Alumni Weekend 2020 — Welcome to the ReZOOMion!

A global pandemic could not stop our Beth Tfiloh alumni from coming home to BT, even if only online. The BT classes of 2000, 2005 and 2010 celebrated their milestone reunions over Thanksgiving week, meeting virtually to reminisce, play fun trivia games and toast their classes. Local alumni enjoyed a bagel “on BT” at Goldberg’s Bagels, in lieu of the annual brunch. All alumni were invited to reconnect and catch up with some of their favorite High School teachers in an online event with Mrs. Beenie Finkelstein, Rabbi David Finkelstein, Mrs. Rae Goldberg, Mrs. Joyce Grand, Rabbi Ira and Rachel Kosowsky, Rabbi Jeff Kuperman, Morah Sarah Lanner, Rabbi Avi Silverman, and Mrs. Malka (Mizrachi) Weiser.

CELEBRATING ALUMNI ALL STARS

Two BT alumni were recognized for their accomplishments in the arts and athletics at the school’s virtual Thanksgiving Convocation. Matthew Jeffers ’09 was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in Loving Memory of Ellie Goldenberg ‘12 a”h, and Ezra Olman ’91 was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Matthew Jeffers ’09

Matthew starred in Lend Me A Tenor, Leading Ladies, and The Curious Savage during his years at BT. Today he lives in New York City where he is an actor/ screenwriter. Since 2018, he has performed in three off-Broadway productions, and has collaborated with Tony Award-winning directors. He currently plays Dr. Ed Walsh on NBC’s New Amsterdam and will make his feature film debut in the dark comedy Unidentified Objects next year. Accepting the induction, Matthew said, “I’ve come to appreciate the importance and the significance of the word, ‘community’. You find the right community, you’ll never get too lost. I’ll continue to build communities as I carve out a career, but all of them—every one—will be built upon the foundation of the community at 3300 Old Court Road.”

Ezra Olman ’91

Ezra Olman ’91 played soccer, track and field, and baseball for the Beth Tfiloh Warriors. After graduating from the University of Maryland, Ezra made aliyah, served in the IDF, and attended yeshiva. He received an MA in creative writing from Bar-Ilan University in 2004 and subsequently wrote a book of short stories, The Attempted Destruction of Herr Neumann. He currently works as director of demand generation for a cybersecurity startup in Tel Aviv. Ezra lives in Modiin, Israel, along with several Beth Tfiloh alumni. He and his wife, Jane, an attorney specializing in real estate law, have four children. Ezra reflected on his glory days as a BT Warrior, saying, “Putting on the BT Warriors uniform and going out into the world to compete gave you a strong sense of a Jewish identity just as tangible, if not more so than anything we learned in the classroom.”

BT FAMILIES INSPIRE GIVING TUESDAY GENEROSITY

Two extraordinary Beth Tfiloh families inspired generosity on Giving Tuesday. Batsheva and Shimmy Messing challenged the BT community to make 360 gifts to the 2021 Annual Campaign in order to unlock the Messing Family Foundation Giving Tuesday Bonus. Thank you to the 409 families who took that challenge! Alex ‘12, Andrew ‘14 and Ben Kadish matched every gift made by BT alumni on Giving Tuesday, motivating 137 alumni to support the Annual Campaign. To date, BT families have made 1,256 Annual Campaign, 307 made by our BT alumni. “To me, Beth Tfiloh is about the people, the values, and the community support system that holds you up and cares for you,” shared Alex. “I’ve been on the receiving end of the generosity of the BT community, and now as an adult I’m grateful and humbled to be able to give back to a place that has given my family and me so much.”

Ezra Olman ’91 played soccer, track and field, and baseball for the Beth Tfiloh Warriors. After graduating from the University of Maryland, Ezra made aliyah, served in the IDF, and attended yeshiva. He received an MA in creative writing from Bar-Ilan University in 2004 and subsequently wrote a book of short stories, The Attempted Destruction of Herr Neumann. He currently works as director of demand generation for a cybersecurity startup in Tel Aviv. Ezra lives in Modiin, Israel, along with several Beth Tfiloh alumni. He and his wife, Jane, an attorney specializing in real estate law, have four children.