FALL 2016 FEATURES
9 Alumni Summer BBQ 10 New Faculty 2016-2017 3 Homecoming Day 2016 12 GOA Welcomes New Alumni Families 5 50th Birthday 15 Class Notes Celebration 19 Our Sincere 6 Alumni Profile: Condolences Atara Jacobson ’87
NEWS
Golda Och Academy Welcomes First Third-Generation Students New Pre-K students Paige and Avery Davis follow in their family’s footsteps When the doors to the Lower School reopened on Sept. 6, it was a monumental day in our school’s history as our first third-generation students began their GOA journey. New Pre-K students Paige and Avery Davis are the daughters of alumni Pamela (Bier) Davis ’02 and Jordan Davis ’01, granddaughters of Joe Bier ’79 and wife Robyn, and the great-granddaughters of beloved school founder Horace Bier z”l. For Pamela and Jordan Davis, it was extremely important to continue the tradition of giving their children an SSDS-GOA education. “I always knew the importance of a Jewish education, having a grandfather who not only co-founded Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, but who dedicated his life to the conservative movement,” said Pamela. “As a child and young adult, I could
see the pride in my grandfather’s eyes with so many of his grandchildren attending and graduating from the very school that started as just an idea. And I can see that same look in my father’s eyes as he watches his granddaughters in Pre-K, knowing just how proud his father would be today to see his great-grandchildren continue that tradition.” Pamela and Jordan also are closely connected with many of the students in their graduation class, and their children have even become close friends with children of other SSDS-GOA alumni. “Our daughters are extremely friendly with Juliana Klar, daughter of Jocelyn (Levine) ’01 and Greg Klar ’98,” added Pamela. “Jordan, Jocelyn and I all sang in choir together and now our children are dear friends. It just doesn’t get much better than that.” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Message From The Head of School Dear SSDS-GOA Alumni, Often we ask ourselves the question about the impact a SSDS-GOA education has on our current students and alumni. Our mission statement speaks about “...preparing future generations of Jewish leaders,” and thus it’s important to take a step back and think about how we are doing. We currently have close to 1,700 members of our alumni community spread all over the world, representing our school in remarkable ways and doing their part to bring our mission to life. Because many of you keep us posted on what you are doing, I know firsthand that several of you have assumed leadership roles engaged in some phenomenal work benefitting people all over the world. Our alumni are well represented in the fields of medicine, law and business. Some have excelled as educators inside and outside of the classroom, entrepreneurs thinking about their next great ideas and business ventures, and Jewish communal
professionals who are bringing the values that they learned in this school to life. We have scholars, culinary experts and authors who are enriching lives through their work while sharing their talents far and wide. And we also have those who are currently protecting Israel, or have served, as members of the Israel Defense Forces — a sacrifice for which we are all incredibly grateful. The common thread that weaves all of your work together is that you have not forgotten your roots and continue to be a source of great pride to your parents, teachers and our entire SSDS-GOA community. You make us proud because you are not sitting back and letting the world come to you; rather, you are stepping forward and looking for ways to make your voice heard and your impact felt. Please be sure to keep us posted on the work you are doing and, most importantly, keep making us proud.
Adam Shapiro Head of School
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Head of School Adam Shapiro said, “The excitement that comes with our alumni returning to school as parents is amplified when we see this sort of longstanding, multi-generational commitment to our school. The term, l’dor v’dor rings incredibly true.” For Joe and Robyn, it is thrilling to see their granddaughters at GOA. “We are grateful to SSDSGOA for providing an excellent education while molding our children into the wonderful adults 2 ALUMNI NEWS FALL 2016
they have become. The school instilled Jewish values that are at the core of how they conduct their lives,” said Joe. “My father had a dream, but never could have imagined the success that the school is today. He would be very proud of the past and present leadership who have nurtured the school over the years and made it the success it is today. He is smiling down on us as his grandchildren receive the benefit of his vision and hard work.”
Homecoming Day
May 22, 2016 Eric F. Ross Upper School Campus
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Message From The Alumni Chairs We hope the new year has gotten off to a great start. As we plan for how to make 5777 our most successful year yet, we would like to inform all of our alumni about an exciting transition that is happening within our alumni leadership. To help plant the seeds for the future, Lawrence Elbaum — who has served as a chair of the Alumni Society since 2008 — will be transitioning to the important role of Alumni Society Campaign Chair. We are incredibly grateful for the foundation that Lawrence has built over the past eight years that makes this change possible. Danielle Rockman ’12 has stepped up to become the new Alumni Society Co-Chair. This will
allow us to reach younger GOA demographics, staying relevant and creating programming for our newer alumni. We can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish going forward. Speaking of accomplishments, we have reached new heights thus far this year and want to encourage all alumni to continue to generously support our GOA Annual Fund. As you plan for your 2016 philanthropic contributions, remember that your investment in our school will give the same opportunity for a Jewish education that you were fortunate enough to receive. Evan Majzner ’01 Co-Chair
Danielle Rockman ’12 Co-Chair
Message From The Alumni/Development Office Dear Alumni, Happy 5777! On behalf of our entire school, we wish our alumni and their families all the best in the new year! Whether you graduated just recently in our Class of 2016, in our first graduating class of 1977 or anytime in between, you are all an integral part of our SSDS-GOA Alumni Society! We loved seeing so many of you last year at our 50th Birthday events. We continue to appreciate hearing from you about your milestones and accomplishments, or about a teacher who influenced you! We love seeing you at alumni events and reunions. Lately, we have been delighted to see many of you and your little ones as new parents at our Wilf Lower School Campus! In this new year, I need to thank a passionate leader, Lawrence Elbaum ’98 for being our Alumni Society CoChair for the past eight years and reenergizing this
important organization. Lawrence will serve as Alumni Campaign Chair going forward. Thank you also to Jason Silberfein, who has worked with many of our alumni, and who has moved on to a new position as our Upper School Registrar. I offer a special welcome to Danielle Rockman ’12 who joins Evan Majzner ’01 as our Alumni Society Co-Chairs. Going forward, we are seeking alumni who want to be active and get involved in helping us build alumni community and to give back to our school. There are many ways to do this. Join us at our quarterly Alumni Society meeting in NYC at Ben’s Deli. Help provide an internship for a college alum. Give to our GOA Annual Fund. Plan a reunion for your class. Follow us on Facebook and share or like our posts. Stay connected to your SSDS-GOA family! Warmest regards, Stephanie Bash-Soudry Director of Development and Alumni Relations
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50th Birthday Celebration
June 9, 2016 Congregation Beth El, South Orange, NJ
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ALUMNI PROFILE
Atara Jacobson ’87
Shares Her Experiences Of Being A SSDS-GOA Student, Parent, And Becoming The Newest Chair Of The Board Of Trustees By Zachary Colton-Max ’17 Every two years, Golda Och Academy undertakes a changing of the guard. Just this past spring, the GOA Board of Trustees invited Atara Jacobson ’87 to be our newest Board Chair. As a SSDS-GOA graduate as well as a parent, Ms. Jacobson has a long history with our school. I recently had the pleasure of talking with Ms. Jacobson to learn more about what makes our Board Chair who she is today.
How would you describe your experience growing up at SSDS-GOA? This is a difficult question to answer for two reasons: One, it’s hard to describe my many years as a student in a few sentences and, two, my experience with the school is completely synonymous with my experience growing up. So maybe the best way to describe my experience is “complicated.” My father was Head of School during my entire tenure as a student. Being an educator was not an occupation for him; it was his purpose and passion. It was 24/7. This, of course, meant that family conversations were often teaching moments or opportunities to negotiate feedback from our teachers. Even when we went out for dinner, we inevitably ran into 6 ALUMNI NEWS FALL 2016
other school parents and they were eager to discuss their children, specific classes or teachers, or school policies. My family was never really separated from the school for too long. And truthfully, given the size of my grade (19 in my graduating class) we were practically a family at school too. As far as my experience as a student, I had some amazing teachers during my years at the school—teachers who were talented, motivated and scholarly. It was these teachers that really stand out as I think about my experience.
If you had to pick out your favorite moment from your entire time as a student at SSDS-GOA, what would it be? Without a doubt, my favorite moment as a student at SSDSGOA was the moment I received my diploma in 12th grade—hands down. There were a lot—too many to mention—of occasions when I felt proud of an accomplishment, or when something great happened, or even when I simply enjoyed a specific lesson more than others. But when I was handed my diploma, I really felt like the many years of studying, staying up late to write papers, learning, history, science, etc. were worthwhile.
Graduation was also exciting because my grade had just returned from our semester in Israel. We were really close after sharing an amazing experience abroad. Being thousands of miles from home, we knew that it fell on us to act as a family. We would celebrate each other’s college acceptances and we rallied around those who heard unpleasant news. This was before cellphones and emails, so we would have weekly calls with our parents for admissions updates! Above all of that, graduation was amazing because so many of our teachers came to be a part of the graduation exercise.
They were proud of us and were happy for the progress we made over the years. A picture from graduation day shows a group of young adults, beaming with
pride, tan from the Israeli sun, and really happy. I also looked more mature than when I left for Israel. I suppose that at that moment, I was aware of how great the moment was to me, my parents and my peers.
Which teacher would you say influenced you the most, and why? I have been influenced by so many teachers as I imagine most of the GOA students have been. I can probably think of a few who influenced me the most but not because of the way they taught and not because of what I learned. It was more about the way they related to me and how I related to them. I never felt overlooked or unimportant at the school, but with these teachers I felt understood. As it turns out, these were amazing teachers and had a gift of making many children feel special, valued and understood. For me, it was my fourth-grade general studies teacher who whispered that she believed in me when I alone stood to take a contrary position in class. It was my high school Jewish History and Tanach teachers who pushed all of us to learn and scared us with their serious intellect.They were amazing and helped clarify my understanding of Jewish text and history through a modern lens. It was my 10th grade social
studies teacher who winked at me during a tough test, reminding me that I had her confidence. It was my Talmud teacher who stayed back one day to explain a complicated passage. I could go on. This is what differentiated them for me. But they and so many other teachers made students eager to deliver our best work. It was amazing to see some of these teachers at the recent GOA 50th Birthday Celebration—they are as wonderful now as they were then!
Why did you choose to send your kids to GOA? I was always 100 percent certain that I wanted to send my children to a conservative, Jewish day school. It was a top priority that my children have the benefits of a private school education with superior academics. I also was eager for
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wanted them to be stretched in secular and Judaic studies. Plus I want to support the ongoing development of their Jewish identity and connection to Israel.
What has your experience been like as a parent? What an amazing experience it is to be a parent at the school. I can fully appreciate the education that my children are receiving and can empathize with them when the going gets tough. I can’t say that I experienced every situation as they do, but I certainly can commiserate when they are faced with tight deadlines for papers and tests, with challenging projects and reports, and many more subjects/teachers than the average American student. The best part is seeing how the school has evolved and
What an amazing experience it is to be a parent at the school. I can fully appreciate the education that my children are receiving.
them to have a curriculum that included English and Hebrew languages, literature, math, science, music and art. In addition, just as our children study original American texts (like the Declaration of Independence and Constitution), I wanted mine to study Jewish original texts (like Tanach and Mishna). I
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knowing that my kids are beneficiaries of some neat changes. They have their choice of sports teams, clubs, science programs and activities; they have teachers who make a point to host clinics and test reviews; and have a school website with access to homework assignments, grades and
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emails. Those are amazing changes!
When did you realize that you wanted to be become Board Chair? What were your motivations for doing so? As someone who works long days in Manhattan, it was initially hard to connect with the day-to-day flow of the school, particularly during the hours when the school is most active. But as a new parent to the school many years ago, I wanted to give back and be involved. So I started by reaching out to get involved in development work and
offered to solicit donations since that was generally done during the evening. I kept my development notes in the car and called for solicitations while driving home each night. After I joined the board, I was cochair of the Annual Campaign for a few years. Over time, I was able to leverage some of my professional skills to support our board work, and eventually ended up here, as Board Chair. My motivations are two-fold: to help the school deliver on its promise and potential, and to give back to a community and
institution that, more than any other organization, shaped who I am.
What are some goals that you have for your term? What are some changes that you would like to see at the school? Beyond the obvious (support Adam Shapiro and his team in their outstanding work; focus on the education, safety and wellbeing of our students, and continue to improve our financial position so that more families can benefit from the school), my goals are to grow the school and continue to drive excellence.
Living in the city? Kids ready for school? Thinking of moving back to the area?
FOR OPEN HOUSE DATES VISIT GOLDAOCHACADEMY.ORG OR CALL THE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS 973-602-3601 TO SET UP A PRIVATE TOUR 8 ALUMNI NEWS FALL 2016
Alumni Summer BBQ, Classes of 2013-2016 August 17, 2016 Wilf Lower School Campus
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GOA Welcomes New Faculty, 2016-2017 JENNY ACKERMAN
SIGAL HALFONE RIBAK
Lower School Faculty, Judaic Studies B.A. Oranim College M.A. Achva College M.A. Ben Gurion University
Lower School Faculty, Judaics Studies B.A. The Open School
ANAT BENOLIEL
SHARON HERSCH
ANDREA BERKOWITZ
REBECCA JACOBS
TRACY BERNSTEIN
RABBI MOLLY KARP
HAIM DEUTCH
DENNIS KOZAR
MARCY GORMAN
NINA KRETZMER SEED
Lower School Faculty, Judaic Studies B.A. Bar Ilan University
Lower School Faculty, General Studies B.A. Columbia University M.A. Touro College
Lower School Faculty, General Studies B.A. University of Georgia M.S. Mercy College
Upper School Faculty, Social Studies B.A. Hebrew University, Jerusalem J.D. Lewis & Clark Law School
Lower School Faculty, General Studies B.S. SUNY Cortland
FACULTY NEWS Mazel Tov to Judaic Studies Chair Flora Musleah who welcomed two new grandaughters: Shayna Lily Yavelberg, born May 15, 2016 to parents Trudy and Aaron, and Zoey Sarah Yavelberg, born June 30, 2016 to parents Hana and Joel.
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Upper School Faculty, Learning Specialist B.A. University of Maryland M.A. New York University
Upper School Faculty, Experential Education Coordinator B.A. Baruch College M.S.W. Hunter College
Upper School Faculty, Judaics B.A. SUNY Binghamton M.A. Hebrew Union College Rabbinical Ordination, Academy for Jewish Religion Upper School Faculty, Health and Physical Education B.A. Kean University A.S. DeVry University
Lower School Faculty, Judaic Studies B.A. Barnard College B.A. Jewish Theological Seminary M.A. New York University
Mazel Tov to Upper School Social Studies faculty Michael Stern and his wife who welcomed Talia Raven Stern on July 1, 2016. She weighed 5.7 lbs. and was 18� long.
GLENN MAIDA
APRIL PETERS
ALIZA MAYER
JULI PLATT
ALEJANDRO MENESES
WENDY SCHIBENER
NAOMI NEWBERGER
EVE SORKIN ’92
SHLOMIT OPHIR HAREL
LORA WEGNER
Upper School Faculty, Multimedia B.S. University of New Haven
Lower School Faculty, General Studies B.A. Rutgers University M.Ed. William Patterson University
Upper School Faculty, Foreign Language B.A. National Autonomous University of Mexico
Upper School Faculty, Mathematics B.A. Brooklyn College M.A. Yeshiva University
Lower School Faculty, Judaic Studies LL.M., M.A. Tel Aviv University
Upper School Faculty, Foreign Language B.A. Lincoln University M.A. Middlebury College, Paris
Lower School Faculty, Art B.A. Tufts University M.A. Boston University
Upper School Faculty, Arts B.A. Bucknell University B.F.A. Sarah Lawrence College
Lower School Faculty, Judaic Studies B.A. Emory University M.A. Jewish Theological Seminary
Lower School Faculty, General Studies M.A.T. Montclair State University
FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF ALL CURRENT FACULTY & STAFF, GO TO GOLDAOCHACADEMY.ORG/DIRECTORY
Mazel Tov to Upper School Judaics faculty member Lev Metz who welcomed a new baby boy, Eitan Navi, on July 27, 2016. ALUMNI NEWS FALL 2016 11
GOA Welcomes New Alumni Families, 2016-2017
Greg Klar ’98 and Jocelyn (Levine) Klar ’01 enrolled their daughter Juliana in Kindergarten this fall. Jason Ben’Ous ’96 and wife Leslie have two of their three children at GOA this year. We look forward to welcoming new baby Stella to eventually join her older siblings Reed (Grade 1) and Noa (Kindergarten)!
Children o 2016-2017 Enrollment
Rabbi Jesse Olitzky ’02 and wife Andrea enrolled their daughter Cayla in Kindergarten this fall.
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Pre-K...................8 Kindergarten....5 Grade 1................3 Grade 2...............5 Grade 3...............7 Grade 4...............5 Grade 5...............7
Michael Skolnick ’95 and wife Brooke enrolled their daughter Sophia in Kindergarten this fall. Josh Kipnees ’02 and Tara (Strogov) Kipnees ’03 enrolled their daughter Eliat in Kindergarten this fall.
of Alumni Grade 6...............2 Grade 7...............5 Grade 8...............2 Grade 9...............3 Grade 10..............4 Grade 11...............2 Grade 12..............1
Pamela (Bier) Davis ’02 and Jordan Davis ’01 enrolled their twin daughters Avery and Paige in Pre-K this fall. They represent GOA’s first third-generation students! Read the cover story to learn more.
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In Memoriam: Señora Susan Bakerman z”l
GOA is proud to be establishing the Susan Bakerman Prize for Excellence in Spanish to be awarded annually to an 11th grade student. To donate to this fund, please contact Stephanie Bash-Soudry at sbashsoudry@ goldaochademy.org
This past summer, SSDS-GOA lost a beloved teacher and friend, Susan Bakerman z”l. Señora Bakerman dedicated 27 years of service to our school and inspired hundreds of students along the way. Her love for the Spanish language and passion for teaching was unmatched and her desire to help her students learn and grow went well beyond the classroom. Room 109 (and later room 310) was always quite lively as Señora Bakerman’s students knew that her lessons were never just about vocabulary lists and conjugation; rather, she helped them to understand that language acquisition very much included an understanding of culture and history as well. Señora Bakerman also dedicated many years to our High School Student Council as their advisor and biggest cheerleader. She worked with our student leaders to coordinate our lunch program and countless after-school student activities. It is this legacy that will live on in the minds of so many of our alumni and current students who had the privilege of being able to call her their teacher. To honor Señora Bakerman, some of our alumni and faculty reached out to pay tribute to such an inspiring teacher.
Señora Bakerman was my Spanish teacher from 1991-1996 at SSDS-GOA, which may be a long time for some students but I never tired of it. She was my first teacher that seemed to be caught up on the modern lingo and was not afraid to say things at the class that we as classmates would say to each other. Woe to any student who “didn’t get with the program.” The many creative and outstanding projects never went away, especially the Spanish skits. As my classmates would try to outdo each other with antics and laughs, I still can’t forget wearing my sombrero and sarape and forgetting my lines. Or perhaps it was the subjunctive exam that my class could never fully grasp and translate, even with the nifty “WEDDING” handout sheet that she tried to make us memorize. Señora never let us down and didn’t grade us or the test, but instead gave us stickers and played some Spanish music. Further showing us the enormous kindness she hid, even when we felt like we were awful. But it was a teachable moment for her, realizing that even the most talented couldn’t understand the subjunctive because it was a tense that did not exist in English. Señora was fond of nicknames. In my class alone, we even had Señor Parilla (the Señor who wanted to climb the grill) and another student who dressed himself up as Señora Bakerman, much to her astonishment. Part of being yourself in Señora’s class meant making yourself a little ridiculous and a little more vulnerable but all the while preparing us for that difficult thing that lay just beyond high school — la vida. Playing ABBA’s (yes, that band from the 70’s) album Gold (Oro) in Spanish was a treat for many—reminding us how real Spanish was supposed to sound like. Letting us read “El Principito”—The Little Prince, was once again a challenge and left us thinking about childhood and philosophy and far more than Spanish syntax; asking her why we couldn’t understand Exupery’s dense text made us want more. I still can’t look at that book without thinking about our discussions in English and Spanish. There’s only one thing you could possibly say now, “!Que Lastima, Señora Bakerman!” “What a pity, Señora Bakerman.” — Rachael Goldman ’96 The flavor of Señora Bakerman’s classrooms became immediately clear as soon as you entered: Spanish class with a Brooklyn flair. All of her students I’m certain will remember at least one of her “Bakermanisms”: Double A (clicking sound), M-C-O, Chicle en la basura!, You want some cheese with that wine [pronounced ‘woyne’]? – among many others. I have fond memories of our end-of-year Spanish skits, which included an award-winning production of Star Wars under her tutelage. Her classes were lively, to say the least, and she demonstrated an enthusiasm for teaching that made Schechter the wonderful place it was during my time there. I owe most of my Spanish skills to Señora, which I use almost daily interacting with patients in the Washington Heights community as a 4th year medical student at Columbia. She will be sorely missed. — Adam Butensky ’08 14 ALUMNI NEWS FALL 2016
Señora Bakerman did her best with me, but she had no shot. I was, and am, a horrible Spanish speaker. And though I cannot for the life of me remember how to conjugate in the subjunctive (or even what the subjunctive is, come to think of it), I do remember nearly every single day in her class. All three years of it. I hear “double-A-M-C-O” in my head at inopportune times, like in my sleep. I can remember exactly where I sat in classroom 109. I can recite each one of her –isms. I can visualize Jarrod Neibloom dressed as Lucille Balle for the foreign language skit contest, stuffing fake alcohol-laced vitamin juice down his throat and finally being able to roll his R’s as she cheered us on. In short, I don’t remember Spanish, but I remember all the warmth, joy, and love that Señora Bakerman brought to teaching it. And I had the great fortune to work with her not just in her class, but on the student council, where her humor, guidance, and remarkable knowledge of high school cliques was indispensable. She was unique, smart as a whip, loud, gregarious, always smiling and irrepressible. Rabbi Yehoshua says in Pirkei Avot: Make for yourself a teacher, and acquire for yourself a friend. Señora Bakerman was not just my teacher, but my friend and I, along with generations of students, will miss her terribly. I know her memory will be a blessing, just as her life was – for her family, and for all of us. — Ben Herzberg ’06 For over 27 years, Señora Susan Bakerman dedicated herself to developing in her students the desire to learn and to speak world languages. Whether it was in the classroom as a lively Spanish teacher or as the Foreign Language Department Chair, Sra. Bakerman never failed to inspire and engage students. Sra. Bakerman was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She attended New York University and completed her masters at Richmond College in Staten Island. Sra. Bakerman taught in the public schools of NYC, but was happy to move to SSDSEU when the opportunity arose. She loved working with the students and that love of teaching transferred to her advising the student council for several years. She developed a real connection to the students in both capacities — as teacher and advisor. You always knew that when you saw Sra. Bakerman first thing in the morning, she would be carrying her books in a bag in one hand and a Starbucks cup in the other. She made sure to greet everyone, student and teacher alike, and never failed to ask how you were doing. In our department meetings, we had lively discussions about everything from current events to Spanish literature to the latest foreign language films. There was never a dull moment with Sra. Bakerman. Most students will remember her for her witty sayings in class and for the fond nicknames she gave to her students. Those of us the Foreign Language Department will remember our colleague Susan Bakerman — our colleague and friend — with cariño (fondness) and will aspire to have the same impact on our students that she had on hers. — Gail Shapiro, Foreign Language Department Chair
Class Notes 1986
Shari Rachlin Bates, class of 1986 and current GOA parent, along with the entire Bates family, received the Family Community Service Award from Jewish Family Service of Central NJ at their annual meeting on Monday, June 27, 2016.
1987
1994
Dr. Miriam Heller Stern has been appointed the National Director of the HUC-JIR School of Education, effective July 1, 2016. Dr. Stern joins HUC-JIR after six years as the Dean of the Graduate Center for Jewish Education at the American Jewish University.
1996
Atara Jacobson and husband Scott Bieber celebrated their son Ari’s Bar Mitzvah on September 17, 2016.
1990 Adina Jacobson and husband Alex Brodsky had a baby boy, Zev David, on February 25, 2016.
Jason Ben’Ous and wife Leslie welcomed their new daughter, Stella, born August 8, 2016. Stella joins big brother and sister Reed and Noa who started school this fall at the Wilf Lower School Campus.
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Class Notes 1997
Eitan Melamed and Sophie Milrom ‘05 were married August 2016 in Los Angeles. Eitan is a partner at Glendon Capital Management, an investment management firm based in Santa Monica, California. Sophie is the founder and CEO of EatPops, a line of healthy frozen desserts. The Golden Ochtaves Choir was thrilled to be invited to sing as a surprise for Eitan at their Sheva Brachot!
1998
Eric Lester and wife Tracy are proud to announce the birth of their son, Theodore Brooks Lester, born on June 2, 2016, weighing 6 lbs., 3 oz.
1999
Irina Briller and husband Dimitry Nemirovsky welcomed a baby girl, Petra Nemirovsky, on March 25, 2016.
2000 Ari Maas and his wife Corey announced the birth of their daughter, Hazel Shoshana, on August 11, 2016. Ari is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in public policy at Princeton University. He is also a captain in the NYPD.
Mindy (Halpern) Schall and Alan Schall ‘92 celebrated their daughter Emily’s Bat Mitzvah on September 17, 2016.
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On Sunday, September 18, 2016, members of the Pollack Siegel family visited the Bernard J. and Zelda Meislin Memorial Library at the Upper School.
Stay Connected!
2001
Max Oshman and Jessica Reisberg were married on May 29, 2016 at Green Brook Country Club in North Caldwell, NJ.
Evan Majzner and his wife Lindsay welcomed a baby boy, Nate Harris, on August 2, 2016, weighing 6 lbs., 4 oz.
2004 Joel Yavelberg and his wife Hana welcomed a baby girl, Zoey Sarah, on June 30, 2016. Zoey weighed 7 lbs., 10 oz. Meryl Goldstein is engaged to Chandan Prithiani. A November 2017 wedding is planned.
2005
Matthew Fenichel married Rachel Adelman on April 16, 2016 at Cipriani in NYC. Matthew has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Rochester and an M.S. in Finance from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business. Matthew is a manager in Ernst & Young’s Financial Services Risk Management Advisory practice in New York. His wife Rachel graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in Telecommunications and is a digital project manager at Tag Worldwide in New York. The couple was introduced by Becky Isaacson.
Zachary Bier married Heather Abrahamian on May 30, 2016 at the Mandarin Oriental New York. Zachary, an electrical engineer, is a vice president at Richards Manufacturing in Irvington, NJ. His wife Heather is obtaining an M.S.W. from Columbia University and will graduate in May 2017.
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Stay Connected!
Class Notes 2007 Blair Funk recently graduated from the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine where she worked on creating a new curriculum on LGBT and sexual health. Blair also helped develop a reproductive health education program for students to gain hands-on access to issues specific to women’s health. She hopes to continue her work with underserved populations and sexual health during her Family Medicine residency at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
2011
Zach Shapiro graduated Tufts University in Spring 2016 and is a Middle Eastern studies research associate at the Council on Foreign Relations. He works for Elliott Abrams, who served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the George W. Bush administration.
2013 Naomi Gutstein was named Forbes Under 30 Scholar and was invited to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit held in Boston October 16-19, 2016 which brought together more than 5,000 young entrepreneurs from all over the world. Naomi is currently a senior studying computer science at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Sara (Isaacson) Kaufman was married to Josh Kaufman on March 20, 2016. Former SSDS students and alumni were in attendance to help celebrate: Michal Gross (former student), Jen Logan ’04, Becky Isaacson ’04, Alex Brien ’07, Sasha Wang ’07, Arielle Schweitzer ’07, Haley (Vinick) Vogel ’07, and Keren Page (former student). Elliot Pines became engaged to Michelle Berman.
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2016
Rafi Jones and Hannah Greenwald represented GOA as they educated Israeli and Australian peers about Judaism in America and the Conservative movement. The two were on a six-month leadership/gap-year program together at Mechinat Kol Ami in Tiberias, Israel.
Our Sincere Condolences Josh Allen z”l, beloved husband of Jamie Allen and father of Rachel. Our entire school community mourned the passing of former Upper School teacher Josh Allen z”l, who taught, inspired and motivated our students for three years, having left GOA following the 2014-15 school year. Reed Altholz z”l, beloved husband of Elyse and father of former student Jake Altholz. Norm Bash z”l, beloved husband of Leslie Bash; father of Stephanie BashSoudry, Director of Development and Alumni Relations; father-in-law of Michael Soudry; and grandfather of Ben ’16, Nadav (Grade 9) and Maya (Grade 8). Moshe Benisty z”l, beloved brother of Mordechai Benisty, brother-in-law of Lower School teacher Natasha Cooper-Benisty and uncle of Adiel (Grade 8) and Manon ’12. Philip Butensky z”l, beloved father of Arthur Butensky and Michelle Scheinthal, and grandfather of Daniel ’04, Adam ’08 and Rachel. Nathan Glasser z”l, beloved father of Jane Kaplan (husband Michael) and grandfather of Jonah ’05 and Hannah ’02. Saul Goldman z”l, beloved father of Stephen Goldman (wife Mindy), and grandfather of Charlie ’13 and Joseph ’13.
Alfred Goldstrom z”l, beloved father of Lauren Morris (husband Michael) and grandfather of Ari (former student), Eitan ’11 and Miriam (Grade 11). Brian Kheel z”l, beloved husband of Susan Kheel; mother of Marsha (Kheel) Goldwasser ’90; and grandfather of Avi, Noam (Grade 8), and Shayna (Grade 5). Rabbi Morton Leifman z”l, beloved father of Michael Leifman and fatherin-law of Sharon Samber ’98. Jonathan Messeloff z”l, beloved husband of Esther Messeloff; father of Julie Schwartz (husband Jonathan), Daniel Messeloff (wife Wendy) and Sara Tanz (husband Larry); grandfather of Mia (Grade 4), Mason (Grade 2), and Stella (Pre-K), Lily, Freddy, Jonah, Alex, Dalia and Ari. Maurice Mindel z”l, beloved father of Ilana Kaplan and grandfather of Jared ’12, Megan ’16 and Jamie (Grade 8).
Phyllis Shapiro z”l, beloved wife of Murray Shapiro, mother of Bruce Shapiro, mother-in-law of Gail Shapiro, Director of Admissions; and grandmother of Zachary ’11, Noa ’15, Upper School teacher Rabbi Adam Gindea and his wife, former GOA teacher Jessie Gindea; and great-grandmother of Charlie Gindea. Savta Shirley Segal z”l, beloved mother of Eric Segal (wife Karen) and grandmother of Shira Lee ’04, Adi ’07, Hillel and Orli ’11. Clare Stadtmauer z”l, beloved wife of Rabbi Murray Stadtmauer, mother of Rhea Stadtmauer (Janice Maiman), and grandmother of Jacob ’15 and former student Emma. Ernest Wachtel z”l, beloved father of Cheryl Friedman (husband Mark) and Mindy Silverberg and grandfather of Jordan Friedman ’00 and Matthew Friedman ’98.
Naomi Rivkin z”l, beloved mother of Anne Blady and grandmother of Jenni (Blady) Friedman ’06, Gaby ’08 and Aaron ’10.
Joseph Wilf z”l, beloved husband of Suzie Wilf, father of former GOA trustee Zygi Wilf (wife Audrey) and GOA trustee Mark Wilf (wife Jane); grandfather of Jason ’98 (wife Cori), and former student Jonathan (wife Rachel), Jeffrey, former students Elana (husband Brett), Steven, Stephanie, Daniel, Rachel and Andrew. Joseph Wilf z”l was also a great-grandfather to five great-grandchildren.
Shirley Rosner z”l, beloved mother of Shari-Beth Susskind (husband Jeff), grandmother of Jacob ’11, Ben ’13 and Noah ’16.
Submit your condolences at www.goldaochacademy.org/ baruchdayanemet
Hyman Pyonin z”l, beloved father of Sandy Pyonin, physical education teacher, Paul Pyonin and Carol Pyonin.
ALUMNI NEWS FALL 2016 19
Golda Och Academy is accredited by the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools and is a beneficiary agency of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ. It is affiliated with the Greater MetroWest, the Solomon Schechter Day School Association, and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, NJ Region.
Stephanie Bash-Soudry Director of Development and Alumni Relations Glenn Slavin Director of Marketing and Communications Erin Sternthal Marketing and Communications Associate James Bratek Digital Media Strategist
Atara Jacobson ’87 Chair, Board of Trustees Adam Shapiro Head of School Julia Malaga Chief Financial Officer Christine Stodolski Upper School Principal Carrie Siegel ’92 Lower School Principal
Send your comments, questions, story ideas, photos, class notes, and baruch dayan emets to: Erin Sternthal esternthal@goldaochacademy.org
Your investment makes a difference!
>50% GOA Annual Fund dollars benefit:
Academic and teaching excellence Access and affordability Student life and extracurricular activities Jewish community and identity Alumni outreach programs
Percentage of GOA
71%
Needed to fund operating expenses not covered
students that receive financial aid
goldaochacademy.org/annualfund ERIC F. ROSS UPPER SCHOOL CAMPUS 1418 Pleasant Valley Way West Orange, New Jersey 07052
$1M+
Yearly operating costs that are covered by tuition and fees
Save The Date!
BALL ALUMNI BASKET CH UN GAME AND BR Y LT CU WITH FA , 2016 Friday, December 23 11:00 am – 2:00 pm are Please indicate if you playing in the game!
RSVP to alumni@ goldaochacademy.org
by tuition
548 Number of GOA students enrolled in 2016-17