's sister lived in Teaneck at the time and Yoni's mother lived in Englewood so with 2 young kids, being near family was key so we moved to Teaneck in 2010. Tell us about your children. Gabby, our oldest, is finishing 8th grade at yeshivat He'atid - where Elana teaches in the Shorashim program - and is attending Frisch next year. Sammy is going into 7th grade, Sophie is going into 4th grade and Annie is going into Kindergarten. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Elana is an excellent seamstress and Yoni collects vintage sports cards.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We shul hopped for a while but ultimately decided that Rinat had the perfect balance of warmth, seriousness of tefillah, children's programming and sheet cake.
Miriam and Lenny Halstuch Where did you grow up? We both grew up in different parts of Brooklyn, although at the age of 17 we moved to Astoria, Queens as my dad (Rabbi Harold Furst) took a new pulpit rabbi position. How did you meet? My dad was an orthodox rabbi in a Shul in Fort Green, Brooklyn. Lenny attended LIU which was walking distance from us. He needed a place to stay for Succot so he could attend classes - that’s how we met, in my parent's apartment!! Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We moved here this past November from Oceanside and joined Rinat. Tell us about your family. We have B’H 4 children, (3 daughters and a son) Three of whom live in NJ (hence the move to NJ) Teaneck, Passaic & Elizabeth. Plus a daughter, one of the twins, who made Aliyah to Efrat 3 years ago this coming July. B’H we have 19 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, they (our granddaughter) live in St. Louis. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? People can’t believe we have 19 grandchildren & 2 great grandchildren. Also, Rabbi Adler was a Ba'al Tefila at my dad's shul in Astoria for a few years davening for Rosh Hasahana/ Yom Kippur, so I originally met him all those many years ago. I don't believe he was married at the time. He was friendly with my brother, Shelaim Furst, a”h (who just passed away), who brought him to the Shul. We bought Tzvi & Lauren Adler's house. Rabbi Adler's nephew, Arele Adler married Miriam Halberstadt, from my dad's Shul in Astoria. So that's another connection to Rabbi Adler. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We heard about the beautiful davening in Rinat, the warmth, friendliness and caring about the shul and its members. I noted that especially when my brother was niftar, just a few short months after we moved in. We were away for 9 weeks while construction was being done, so most people didn't know who we were, but I still received calls and cards from various members. That was so heartwarming and very much appreciated.
Ruth and Daniel Hartstein
Sylvia and Jules Nachtigal
Where did you grow up? Ruth grew up in Eastern Long Island. Dan grew up in Englewood.
Where did you grow up? Jules grew up in the lower East Side of Manhattan. Sylvia grew up in Passaic, N.J.
Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We met through friends our sophomore year in college. We moved to Teaneck in 2009 from Riverdale.
How did you meet? We met on a blind date under the clock in Port Authority. We were set up by a friend from YU.
Tell us about your children. We have 3 charming childrenNaava, age 12, Aaron, age 10 and Maytal, age 7. They attend Yeshivat He'Atid. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? People might be surprised to know that Dan is a black belt in several styles of martial arts and Ruth is devoted to meditation. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Our favorite features of Rinat include the many opportunities for high level Torah study, the progressive stance of our kehilah toward the inclusion of women, and our wonderful close friends who daven here with us.
Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Boro Park, Forest Hills, Elizabeth, Edison, and Paramus. We moved in June 2017 and immediately joined Rinat. Tell us about your children. We have two daughters,Sara Leah married to Nachum Barishansky living in Teaneck, and Lori married to Mitch Rothschild living in Englewood. The Barishanskys have 6 children,4 sons and 2 daughters, and three recent granddaughters. The Rothschilds have one daughter. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We share one of our great granddaughters with two other Rinat couples - Marcia & Len Barishansky and Marcia & David Jacobowitz. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The beautiful davening and the decorum, all the learning/educational opportunities, and most particularly our beloved Rabbi Adler and Rabbi Weiner.
The Heller Family Where did you grow up? Avi grew up in Denver and Shira in Queens. How did you meet? We were college sweethearts! We met at Boston University. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We have lived a lot of places! Before Teaneck, we lived in Manhattan and before that we lived in Boston, Boca Raton, and Israel. We have been members of Rinat for about 4 years Tell us about your children. Our oldest son, Nadav, is shanat bet at the Gush. Our daughter Rinat is a junior at Frisch and our younger son Uriel will be graduating 8th grade from Manhattan Day School this year! What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? That we served as JLIC staff (Rabbinic couple) on the same campus and Hillel where we had met and dated 10 years before. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love that Rinat is a place where many great things happen. It is a place of serious tefilla and Torah learning with an unusually deep bench of Torah scholars and role models. If that weren't enough, it is also a place to meet friends, play games, help others, raise children, donate blood, enjoy smachot, swap recipes, eat BBQ, support Israel, and support each other.
Naomi Oppenheim and Rephael Hirsch Where did you grow up? Naomi grew up on the Upper West Side of NY. Rephael grew up on Long Island. How did you meet? We met on JDate. Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Naomi moved to Teaneck with her first husband, Barry Stern, in August 1984. They joined Rinat right away. Rephael was living in Fair Lawn, and joined her when they got married, this past June. Tell us about your children. Naomi has 4 grown daughters. Tzippy and Devora live in Israel, and have 5 children between them. Rivky lives in Washington Heights and Zahava is in the Boston area. Rephael has a daughter, Ruti, who is 9, as well as 2 grown sons, Zacharia (who is married with a daughter) and Noam, who both live in Israel. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Naomi spent the summer of 1977 in Brazil. Rephael is the oldest of 10 children. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The accepting, non-exclusionary atmosphere.
The Hoffman Family Where did you grow up? Kenny grew up in St. Louis, MO, and Janet was born and raised in Queens, NY.
How did you meet? We met in Camp Ramah in the Berkshires where we spent many summers on staff. Janet was a bunk counselor and Israeli dance instructor while Kenny taught swimming and canoeing. We are even on the “Shidduch" wall in the Ramah dining hall.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We first lived in Riverdale, then Israel for a year, and ultimately moved to Teaneck in 1981, after the birth of our first child, Yardena. We joined Rinat in 1991.
Tell us about your children. We have three children. Yardena is the middle school social worker at the Moriah School. She is married to Dave Brickman, and they have three children, Lilah, Eitan and Noa; they live in Englewood. Ilan, a director of strategic partnerships at Attentive Mobile, is married to Rachel, a special educator. They have a year-old daughter, Mia, and a Golden Doodle, Moose. They currently live In NYC. Ariel, our youngest child who also lives in NYC, is the Salesforce administrator and operations manager with a Affirmed Networks. He also loves preparing people for their bar / bat mitzvah – reading Torah and davening.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Kenny and I were sent to the former Soviet Union in 1978 to contact "refuseniks", Jews who were trapped and unable to emigrate to Israel. We brought in forbidden items for them to enrich their Jewish lives and took out names and addresses of Jews who wanted to emigrate, which was fairly illegal. That was the beginning and end of our lives in espionage. Interestingly we have met several of the people we helped emigrate in Israel and the US.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We are always proud to share that we are affiliated with Rinat. It is a community rich with extremely intelligent, educated, compassionate, talented, and dedicated people, many of whom we are proud to call our friends. We consider Rinat, as well as the entire Teaneck community, to be one of the culturally richest Jewish communities in the world. Rinat has always been at the forefront in their support of Israel and other Jewish causes.
Marcia and David Jacobowitz Where did you grow up? Marcia was born and raised in Bridgeport, CT; David was born in the Zeilsheim DP Camp and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa. How did you meet? We met at Stern and YU. Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We moved to the Ter-race Circle apartments the night after our wedding. We were among Rinat's "Founding Fifteen". Because of our children, we had a stint at CBY, but then returned to Rinat around fifteen years ago. Tell us about your children. Our oldest child, Adina, lives in Boca Raton, is married to Brian Galbut and is the mother of seven; our middle child, Tammy Jacobowitz (SAR HS), lives in Teaneck, is married to Ronnie Perelis (YU), and is the mother of four; our youngest child, Moshe Jacobowitz (Torat Moshe) lives with his wife and seven children in Ramat Eshkol, Yerushalayim. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn. Unbelievably, we are about to welcome our first great grandchild! What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The shul's devotion to Torah and Medinat Yisrael.
Suri Kaminetsky and Family Where did you grow up? I grew up in Boro Park Brooklyn. Dovid, z”l and I lived a few blocks away from each other. Our parents davened in the same shul.
How did you meet? We met on a train. I was going to music school on Sunday and he was going to Yeshiva. I was 16 and he was 18.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Boro Park the 1st 5 years of our marriage. We moved to Teaneck in 1971 and joined Bnai Yeshurun which was the only shul in Teaneck. I joined Rinat about 7 years ago.
Tell us about your children. I have 4 children, all married baruch Hashem. My oldest, Rabbi Yisrael Kaminetsky is the Rosh Yeshiva of HALB and principal of DRS. He is married to the former Elisheva Benovitz, the principal of SKA. My second son, Shimmie is the executive director of Katz Yeshiva High School of Boca Raton. He is married to the former Beth Waldman, who works at KYHS as well. My 3rd , Lisa Zakutinsky is director of the preschool at HALB. She is married to Rabbi Yosef Zakutinsky an administrator at SKA . My 4th, Daniel is an attorney married to the former Heather Goldstein, who works in marketing in the fashion world. I have many grandchildren and great grandchildren with whom I have a very close relationship. Bli ayin hara.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Fun fact - Before I got involved in physical ed and personal training I was a music major. I actually wanted to go to High School of music and art but my parents nixed it! I still have a great love of music.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? I love Rinat because of the high level of learning under the leadership of Rabbi Adler who we have known for many years.
The Kessler Family Where did you grow up? We are both proud children of NJ. Dana is from West Orange and Erik is from East Brunswick. How did you meet? Keeping with our NJ pride, we met at Rutgers. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? When we were first married we lived in Highland Park for 2 years and then moved to Terrace Circle (in Teaneck) in 2007 when Dana started residency. We loved our time in the apartments and made the move to a house in 2010 and joined Rinat. Tell us about your children. Noah (11), Jacob (8) and Sarah (6) all go to Moriah and love Rinat and groups. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We almost moved to the Shaarei Tefillah neighborhood. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Rinat has become a second home (when the building is actually open!) for our children. They feel so comfortable there. They love groups and parent child learning. This sense of community is so important to us. We also respect the rabbinic leadership and their guidance and judgement.
The Kirshenbaum Family Where did you grow up? Suzie grew up on a chicken farm in Toms River, New Jersey. Her parents were Holocaust survivors. They sold the farm and moved to Lakewood, where her father was in real estate. Gerald grew up in New Rochelle, where his parents resided for over 40 years. His father owned an accounting firm in NYC. How did you meet? Gerald grew up in New Rochelle where his parents resided for over 40 years. His father owned an accounting firm in NYC and Gerald’s neighbor in New Rochelle was Suzie's college roommate at NYU University. She was sure we were perfect for each other. This year, we celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Monsey for 42 years and then moved to Teaneck 5.5 years ago, so that we could be near all of our children and grandchildren. Tell us about your children. We have four daughters and sons-in-laws, who all live in Bergenfield with our 16 grandchildren. Gerald spent 30 years in public education as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent of schools. After retiring, he spent twenty years in Jewish education as the headmaster of Moriah School, Bi Cultural Day School in Stamford and as principal of DRS (HALB) Yeshiva Highschool for Boys in Woodmere. Suzie was a high school math teacher and then started her own business, Window Fashion East, thirty years ago. Our daughters are professionals: a' physical therapist, a speech pathologist, a lawyer and an accountant. Two sons-in-law are lawyers and one is in real estate. Our grandchildren have all attended YNJ. Our eldest is married, was a lone soldier and made Aliyah and lives in Jerusalem. We have four other grandsons in Eretz Yisroel this year, one granddaughter at Stern, one grandson at MTA, one at TABC and one granddaughter at Naalah.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We joined Rinat because of its reputation and proximity to our home. We enjoy the high standards that exist in Rinat and the people we have met.
The Krohn Family Where did you grow up? Natan was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts but has been in the New York/New Jersey area since college. Nava lived in Teaneck until age 4 when she moved to Monsey. Her parents were among the founding members of Rinat. When Nava was a child, her family spent many summers with Rabbi and Cheryl Adler and family at a bungalow colony called Dishners. She has great memories of hanging out with the Adler kids. How did you meet? We were set up (by our grandmothers!) and both went to medical school at Einstein, although we never overlapped there, missing each other by just a few months. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? .After we got married we lived first in the Bronx and then Manhattan’s Upper East Side until moving to Teaneck in 2011, where we joined Rinat almost immediately. Tell us about your children. Zachary (12), Ezra (11), Ava (8) and Alex (5) are all enthusiastic students at Yavneh Academy. They have varied interests but as a group (to varying degrees) they enjoy pickles, playing sports on Sundays, Polly Pocket, family movie nights and blind taste tests. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? In our youth we did interesting things like bungee jumping in Las Vegas (Natan) and traveling to Australia (Nava)…more recently we enjoy exploring the nooks and crannies of North Jersey. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? What we love most about Rinat is the warmth of the community and the unparalleled dedication of its spiritual and lay leaders.
Leora & Jonathan Kukin Where did you grow up?
Leora grew up in Forest Hills, Queens and Jonathan grew up in West Orange, NJ. How did you meet? Anu bnei Morasha. We are grateful to be a Morasha couple, as well as our children, Estee and Jesse Hirsch. We are going for the third generation record! Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? As newlyweds, we lived in Forest Hills for 5 years. We followed Tova and Larry Cohen from Queens to Teaneck in 1987, after the birth of our daughter, Rena.
Tell us about your children. Estee and Jesse Hirsch live in Bergenfield with their children, Eva, Lily, Jack and Nate. Rena and Matthew Cherny live in Englewood with their children, Jamie and Marcus. David, Joshua and Jacob live in NYC. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn. Leora was educated in Bais Yaakov, Jonathan in public school….a match made in heaven! What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The people! We love the symphony that is Rinat, all of our unique voices coming together in harmony. Our community’s warmth is truly inspiring.
The Landa Family Where did you grow up? Seth in Ozone Park-Queens and Riki in Boro Park, then Kensington. How did you meet? We were both coincidentally at a mutual friends house on a Saturday night and the rest is history though I returned the favor to our friend by setting her up with her husband! Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We got married 2 weeks before Seth started medical school at Einstein and spent 8 wonderful years at the Einstein campus. We moved to Teaneck July 1990 and joined Rinat shortly thereafter. Tell us about your children. Sammy is an Anesthesiologist like his Abba and lives in the Avalon apartments on Windsor Road and is father of our wonderful grandkids Aryeh (9) and Hannah (6) who have practically grown up at Rinat. Sarah enjoys living in Brooklyn and is an avid craft beer enthusiast. Amy (an OT) and Dovid Gottlieb, a clinical psychologist enjoy living in Forest Hills. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Seth hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro several years ago and Riki has recently started climbing the Warwick Avenue Hill. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We have been so privileged to have Rabbi Adler and Rabbi Weiner as our spiritual leaders and teachers and we truly cherish the many amazing friends we've made at Rinat.
The Landes Family Where did you grow up? Brookline, Massachusetts. I was in the same high school class as Rinat members Avi Katz, Seth Peyser and Stuart Rosenberg.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Yonkers (on the North Riverdale border) for almost 10 years, We came to Teaneck for a Gush shabbaton. Rabbi Adler gave a shiur on shelitot between mincha and maariv and my husband came back after Shabbos and announced that he had found the neighborhood and shul that we should move to as soon as possible.
Tell us about your children. My daughter Chana and her husband Rusik both work at Amazon. They lived in Seattle for almost 6 years, and a few weeks ago moved, with their children Jack and Maya, to the New York area and will be moving to Scarsdale soon. My son Yitz is a graduate student in Jewish Studies at Princeton. He lives with his wife, Daphi, an urban planner, and their sons Shai and Yehonatan, in Washington Heights. My son Matanya/Matt is a consultant. He and his wife Mollie, a hospital administrator, are moving from the Upper East Side to the Upper West Side shortly. My son Adir is on a gap year from NYU/Tandon School of Engineering (he has strong negative feelings about Zoom) and is working at Tip Top Shoes on the Upper West Side.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? My late husband, David, a'h, our daughter, Chana and I lived in Madras (now called Chennai) India for a year, 1983-1984.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? A few things: First, the many friends with whom we share core values, and with whom we've had great times together, and with whom we've celebrated so many of life's milestones. Secondly, the deep culture of quiet chessed and kindness, which we became aware of when David a'h became ill. Thirdly, the adult ed committee! It has been great fun to work with Aaron as co-chair, and with all the members of the committee, many of whom I did not know well before: Rabbi Adler, Daniel Altman, Bina Faber, Dina Gielchinsky, Ruth Hartstein, Rabbi Avi Heller, Joseph Kaplan, Sara Olshin, Yoni Ratzersdorfer, Passi Rosen-Bayewitz, Bernie Stahl and Mark Zitter.
Elana and Noam Lefkovitz Where did you grow up? Elana is from Teaneck and Noam is from Cleveland How did you meet? We were set up on a blind date by Rinat member Heidi Fuchs Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you movie to Teaneck/join Rinat? We moved to the Teaneck apartments when we got married 11 years ago. Elana has been a Rinat member her entire life and Noam and Elana joined as a family when they moved out of the apartments to a house in Teaneck. Tell us about your children. We have three children. Kayla is 7. She attends a private school in Fair Lawn and is a huge fan of the Rinat Youth Department and her wonderful shadows. Isaac is 5.5 and is in Kindergarten at Yavneh Academy. He loves superheroes, Pokemon, sports and building with Lego. Jordana is 1 and attends daycare. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Groups (Thanks Martin and Divsha!) and how kind the Rinat community is to our children.
The Loskove Family Where did you grow up? Dina grew up in Elizabeth, NJ and Adam grew up in Memphis, TN. How did you meet? A mutual friend set us up while Dina was in college and Adam was in law school. We're still friends with her over 20 years later! Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived on the Upper West Side for a long time and loved it. We moved to Teaneck in 2010 after running out of space in our apartment. Tell us about your children. We have three kids: Ilana, 14; Andrew, 12; and Serena, 7. Ilana will be attending Ma'ayanot in September, Andrew is in Yavneh, and Serena is in Noam. Their favorite quarantine activity has been playing Trouble death matches. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Andrew was briefly famous for writing a letter to the bankruptcy judge overseeing the Toys R Us bankruptcy case begging him not to let the stores close. The letter made the news and Toys R Us invited him to their Paramus store to shoot footage of him and his sisters running around the store grabbing hundreds of dollars of toys for free. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Absolutely everything. Adam loved davening for the amud on Yom Kippur and Dina loves participating in the women's Purim megillah reading. Also, Rabbi Adler's and Rabbi Weiner's speeches, hallel, the adult ed committee events, Serena's groups, and the wonderful and friendly people!
The Malek Family Where did you grow up? Paul grew up in Queens and Tammy grew up in Monsey. How did you meet? At Cong Ohab Tzedek on the Upper West Side. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived on the Upper West Side, Riverdale, and in the Country Club Area of Teaneck before moving to Kensington Road and joining Rinat in 2015. Tell us about your children. Ami is a recent graduate of YU and is currently in a Masters Program at NYU. Rachel is at Stern and Tovi is graduating from Mayaanot and heading to Shaalavim for Women next year. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We have a vegetable garden.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The diversity of its members.
The Mandel Family Where did you grow up? Yael was born and grew up in Worcester, MA. Ephie was born in Providence, RI and grew up in Sharon, MA.
How did you meet? We met in 5th grade at Maimonides School in Brookline, MA and were close friends throughout middle school and high school. We started dating during our gap year in Israel.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We got married in 2011 and lived in Washington Heights (near YU) while we were finishing up YU and Stern. We moved to Teaneck in July 2020 and joined Rinat shortly thereafter! Tell us about your children. Liat is a little over 3 years old and loves to see people, listen to music, go to parks, and eat (all types of food, all the time). Ashira was born in April 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic in NYC - somehow, she is almost 1! She has the goofiest, sweetest smile and is always up to trouble. More than anything, Liat and Ashira love playing together.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? No one ever guesses it because of her light complexion but Yael is Persian (both parents!) and she speaks (broken and grammatically incorrect) Farsi. Ephie refuses to spin because he did SoulCycle once and was hospitalized for 5 days with Rhabdomyolysis as a result. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love the events for young kids! Liat had a blast at the petting zoo/farm event and really enjoyed making her special seder plate at the proba event.
The Mann Family Where did you grow up? Shari grew up in Oceanside, NY and Ranon grew up in Long Beach, NY. How did you meet? We went to elementary school together at the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach and reconnected in medical school at Albert Einstein. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Riverdale and moved here and joined Rinat in 2006. Tell us about your children. We have two sons. Yoni is 19 and learning in Yeshivat Reishit and Joseph is a senior at TABC. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Ranon was born In Wichita, Kansas. His first word he said as an infant was "gah-bye." Shari was captain of the undefeated HAFTAR high school volleyball team. However, the team never played an actual game.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Beautiful Hallels, wonderful youth directors, kiddush meatballs, and all the Howies.
The Markiewicz Family Where did you grow up? Brazil. How did you meet? We met at a Hanaschas Seifer Torah while both of us were in college. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Seattle for the previous 15 years. I was asked to relocate to Boston for my work but we compromised on coming to New Jersey to be on the same time zone as family that live nearby. After we sold our house in Seattle and bought one here in Teaneck, they decided to ask us not to move but it was too late so we moved anyway and now work remotely. We moved to Teaneck in the summer of 2016 and joined Rinat right then. Tell us about your children. We have two small ones: Asher is a 6th grader at Noam and Miriam is a 3rd grader, also at Noam. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Aside from doing photography, Flavia paints watercolors on her free time. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The awesome groups!
The McDonald Family Where did you grow up? Danny grew up in Rochester, NY and I grew up in Chicago. How did you meet? We were fixed up by a mutual friend who had promised Danny she would stop fixing him up. Surprise! Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We moved to the area in the summer of 2019 and joined Rinat in the fall. We moved from Blue Ash, OH. Tell us about your children. We have five adult children and six grandchildren. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We love the arts, museums, live music, etc. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Danny loves the 6am Mishna Yomi class! We also love the Rabbis' sermons, both Rabbi Adler and Rabbi Weiner.
The Meier Family Where did you grow up? Ora's family moved to Teaneck (from Allenton, PA) when she was 8, and she grew up attending Rinat. Dani is a 3rd generation Teanecker.
How did you meet? As far as we remember, we first met when Dani worked together with Ora's brother (Ariel Bayewitz) in 7th grade on a science project. Though our paths crossed since then, we didn't start dating until later ... when Dani was visiting Washington Heights for a Shabbos.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? After we got married, we first lived in Riverdale, NY. We moved to Teaneck when Ora was pregnant with our second child (in 2011) and became members of Rinat at that time. However, our relationship with Rinat far pre-dates our membership - Ora was a Rinat member while growing up; Dani davened at Rinat numerous times over the years (including Ariel's bar mitzva); we attended Rinat dinners even before becoming members based on some "familiar" honorees; and our second date started at Rinat on a Shavuos afternoon!
Tell us about your children. We are blessed with four children, Yardena (11), Etai (9), Eric (6) and Ilan (23 months). And, they are thrilled to live near so many family members... many of whom attend Rinat and other Teaneck shuls.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Several years ago Ora organized a volunteer event with Bar Rafaeli and even had a cameo on Access Hollywood (though it was only the back of her head!). Around the same time, Ora did the "first pour" to open two Starbucks stores. Dani used to be a guest piano performer at Cafe Mozart in Manhattan. Also, not only are we related to the President (not surprising) but we're also related to Rabbi Strauchler (through two marriages, but it still counts)!
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Nepotism (just kidding!). We love the warm, supporting community, the constant exposure to stimulating Torah learning, the incredible youth programming and exciting book clubs!
The Miller Family Where did you grow up? Daniel grew up in Los Angeles, California and Elana grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ. Kira spent the first year of her life in Chicago, but we're very excited to be raising her in Teaneck! How did you meet? We were set up by a mutual friend. We dated long-distance (From LA to the Upper West Side) for a little over a year before getting engaged. Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? After getting married in New Jersey, Elana immediately moved to Chicago where she joined Daniel as he finished up his MBA program at Northwestern Kellogg. We lived in Chicago for 3 years and then moved to New Jersey once COVID hit to be closer to family. Tell us about your family Daniel works in M&A Consulting and Elana in marketing. Our daughter, Kira, is really the star of the family, though :) What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We've had so much fun getting to know people through events like the round robin luncheon and trivia night!
The Nelson Family Where did you grow up? Los Angeles and San Francisco. How did you meet your husband? He was friends with my brother and they were together in front of OZ on Simchas Torah. Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Memphis, TN. September 2018. Tell us about your children. Akiva is 16 and attends Frisch and loves it. Maytal is 15- graduating Noam and VERY ready to start Frisch in the Fall. Ezra is in 7th at Noam and IYH will have his Bar Mitzvah at Rinat in June. Zachary is 9 and in 3rd grade at Noam. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? I would love to stop working and volunteer and read tons of deep, historical fiction for hours on end. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The davening/singing on an average Shabbas is so nice. But what makes me feel at home is seeing my old friends Batsheva Glick and Dina Gilchinsky and love that we still get excited to see each other at shul.
VV & Shmiel Ramras
Where did you grow up? Scranton. How did you meet? We were set up by our siblings after VV dated another guy from Scranton. Where did you live before Teaneck? Shmiel lived in Scranton.VV is from Oceanside, about 3 hours from Scranton. When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? 33 years after Shmiel was born in Scranton.
Tell us about your children. Our son Ilan is named after the tree in Shmiel’s backyard in Scranton. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Shmiel lived in Scranton. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? One of the guest speakers once mentioned University of Scranton in his lecture.
….But seriously…——>
VV & Shmiel Ramras
Where did you grow up? Shmiel grew up in some place in Pennsylvania and VV grew up (?) in Oceanside, Long Island. How did you meet? Our siblings were "besties" and thought we would be perfect for each other: male-female-it's a shidduch! Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? When we first got married, we lived in Brooklyn. Shmiel said he wouldn't even look at buying a house until VV got her driver's license, so she did and we moved to Teaneck in August 1992. Tell us about your children. Our oldest daughter, Cheli, is 28 and lives on the Upper West Side. She is a data analyst at a health tech corporation in Midtown. Our son, Ilan, is 25, graduated from IDC in Herziliya with a degree in Psychology, and is currently working at a headhunter firm. Our next child, Tali, is 22 and is in her Senior year at Stern, studying Education and Psychology. Our youngest son, Ami, is 17 and a Senior at Frisch, looking forward to going to TVA in Israel next year. And he is very tall. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Shmiel lived in Scranton. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Rabbi and Sheryl Adler, Rabbi and Adina Weiner, our chevra, the "low-key" vibe, Youth Groups (especially the Shadow program), the shiurim, and the amazing baalei tefila and the meaningful davening.
The Rapps Family Where did you grow up? Chaim grew up in Teaneck, going to Rinat, and Emma grew up in Memphis, TN. How did you meet? In college, through friends. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? After getting married, we moved into the apartments in Teaneck, before crossing the train tracks and joining Rinat. Tell us about your family. Chaim is a senior manager at Grassi, who specializes in audit and advisory work for not for profit and healthcare organizations. Emma has a M.S. in Jewish Ed. and has been helping new and expectant mothers with their transition to new life with a new baby for the past 6 years. Our daughter Brielle is 8 and loves gymnastics and basketball. Our son Barak is 6 and loves Lego, etc. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Emma loves helping women be successful in their careers and Chaim enjoys snowboarding and bbq. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Groups!
Susan and Michael Richmond
Where did you grow up? Michael grew up on the Lower East Side and Susan on the Upper West Side. How did you meet? Michael was working in Bankers Trust with Susan’s brother and when her brother got married, Susan's parents invited Michael to Sheva Brachos in their home Friday night and the rest is history! Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Forest Hills for four years and moved to Teaneck in 1985 and immediately joined Rinat. Tell us about your children. We have B’H four children. Jenny, who is a pharmaceutical scientist for a contract research organization, is married to Duvie Nachbar who teaches in the GPATS program at Stern College and is a Rebbe in TABC, and they live in Teaneck with their five children. Ricki, is a Middle School teacher and LMS coordinator at Yeshivat Noam as well as the Educational Technology Integrator at Naaleh High School lives in Bergenfield with her husband Judah Kurtz, who is a manager at Deloitte and Touche, with their five children. Our son, Effie is a bankruptcy attorney at Pryor Cashman and lives in Woodmere with his wife Rena, who is an assistant controller of a wholesale apparel company, with their four children. Our son, Yitz, is a Psychotherapist at a clinic in Rockland County and is applying for a PhD in Counseling Education and Supervision. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Since we are pretty transparent, can’t think of anything about us that would surprise people! What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Our favorite aspect of Rinat are all the wonderful people we have met and with whom we have cultivated lasting friendships with!
Sharon and Michael Rifkind
Where did you grow up? Sharon grew up in Peekskill, NY (not the Facts of Life didn't really take place there!) and Mike is from Edinburgh, Scotland. Where did you meet? We met in Arad, Israel while we were both spending a year post-grad there. Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We came here from Brookline, MA where we got married and lived for two years. Sharon went to grad school at Brandeis and Mike came along for the ride. Tell us about your children. Eli is 18, graduating from TABC in June and heading to Israel for a year to study at Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush). Natan is 16, finishing his junior year at TABC. Avigayil is 15, a freshman at Ma'ayanot. And Maytal is in 5th grade at Yeshivat He'atid. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We are huge New Orleans Saints fans and we love traveling to New Orleans. We also love Queen and good single malt Scotch. Mike plays the guitar and has recently started long distance bike riding. Sharon has no real hobbies, but seems to keep very busy anyway. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We really connect with the hashkafa at Rinat, Rabbi Adler as our mara d'atra, our wonderful friends and a it's a special place for our kids to grow up.
The Rosenberg Family Where did you grow up? Marcia is from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn & Stuart is from Ellington Connecticut. The first time Stuart brought me home, I thought the shul looked right out of Little House on the Prairie. How did you meet? ? My mother-in-law saw me while at a hotel in the Catskills. She asked Stuart’s sister to get my number. Stuart’s sister promptly lost the number. We were set up on a blind date 2 years later. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Brooklyn while finishing up our residencies then moved to East Brunswick prior to moving to Teaneck & joining Rinat in 1994.
Tell us about your family. Our 3 children all grew up in Teaneck and attended Yavneh Academy, then Maayanot & TABC. Cheryl, our eldest, works in a financial tech start up. She enjoys travelling the world. J.J. and his wife, Yonit, made aliyah in 2020 and live in Haifa. JJ works as a software developer and Yonit as a product manager for a medical device company. Our youngest, Cobi, delayed college to serve in the IDF. He is currently in his last year of college and will be making aliyah after graduation. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Stuart has been folding origami since he was a teenager. Marcia is trying to become proficient at knitting. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The quiet, meaningful davening and wide variety of shiurim.
The Roth Family Where did you grow up? We both grew up in Queens, NY - Chavie in Forest Hills and Ira in Kew Gardens Hills. We both went to Queens College but our paths didn’t cross until we were both singles living on the Upper West Side.
How did you meet? Chavie was working as an analyst on Wall Street and Ira was working part time as a doctor at the American Stock Exchange. We both were having lunch at a pizza store in the financial district in lower Manhattan and a mutual friend introduced us.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Lincoln Towers on the West Side of Manhattan for a few years when we first got married. We moved to Teaneck in January 1993 and immediately joined Rinat.
Tell us about your family. Chavie is a technology analyst and global program director at KPMG. Ira is a cardiologist with a practice on the Upper East Side and is affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital. We have 3 adult children. Our oldest, Tamara, is a corporate attorney and lives on the Upper West Side. Next is Eliana married to Alex Daitch who recently moved to Springfield, NJ and are parents to our delicious grandchildren Orli and Itay. Eliana works in eCommerce for Walmart.com and Alex is a dentist. Our youngest, David, lives in Brooklyn. After working as a data scientist for the past 2 years he recently returned to school full time to pursue a Masters degree in Data Science and Engineering at NYU.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We were both born with the same last name, Roth. Chavie has been researching her family’s genealogy since she was a teenager and her family tree of 8000+ people can confirm that we are related by marriage only. Another fun fact: If you run into someone at a social event who looks like Chavie but appears not to know you, it’s probably Chavie’s identical twin sister who lives in Edison, NJ.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love the davening and the level of intellectual curiosity at Rinat. The people are amazing and refreshingly down to earth.
The Roth Family Where did you grow up? Dvora grew up in Monsey, New York. Dan, the first ten years of his life, lived in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx and then followed the Italians to Staten Island. When they both were old enough to vote, they ran away to Manhattan where they lived until their recent migration to Teaneck, just 3 months ago. They joined Rinat soon after.
Where did you meet? Back in 1995 Dan threw the obligatory college party in his first apartment near Yeshiva University. Dvora and Dan met on that fateful night but did not start dating until a decade later. That story is only to be told in person.
About our family. Dvora and Dan have two lovely and desultorily obedient children. Samara (Sammy) is 12 years old and attends the Sheffa school in New York City. Fred (Fred) is 10 and attends the Sage School in Mahwah New Jersey. Dan is a physical therapist in New York City and Dvora has been an Early Childhood educator for 23 years. Additional information and references furnished upon request.
Interesting information about us. Dan has visited every State in the US except Hawaii (he has a bad habit of never finishing what he starts). As a family, they are passing on this tradition to their children and have taken numerous road trips together. This winter break, they will be going to Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana. If you ask the children if they are excited about this tradition, their parents will undoubtedly answer affirmatively!!
Our favorite thing about Rinat. On the day we moved in, many members made us feel welcome with conversation and treats. This unsolicited, grandiose gesture of kindness was the main reason why we joined the shul. We sincerely hope that the gifts continue for many years to come.
Sue Feuerstein & Louis Rudin and Family Where did you grow up? Sue grew up in East Meadow-Long Island. Louie grew up in Binghamton, NY. How did you meet? We met in NCSY. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Brooklyn until Louie finished school. We moved to Teaneck in 1986 and joined Rinat (Rinat was in a house then!) right away. Tell us about your children. We have 4 children-now 8 as they are all married and 5 grandchildren. Andy/ Ahuva (Ronit and Rafi) live in Riverdale. Ariela/Charlie (Jonah, Eli & Nate) live in Hillside NJ, Seth/Rebecca live in Riverdale and Michael/Devorah live in Washington Heights. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? People would be surprised to know that we have known each other from our high school days.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? Our favorite things at Rinat -Rabbi’s drashot/shuirim, our friends, the chessed that Rinat does.
The Schiff Family Where did you grow up? Debbie grew up in Scotch Plains and Linden, NJ and David in Boston (that's right - a fourth generation Red Sox fan!). How did you meet? Ironically Debbie, the tri-stater, went to Simmons College in Boston while David, the Bostonian, went to YU. We were formally introduced by a mutual friend at the Young Israel of Brookline on the second day of Sukkot 1922 (or so), followed by many miles driven way too fast up and down i-95. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? When we were first married, we lived in Boston for a year before moving to Teaneck in 1992. We lived in the apartments on Cedar Lane - Debbie taught in Sinai while David went to graduate school - and would occasionally end up at Rinat for mincha (there were no seats then either). We moved back to Boston in 1995 and remained there until we returned to Teaneck in July of 2009 when we joined Rinat. There were still no seats then. Tell us about your children. Our two older children - Yaakov and Ilana - were actually born in Englewood Hospital. We returned to Boston when Ilana was about three weeks old (not highly recommended!!). Our two younger children, Talia and Avigail, became the fourth generation of our family to be born in Boston. When we moved back to Teaneck, our kids attended RYNJ, TABC and Bruriah. In fact, when it comes to schooling, we tend to exhibit supreme family loyalty. Debbie graduated Bruriah as did all of our daughters, and Debbie's mother taught math there for 30 years. We are also very much a YU family. David's father z"l graduated from YU as did David, and all of the kids are proud YU/ Stern alumni/attendees - including our daughter-in-law Elianne and our sons-in-law Noam and Jacob. Our twin grandchildren, Nati and Adi, were born 16 months ago and we have been blessed to have them live with us ever since Purim of last year! They love Rinat too. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Debbie and David share a wedding anniversary date with Judy and Manny Landau!! What's your favorite thing about Rinat? That’s truly a tough one. The beautiful davening. The stimulating shiurim. The inspiring rabbanim. The indefatigable, dedicated lay leadership. It’s really hard to isolate. But if we were forced to choose one – it would be… the constant stream of kiddushim in tribute to Boston’s sports champions.
The Shankman Family Where did you grow up? Helen grew up in West Rogers Park in Chicago, and Jon grew up in Silver Spring, MD.
How did you meet? Mail order. Just kidding. We actually don’t agree on where we met, save that we met on the Upper West Side. Jon believes it was at a Shabbos lunch at the apartment of a mutual friend, and Helen believes it was at a New Year's party. Jon believes he’s correct.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? After many years in Manhattan (Jon on the UWS, and Helen in the Village), we married and moved to Park Slope in Brooklyn for four years. When we realized we needed unfettered access to grass and sky, we settled on Teaneck, to where we moved the Summer before 9/11. (We ask that you keep that confidential, as our current location is no business of ConEd, The NYC Parking Violations Bureau, or the Kings County Office of Child Welfare.)
Tell us about your children. Jon is a research gerontologist working for a company that provides remote home monitoring of people with chronic illness. Helen is a portraitist and writer, currently teaching Art at TABC. G-d has blessed us with four fabulous children whom we furnished with good blind date names. Gabriella, our oldest, is a nurse at Johns Hopkins, and is in the process of moving to NYC with her husband, Brandon Barrett. Raphael is about to start his first year of Medical School. Ayden is a Junior in Engineering at The Cooper Union. Jude is a Junior at Frisch. As of the time of this printing, all four still speak to us, thank G-d.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Jon’s godfather was once one of the biggest heroin dealers in Harlem (no joke), and ruled Attica prison during his incarceration there in the 1960s. Helen’s commissioned portrait of Hillary Clinton is sitting somewhere in the bowels of the White House.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The fact that we live, and we cannot emphasize this enough, less than 100 yards from the shul. More significantly, we value that the kehillah is made up of genuinely good people – kind, generous people - who, for the most part, leave politics at the door, and focus on the seriousness that davening and limud Torah require, all led by the most thoughtful rebbeyim we could hope for. Also, Rabbi Adler’s kulot have rescued innumerable utensils over the years that we had assumed were irrevocably treifed-up.
Esty and Avi Shafar Where did you grow up? We both grew up in Brooklyn How did you meet? We met in Florida when our families were vacationing over Pesach. Where did you live before Teaneck/When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Before Teaneck we lived in Brooklyn/ we moved to Teaneck in 2004 and joined Rinat in 2005. Tell us about your children. We have 4 kids. Our eldest Shimmy is 18 and currently at Netiv Aryeh for his gap year in Israel and B”h doing great. Shmuely is our second son, he’s fifteen and a sophomore at Kushner. Our girls are Chaya and Sara. Chaya is 11 and a fifth grader at Yeshivat Heatid, Sara is three and in Nitzanei Noam. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn. Avi got his finger chopped off, accidentally thrown out a car window and then reattached. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? ”The row”
The Shulkes Family Where did you grow up? Esther and I are both from South Florida. I was born and raised in Hollywood, FL, and Esther was born and raised in North Miami Beach, FL, where her father was the rav of the shul.
How did you meet? Not an exciting story; Esther's family was very close with the Rosh Yeshiva of where I studied after I graduated YU. In fact, my Rosh Yeshiva was one of her grandfather's top students.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Before moving to Teaneck, we lived in Atlanta for about a decade where Esther taught Tanach and history at Temima High School for Girls, and I was the Executive Director and Campus Chaplain for Hillels of Georgia, where I oversaw all the Hillels in the state of Georgia, including Emory, Georgia Tech, UGA, etc.
Tell us about your children. We have four kids, each born in a different city. Our oldest goes to TABC, and the other three goto RYNJ. My daughters like gymnastics, while my sons like fantasy, games, and activities. We're a very musical family. Esther teaches at Yeshivat HeAtid and is pursuing an EdD at Azrieli, while I'm pursuing a PhD in Talmud at Revel. We moved to the North so I can work at RIETS/YU, and bring my Hillel experience to the Orthodox world, and so my children could have access to a wider variety of educational opportunities. And, apparently, we love the cold.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We lived in England for 3 years where we were university Jewish chaplains in Brighton for a year and then Leeds for two years. One of our sons was born there, but is not a British citizen.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We're looking forward to enjoying the wide variety of shirum that Rinat offers and the more petting zoos, the better.
Dorothy & Norbert Strauss and Family Where did you grow up? Norbert grew up in Germany and came to the US when he was 13, in 1941. How did you meet? I met my present wife Dorothy (first wife died in 2012). Dorothy's maiden name is Knapp (both her sons are Rabbis, principals of Yavneh and Hillel Yeshivas respectively). Friend of my daughter, Esther Perl, had a friend who introduced us. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? I lived in Englewood from 1977 until 2005. Before that in Washington Heights since coming to the US in 1941. Joined Rinat from day one in Teaneck. Tell us about your children. My oldest daughter Esther Perl, homemaker, is married to Dr Harold Perl, living on Rutland Ave. My son Benjamin, z”l (married to Claire Strauss of Bergenfield) died in 2004. I have 8 grandchildren, 4 from each child. I have 28 (going on 29) great grandchildren. What’s something about you that people would be surprised to learn? My life is one surprise after another. Anyone interested can ask me for a copy of my book "My Stories". Our entire family . Entire family is drug free, smoke free, divorce free. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? That it is in the neighborhood and I do not have to climb a mountain to get there, when there is no Covid 19.
The Teicher Family Where did you grow up? Debby grew up in Pelham Parkway, the Bronx and Mark in Farmingdale, LI. How did you meet? The first time, on the YU/Central blind date. Second time at a CAT (Chevrat Aliya Toranit) Simchaton in West Hempstead. That's when we started dating. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Einstein student/staff housing until Mark finished his training and moved to Teaneck in July 1989 with many other Einstein families. We joined Rinat that same year. Tell us about your children. David is our eldest, living in Mahwah with his wife, Lauren and 2 daughters, Jaedyn and Davyn. Rachel and her family, husband Shalom Frager and 2 daughters, Sophia and Millie, recently moved from the city to the Country Club Section of Teaneck, and Ilana and her husband Daniel Blas live in Tel Aviv. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? I think I'm an open book, so I don't know if there are any surprises...but I'm a huge Trekker (TOS and TNG only), love original Star Wars and am a big Avengers fan. I guess this makes me a teenage boy ;-D. I also passed the test to be on Who Wants to be a Millionaire but failed the personal interview (I was too boring for them). Mark? Hmmm...even though he has never leined at Rinat (other than a surprise on Simchat Torah), he used to get paid to lein.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The people.
The Warshawsky Family Where did you grow up? Dovid was born in Oakland California and moved to Los Angeles where he completed elementary and high school. Mindy grew up on Long Island, about 45 minutes east of the 5 towns, in Smithtown.
How did you meet? We met when we were in Israel after high school and started dating during our second year. Dovid attended Yeshivat Hakotel and Mindy attended Midreshet Harova. The Rova was our stomping ground and we took many walks through its narrow streets. It was a special way to start our relationship.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Washington
Heights when we were first married and then moved to Mount Vernon, NY where we lived for 6 years. We moved to Teaneck in 2008 and joined Rinat soon after.
Tell us about your children. We have 3 daughters, ages 17, 14 and 11. Our oldest daughters, Eliana and Avigail
attend Yeshivat Frisch and our youngest, Aleeza, is in Yeshivat Noam. During these challenging times they have kept themselves busy with arts and crafts, sewing masks and playing competitive family games of Risk.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Mindy really loves animals and we have a dog named Daisy and a cat named Cammie. Dovid pretends not to like them, but may actually think that they’re okay.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We were initially attracted to Rinat because of the warm welcome we
received, and soon realized how awesome the Rinat groups are and how happy our children were to join on Shabbat. We are also extremely appreciative of the high level learning Rinat makes available to both men and women. We feel truly blessed to be part of the Rinat community!
The Wasserman Family Where did you grow up? Samara grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ and Noah grew up in Highland Park, NJ. How did you meet? Noah's sister invited Samara and a few other girlfriends from Rutgers to walk over to their parents' house for a yom tov meal. Noah did not say more than five words to Samara that meal, but at his sister's request, he called her after yom tov and asked her out. The rest is history (there are different versions of the story, but let's go with that one). Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We lived in Kew Gardens Hills for the first few years of our marriage. We moved to Teaneck in 2005 and joined another shul initially. We joined Rinat around 2010. Tell us about your children. Elianna will be in 11th grade at Ma'ayanot, and Arielle will begin 9th grade at Ma'ayanot, as well. Leora is entering 6th grade at Yeshivat Noam. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Noah has kept every single issue of Sports Illustrated since 1990. Samara has never tasted a hotdog and dislikes all condiments. What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love that Rinat is a multi-generational community shul that is welcoming to all and committed to Torah values.
Marsha & Mike Wasserman and Family Where did you grow up? New Jersey natives, Marsha grew up in Englewood and Mike in Bayonne – where his cheder teachers were Miriam Aron’s father and Jeff Levine’s grandfather - and then in Fair Lawn.
How did you meet? Our mutual friend, Eddie Dauber, introduced us, and we’re still good friends.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? Before moving to Teaneck in June of 2021, we lived in Highland Park NJ for 50 years.
Tell us about your children. We have two sons and daughters-in-law here in Teaneck: Dov and Stephanie, and Noah and Samara (Rinat members). Our daughter and son-in-law, Aliza and Scott, live in Maryland with their children. We have been blessed with eight grandchildren from infancy through high school.
What’s something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Marsha’s family, Wides, helped found Englewood’s Congregation Ahavath Torah and started a store in Englewood NJ in 1904 that is still open. When our children were in elementary school, we lived and worked in Israel for two years. As his second career, Mike is a volunteer who manages Jewish cemeteries and advises trustees of other Jewish cemeteries on how to avoid abandonment. An unrelated factoid: We have known our new Rebbetzin, Avital Strauchler, since she was a little girl in Edison.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love the spirited davening, especially Hallel, and how orderly the davening is run by head gabbai, Noah Wasserman. The rabbis’ teachings and the adult education offerings are amazing.
The Weiss Family Where did you grow up? David grew up in Brighton Beach, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Gail grew up in Clifton, New Jersey.
How did you meet? Both of our families went on vacation for Pesach every year. One particular year, we were at the same program in Puerto Rico where we met. It was a very memorable Pesach. We dated throughout college and married at the Manhattan Beach Jewish Center in Brooklyn.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We decided to live in Manhattan Beach where we raised 4 children. In the summers, our children attended camp Moshava in Canada and in Pennsylvania. As it turns out, when our youngest daughter was ready for high school, she wanted to attend Frisch HS, where many of her camp friends went. At that time, she was the only one living at home so it was the major reason for us to relocate to Teaneck. Our oldest daughter was already married. Our oldest son was attending yeshiva in Israel for several years, and our other son was working and living on his own in the city. The plan was to return to Brooklyn after she finished high school, but as we became more familiar with the Teaneck community, we decided that this would be a wonderful place to live. Along the way, we discovered Rinat.
Tell us about your children. Our oldest daughter Tzippi, a registered nurse, is married to Andrew Schwimmer and came to live in Teaneck 5 years after us. They have 3 children. Our oldest son Eli, works in real estate, is also married and lives in Southfield, Michigan with his wife Esti and three children. Our single son, Yoni, lives in Manhattan and works as a graphic designer, and our youngest daughter, Racheli has very recently graduated from college at F.I.T. She works in exhibition design and lives at home.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We enjoy skiing as a family, scuba diving and have a great passion for healthy eating.
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The atmosphere at Rinat. In the few years we have been members, we have come to appreciate and look forward to listening to Rabbi Adler and Rabbi Weiner, both wonderful speakers who keep us inspired and entertained. The davening is beautiful as it echoes in the main sanctuary with such talented people who sing with all their heart. Living in Teaneck almost 10 years we are still meeting new people our age moving from different communities to be near their children. We never imagined a community like Teaneck and a Shul like Rinat. This shul not only offers so many programs for children and adults, but they are well organized and run smoothly because the staff truly cares about making Rinat stand above the ordinary and they truly cater to the needs of the community.
Sandi & Saul Wasserman and Family Where did you grow up? Sandi grew up on the Upper West Side and Saul grew up in Flatbush. How did you meet? We met on a blind date. Sandi was in class at Hunter College with Saul’s sister-in-law. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We moved from Flatbush to Teaneck in 1986 and joined Rinat around 1990. We joined Rinat when it was a hole in the ground, before the 'new' building was built. Davening was in several homes and on Yom Tovim at Ben Franklin Middle School. The highlight of my week was Rabbi Adler's Rambam shiur on Shabbat morning, before the 8:45am minyan. I enjoyed the shiur for several years until one winter day, when I woke up very early and decided to go to the hashkamah minyan. I sat at a front table with such distinguished gentlemen as, Arnon Hiller, A"H, Natan Libman, A"H, Lenny Barishansky, A"H, Lew Reicher, Dan Landsman and several others. We were a close knit group who Rabbi Adler called the "town council." Tell us about your children. Ethan, a physician, is married to Debbie and they live in East Brunswick with their four children. Alison, a CFO, is married to Ari and they live in West Hempstead with their four children. Dahlia, a special education teacher, is married to Ronny and they live in Teaneck with their three children. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? One rather warm, sunny shabbat morning, a group of us were shmoozing outside the shul when someone said, "It's only 9 o'clock. What are we going to do?" I suggested that we start a Rambam shiur when Nachum Rubin responded, "What a great idea! Come over to my house." The shiur has been going on every shabbat for 25+ years (except during COVID). It is the zechoot of Rabbi Adler that this shiur has continued so long.
Kaylee & Serge Zenin Where did you grow up? Serge grew up in Brooklyn and Kaylee grew up in South Florida. How did you meet? We met in New York when Kaylee moved to the city for school. We both share a love for Salsa music and met in a dancing class. Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We both lived in the city and left during Covid. We moved to Teaneck in September 2020, right before Rosh Hashanah. We first went to the outdoor minyan at Alex Basseches. Everyone we met was so nice and welcoming, so we joined Rinat earlier this year. What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? We love to ski every winter, it’s our favorite sport! What's your favorite thing about Rinat? The sense of community. We felt alone when we moved to Teaneck in September, and the warm welcome we have received has meant the world to us!
If you are interested in being featured, please contact office@rinat.org.