Mazel Tov: Leadership growth at Beth Sholom Village

The new administrator of the BergerGoldrich Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Lauren Schoenfeld recently achieved the difficult task of earning the Licensed Nursing Home Administrator certification.

Schoenfeld has served in several roles over her six years at Beth Sholom Village, directly supporting executive leadership and taking an active role in managing quality control and assessment. In 2021 she was promoted to director of executive administration and special projects, and in early 2022 began her Administrator in Training program. After completing the 9-month program that included 1,500 supervised hours covering more than 50 areas of nursing home practice, Schoenfeld passed her state and federal level exams to obtain the LNHA certification in January 2023.

Beth Sholom Village is very proud to have such talent within its team, setting high standards for the organization every day.

Recently promoted to director of philanthropy and marketing at Beth Sholom Village, Amy Weinstein has also taken on a significant volunteer leadership role within the community. Starting in January 2023, Weinstein became president of the Association of Fundraising ProfessionalsHampton Roads, Va. Chapter. She served on the board of AFP for several years and chaired National Philanthropy Day, the largest local celebration of non-profits and philanthropy, and the continuing education and programs committee. Weinstein was nominated and elected to the president role by a group of her peers—fellow fundraising executives in Hampton Roads.

Beth Sholom Village is very proud to have one of its own leaders at the forefront of the premier fundraising resource for professionals to learn, collaborate, and grow together.

David Abraham, is president and CEO of Beth Sholom Village.

Penny Schwartz

BOSTON (JTA)—Veiled brides holding white bouquets; a gold-colored chuppah; the signing of ketubahs, Jewish marriage contracts; lively Jewish music wafting through a social hall as guests danced the hora.

It had all the telltale signs of a traditional Jewish wedding. But the three couples were already married — and had been for a collective total of 125 years.

The event earlier this month was an opportunity for three Ukraine-born couples to have the Jewish ceremonies they could not have when they first wed, when Jewish practice was forbidden under communism in their country.

“It was my dream for many, many years and dreams come true,” says Elisheva Furman, who first married her husband

Fishel in Ukraine 50 years ago.

Held by Shaloh House, a Chabad Lubavitch organization in Boston that serves Jews from the former Soviet Union, the event was also an opportunity for Chabad rabbinical students to practice officiating at Jewish weddings.

Shaloh House launched a rabbinical training institute in 2021, after Rabbi Shlomo Noginski, an educator at the school, was stabbed eight times outside the building in a vicious attack that jolted Boston and especially its Jewish community.

“This wedding ceremony is a victory of love and kindness over oppression and hate,” says Rabbi Dan Rodkin, director of Shaloh House. “It is a testament to the strength of the Jewish people and the resilience of these Soviet-born couples, continued on page 22