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Alumnae Newsletter
A Dvar Torah from Mrs. Kahan
Winter 2014
IN THIS ISSUE:
D’var Torah from Mrs.
Kahan, page 1
Message from Mrs. Ennis,
page 2
Alumnae Career Spotlight,
Pages 3-5
Introducing Ma’ayanot’s
College Fellows, Page 6
Alumnae Aliya Panel, Page 7
Joint Ma’ayanot/TABC Career Networking Event,
Page 8
Alumnae Giving Back, 9
Class Notes, Pages 10-12
Ma’ayanot in the News!
Page 13
Continuing Ed at Ma’ayanot,
Page 14
Alumnae Board, Page 15
Dear Alumnae,
While the story of Hanukah is, of course, not among
those recounted in Tanakh, it is interesting to consider
Biblical narratives that embody the values represented
by the struggle and victory of the Hanukah story. In a
midrashic reading, one of these Biblical antecedents in
found within the story of Yaakov’s struggle with the angel in Parshat Vayishlah.
Hazal, in Bereishit Rabbah 77:3, interpret the angel’s touching Yaakov’s
thigh as a metaphor for his figurative confrontation with the future generations of Yaakov’s family; this is consistent with the frequent usage of the
phrase “yotzei yerekh” as referring to a person’s descendants (for example,
see Bereishit 46:26 and Shemot 1:5). The midrash interprets “he touched
the hollow of [Yaakov’s] thigh” as meaning that “he touched the righteous
people and prophets who would, in the future, descend from [Yaakov]. And
to what does this refer? To the generation of persecution [shemad].” In
other words, the angel was defeated by the vision of Yaakov’s descendants
who, throughout the ages, would withstand the pressures of religious persecution.
Rav Hutner, in the fifth maamar of his sefer Pahad Yitzhak on Hanukah,
draws the midrash’s idea further, suggesting that if the source of the angel’s
defeat is the spiritual strength of those who would withstand religious persecution, then the source of Yaakov’s pain (and the angel’s partial victory) is
those who would succumb to the pressures of shemad. In Rav Hutner’s
reading, the struggle between Yaakov and the angel is the maaseh avot that
prefigures the tension between Jewish particularism and assimilation
throughout Jewish history, which is especially commemorated on Hanukah.
Even for generations such as our own, which are privileged to live in a time
and place of religious freedom and in an unparalleled malkhut shel hesed, I
think that Rav Hutner’s interpretation of the story of Yaakov’s struggle is
resonant. Several mefarshim interpret the new name of Yisrael, which Yaakov receives during his encounter with the angel, as a symbol of the spiritual, miraculous dimensions of his life, while the name Yaakov represents his
practical, worldly occupations (for example, see Malbim and Rabbenu Bahaye). Both of these names remain important in Yaakov’s identity and experience for the rest of his life, suggesting the centrality of both the otherworldly and this-worldly aspects of his mission. Yaakov’s struggle with the
angel can be read not only as a maaseh avot for strength in the face of religious persecution, but also as a maaseh avot for the ways that Jews might
seek integration of the various aspects of their religious, intellectual, and
social identities as they encounter general culture. Even in the most open
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
1
and free of societies, this engagement can pose challenges to the formation of a strong, internal religious
compass.
At the end of his maamar, Rav Hutner points out that the name of Hanukah contains a directive as to preserving and strengthening religious identity in the face of competing values; it contains the same shoresh
as “hinukh” (education). Through thoughtful education, it is possible to work toward a religious worldview
that provides the tools to navigate this complex world and seek integration of the many pursuits and values that give our lives meaning. This vision is central to the habits of mind and spirit that we try to nurture
at Ma’ayanot, but is also a lifelong mission that is nourished through continued learning and intellectual
and spiritual engagement.
As we celebrate Hanukah, may we each find personal meaning in its powerful story and messages.
Best wishes for a Hag Urim Sameah,
Dear Alumnae,
We hope you enjoy this winter issue of the Ma’ayanot Alumnae Newsletter! A
highlight of this newsletter is our Career Spotlight feature, in which six alumnae
share their career experiences and offer to answer questions or serve as mentors
for other alumnae considering their chosen fields. We are also pleased to introduce the first of what we hope will be many joint Ma’ayanot/TABC career networking events. Finally, we hope you will enjoy our Class Notes column and that
you will consider submitting an update about your milestones, professional or
personal, for our next issue in June.
As always, a main goal for the Alumnae Association is to provide a forum through which you can
remain in contact with your former classmates and teachers and continue to feel part of and connected to the Ma'ayanot family. Toward these goals we invite you to:
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Like us on Facebook!
Email your class representative(s), or email me at ennisp@maayanot.org, to share special milestones or to update your contact information;
Click here to see our Annual Report;
Send us ideas or suggestions for programs or events that you would enjoy and that
would help you remain connected;
Keep an eye out for the next issue of the Ma’ayanot Alumnae Newsletter in June!
Once again, feel free to contact me at ennisp@maayanot.org with suggestions for how the Alumnae Association can better meet your needs.
Warm regards,
Pam
Pam Ennis
Director of Community Relations
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
2
In an attempt to further grow our career network, we reached out to six alumnae in different fields
and asked them to share their career experiences with the Association. These alumnae have also
volunteered to answer questions and/or mentor alumnae who may be considering entering these
same fields. We hope you enjoy reading about the amazing successes of these talented women!
Aliza Abrams, Class of 2001
Aliza is the Director of Student Life and Jewish Service Learning at Stern College. She
holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College and a Masters in Social Work from
the Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Aliza’s began her career at YU’s Center for the
Jewish Future as a Presidential Fellow in the Department of Community Initiatives. At the beginning of Aliza's year as a Fellow, she had the unique opportunity to
volunteer, under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, with
Hurricane Katrina evacuees; it was during this experience that Aliza began to learn
about career opportunities, outside of teaching, for people interested in Jewish education and Jewish communal work.
After the trip Aliza became very involved in development of the Yeshiva University
Service Learning curriculum, which ultimately led her to decide to pursue her Masters in Social Work with a focus on community organizing.
As one of the youngest senior staff members at Yeshiva University, Aliza has worked
with thousands of college students; indeed, over the last nine years she has led over 20 different service missions
around the world and has sent over 3,000 students on the Schreiber Torah Tours, a program that enhances services at Synagogues across North America over a variety of Jewish holidays.
As a granddaughter of the Bielski Partisans, Aliza's passion for Jewish community, peoplehood and leadership has
led her to lecture around the world, including in the UK, Israel, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine and all over North America. Aliza is one of three members of the inaugural Wexner Field Fellows program through the Wexner Foundation.
In Aliza's free time she volunteers for her synagogue, Mt. Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights NY, and has
run half marathons to raise money for children with terminal diseases through Team Lifeline.
Last, but certainly not least, Aliza is engaged to Sam Konig; a January wedding is planned. Mazel tov!
If you're interested in a career in Jewish communal work or leadership, please contact Aliza at Aabrams@yu.edu.
Gila Hoch, Class of 2003
After learning for one year at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Gila earned a B.A. in Jewish History
from Barnard College, and she taught at Ramaz for one semester before she made Aliya
in 2008. In Israel, Gila learned for three years in the Matan Advanced Talmud Program, a
program that, according the the Matan website, "exists solely to enable women to deepen and expand their Talmudic knowledge toward a goal of providing women with the
Talmudic expertise needed to enable them to contribute to Jewish education, culture,
and the world of Talmud study."
For the past four years Gila has taught Talmud and Halakha at the Shalom Hartman Institute High School for Girls, and she is the Director of the Dr. Beth Samuels Drisha Summer High School Program for Girls. She is also studying at Bar Ilan University and hopes
to graduate with a Masters in Talmud in the spring.
Finally, Gila recently became engaged to Avi Bieler, brother-in-law to Nina Bieler, Ma'ayanot's Director of Admissions; a February wedding is planned. Mazel tov!
Gila is a fantastic resource for alumnae interested in pursing advanced studies in Talmud and/or a career in education in Israel, and she is also a wonderful sounding board for alumnae thinking about making Aliya on their own
at a young age. Gila can be contacted at gilaariella@gmail.com
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
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Michal Kaufman, Class of 2001
After studying at Midreshet Harova for one year, Michal attended MIT, where
she earned a Bachelors of Science in Materials Engineering. A highlight of her
college years was her semester abroad, which she spent at UNSW in Sydney,
Australia. Upon graduation, Michal obtained her first job on the Fixed Income
Team in the Investment Banking Division at Credit Suisse; within this capacity
she worked as a foreign exchange and interest rate trader, creating markets for
clients and trading on a proprietary basis with the firm's capital. After eight
years at Credit Suisse, Michal recently switched to Bloomberg to work as an
OTC Derivatives Application Specialist. Within this capacity she liaisons between Bloomberg’s sales force and financial engineers, and she helps
external clients (such as traders) get the most out of what Bloomberg has to
offer. Incidentally, Michal’s husband is the in-house lawyer at a Bloomberg
competitor, which, she reports, makes for good fun at home. Michal and her husband have been blessed with
three daughters who make them “extremely happy...and crazy!”
Michal is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning about career options within the financial industry, including both financial services and financial engineering opportunities. Michal also interviews high
school students for admission to MIT, so she is a phenomenal resource for anyone interviewing for a competitive undergraduate position. Michal can be reached at Michelle.a.kaufman@gmail.com
Daniella Lichtman Esses, Class of 2001
After studying at the Overseas Program at Bar Ilan University for one year, Daniella
attended Barnard College, where she majored in Religion, and Columbia Law School,
where she won numerous honors and served as the Executive Essay and Review Editor
of the Columbia Law Review. For one year between college and law school, Daniella
worked as the Director of Vocational Services for the National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD); within this capacity she secured job placement for individuals with disabilities and she organized programming for children and teens with special needs.
After her first year of law school, Daniella worked as a Summer Intern in the Organized
Crime and Racketeering Section of the Criminal Division of the US Attorney’s Office,
Eastern District of New York, and after her second year she interned at the Cravath,
Swaine & Moore law firm in New York. Upon completing law school Daniella secured a
one-year federal clerkship for the Honorable Cathy Seibelin in the Southern District of
New York, after which she returned to Cravath as a Litigation Associate working on cases involving antitrust regulation and complex commercial litigation. Interestingly, Daniella has also represented
a death row client pro bono in habeas corpus proceedings.
Daniella is an amazing resource as she has public and private sector experience and she has worked in both
criminal and civil law. She is happy to speak with alumnae who are interested in obtaining internships and/or
pursuing other career opportunities in law. She can be reached at daniella.lichtman@gmail.com
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
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Meena Viswanath, Class of 2006
After studying for one year in Israel at Nishmat, Meena attended the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, with a junior year abroad at the University of Cambridge. She majored in Civil Engineering, interning along the way at Ingersoll Rand,
CDM Smith, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and Turner Construction. Meena also earned a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering at the Georgia
Institute of Technology with a focus in Geotechnical Engineering, a field that deals
with designing earthen structures and foundations. She currently works as a senior
staff engineer for Geosyntec Consultants, a mid-size engineering consulting firm with
a focus on civil and environmental engineering. Within this capacity, she spends her
days designing and monitoring foundations, landfills, underwater structures, and highways. Meena has also published four conference papers in the field of geotechnical engineering.
Meena would love to be a resource for any Ma'ayanoters interested in any field of engineering. She can be contacted at meenalifshe@gmail.com.
SaraNoa Mark, Class of 2009
After spending a year studying at Emunah V’Omanut, SaraNoa attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA)
with a concentration in painting.
SaraNoa has exhibited artwork in thirteen exhibitions within the past year; one of
these shows included a painting in The Smithsonian Institute's S. Dillon Ripley Center in
Washington, D.C., where she received an award of excellence from Congress for her
painting in the group show.
SaraNoa has also received twelve awards and grants in the past year, including
a personal summer painting residency in Amish Country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This summer SaraNoa will travel to Europe as the recipient of a competitive European travel scholarship awarded by PAFA. This award will allow SaraNoa to “craft a
personal pilgrimage throughout Europe to visit specific sites of inspiration. “
SaraNoa agreed to share her story to communicate to other alumnae that “it is possible to follow your dreams,
even if those dreams do not follow a clear career path.” She deeply believes that you should always be pursuing
something you are passionate about.
SaraNoa is happy to speak with anyone thinking of pursuing a career in the arts, and anyone specifically looking
to apply to art schools, residencies, or grants in the arts. She can be reached at sn.mark1@gmail.com.
Finally, if you are curious about her art, check out: http://saranoamark.tumblr.com!!
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
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Three alumnae, Layla Blenden (’11), Racheli Ambinder (’12), and Kayla Gottlieb (‘12) are participating in our
College Fellows Program this year. This program affords alumnae who have an interest in formal and/or informal Jewish education the chance to work with Ma’ayanot students and teachers to gain valuable classroom experience and to hone programming skills.
Each fellow works at Ma’ayanot two Fridays per month, attends and helps plan the school-wide Shabbaton
and two grade Shabbatonim, and attends Mishmover and other mishmar programming throughout the
course of the year. In addition to sitting in on Friday classes and helping students with chavruta work, this
year’s Fellows have decided to run programming during breakfast centered around the theme of relationships; the first three such programs were on Relationships with Family, Relationships with Am Yisrael and Klal
Yisrael, and Relationships with Tefila. The Fellows are also initiating tefila chaburot “for students interested
in enhancing their tefila experiences.”
I recently sat down with Layla, Racheli and Kayla to ask what they hope to accomplish as Fellows this year.
Layla, who is a second year Fellow, explained that she believes that she received excellent teaching experience last year, and since she plans on becoming a high school Tanakh teacher, she is excited about having
similar teaching opportunities again this year. Indeed, Layla maximized her teaching opportunities last year,
going above and beyond her Fellowship responsibilities, by establishing a Wednesday weekly learning chaburah with a group of then sophomores who wanted to learn more about the topic of tzniut.
Both Racheli and Kayla explained that they became Fellows because they “wanted to give back to
Ma’ayanot,” and also because they want to remain connected to the school that they love. Racheli also commented that because she benefited greatly from her relationships with various madrichot as a teen, she is
excited at the prospect of being a role model to Ma’ayanot students.
All three Fellows became animated when asked what it feels like to interact with their former teachers as
almost-peers rather than as students. Layla commented that she especially enjoys speaking with teachers
about their teaching methods. Racheli echoed this sentiment and explained that interacting with the teachers as a Fellow has allowed her to realize how “thoughtful and passionate Ma’ayanot teachers are.” Kayla
noted that “it is really cool to feel like I am a partner with my former teachers in the common cause of working toward the betterment of the school.”
Kayla concluded the interview with a beautiful thought:
“I love how much faith and potential Ma’ayanot sees in
us. They leave it to us to decide what we want to do and
where we want to take this Fellowship. They rely on us
to bring our own selves and our own flavors to create
programming for the students. This is the same faith
they had in us when we were students; they are still
teaching us to bring our full selves into whatever we do.”
Read more about what Layla, Racheli and Kayla are
up to in life in our Class Notes column on p.13.
Layla Blenden,, Racheli Ambinder, and Kayla Gottlieb
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
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In recognition of the fact that, for many Ma'ayanot students, the dream of Aliya takes hold while they
are still in high school, Ms. Sarah Gordon, Ma'ayanot's Director of Student Activities, recently invited
seven Ma'ayanot alumnae who are living in Israel to return to Ma'ayanot to participate in a panel discussion exploring post high school Aliya options and challenges. At the start of the program, which was
organized for the current senior grade, Ms. Gordon explained that the purpose of the program was to
shine a light on the fact that "there is not just one path to Aliya," and that "these are serious issues deserving of serious thought."
Of the seven panelists, all of whom studied at an Israeli seminary for at least one year after graduating
high school, four, including Michal Fromowitz ('12), Racheli Fromowitz ('10), Sarit Forman ('10) and
Rena Bierig ('12), completed sherut leumi and have recently enrolled in Israeli colleges; one, Hannah
Erdfarb ('11), serves as a Staff Commander in Tzahal; and two, Nikki Sadek ('10) and Lottie Kestenbaum ('10), are nearing completion of Israeli undergraduate degrees. (See Class Notes to learn more
about the panelists.)
After each panelist introduced herself and gave a brief description of her Aliya path, including what
motivated her Aliya and challenges faced in pursuing her path, the floor was opened to questions from
the students. Unsurprisingly, one of the first questions asked concerned Hebrew, specifically whether
a lack of Hebrew competence should serve as a barrier to making Aliya. Sarit confided that she "did not
speak well," even after her year at Migdal Oz, but that her Hebrew greatly improved during her year of
sheyrut: "the more you speak it, the better it gets; it is not a goal that you can't reach." Hannah conferred and noted that "joining the army was really hard Hebrew-wise; people laugh at you, but you
learn to get over it and it really works out."
When asked what motivated those who chose do to sherut leumi to do such, Racheli explained that
she always knew she wanted to make Aliya, and she viewed sheyut as a path that would allow her to
culturally "fit in" while affording her a means of helping people. Rena added that "I wanted to feel like
I was in Israel and part of it. I figured—let me first give to my country, and then let me start my life
here."
Lottie pointed out that even if you do not do sherut or army service, you will still be warmly received
by Israelis; "whether you go to university or do sherut or army, people will be shocked - good shocked wow, you left New York. You will still learn Hebrew and you will still integrate into Israeli society."
All of the panelists seemed satisfied with their decision to make
Aliya, and all seemed impressively well-adjusted in Israel, but they
did acknowledge that there were, and probably will continue to
be, significant challenges along the way. These are important
messages for any student considering making Aliya on her own at
a relatively young age.
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
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For the first time ever, the Ma’ayanot and TABC Alumni Associations are joining forces to run a NETWORKING EVENT for
Attorneys, Accountants, Financial Professionals, and those working in related fields. The event is open to Ma’ayanot and TABC
alumni, and spouses of alumni that work in these fields.
Keynote Speaker: Jeff Cohen, Author and Career Consultant
SUCCESSFUL CAREER PATHING: TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR CAREER
Location: PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC, 300 Madison Avenue, NY, NY
Date: Wednesday, February 4th, 7:00 p.m.
Buffet dinner will be served!
Click here for more information!
Event Committee:
Rachel Katz, Esq. and Naama Leven, CPA
EZ Shaffren, Esq. and Noah Goldberg, CPA
This is only the first of what we hope will be ongoing joint
Ma’ayanot/TABC career programming. To volunteer to help plan
a future event, contact Pam Ennis at ennisp@maayanot.org.
UPCOMING REUNIONS
ISRAEL REUNION!! All alumnae from the CLASSES OF 2000-2013 living or
studying in Israel are invited to a winter reunion with Mrs. Ennis in January.
Details to follow shortly!
SHANA ALEF REUNION! All members of the CLASS OF 2014 are invited to a
reunion with Mrs. Cohen in Yerushalayim on Monday, January 26th. Details to
follow shortly!
SAVE THE DATE! The 10 year reunion for the CLASS OF 2005 will take place
on Sunday, May 17th. Details to follow shortly!
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
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We are grateful to all of the numerous alumnae who have devoted time and effort to helping both the school and our Alumnae Association within the past few months. Some of the
ways in which alumnae have given back include:
First and foremost, we take this opportunity to
Thank you to Rena Levin ('10), a Communications
thank the alumnae who serve as Class Repre-
& Marketing major at Queens College, for creating
the marvelous first day of school/welcome
back video that we posted on Facebook and sent out
to students.
sentatives and Alumnae Board Members.
See p. 15 for a full listing of Board members.
Thank you to Eliana Grosser
Rotenberg (’05) for agreeing
to serve as the alumnae representative on the Ma’ayanot
Board of Directors!
Click here to
see the video!
Thank you to the alumnae who served on our recent
Michal Fromowitz (’12), Racheli
Fromowitz (’10), Sarit Forman (’10), Rena
Bierig (’12), Hannah Erdfarb (’11), Nikki
Sadek (’10) and Lottie Kestenbaum (’10).
Aliya panel:
Thank you to the following alumnae who participated in our annual school-wide Shabbaton in
Layla Blenden (’11), Racheli
Ambinder (’12), Kayla Gottlieb (’12), Eliana Sugarman (’12), Tziporah Herzfeld
(’11), Zisse Hanfling (’12), and Gali Sadek (’13). Our students, especially our seniors,
November:
enjoyed reconnecting with the alumnae and
speaking to them about Israel schools and college choices!
Thank you to Eliana Grosser Rotenberg,
Elena Rosenbaum and Nava (Wexler)
Urkowitz for serving on the Class of 2005 10th
See p. 7 to read more about this amazing event!
Thank you to Arielle Isaac, Shulamit Stochel
and Chavi
Cohen for helping
Rabbi Zev Prince
plan a shana alef
reunion shiur at
Midreshet Harova
for all shana alef
alumnae!
Reunion Committee. Stay tuned for details!
Thank you to Racheli (Rosen) Katz (‘06) and
Thank you to Ilana
Naama Levin (‘04) for serving on the planning
Levin (‘03) for serv-
committee for our upcoming Young Professionals
ing as a guest speaker at
our recent 12th Grade
Interdisciplinary Day.
Networking Event, and to Michal Kaufman (‘01)
for assisting in all facets of our career enhancement
programming.
Click here to read
more about this event.
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
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We would love to share your milestone events (professional, educational or personal) with the Ma’ayanot
alumnae community! Either email your class rep or email Pam Ennis at Ennisp@maayanot.org.
Class of 2000
If you are interested in becoming a
board member and class rep, please
contact Pam Ennis at
ennisp@maayanot.org
Class of 2001
Michal Kaufman Gulko is your new
class rep.! Read more about Michal in
our Career Spotlight column on p. 4.
Michelle.a.kaufman@gmail.com
Daniella Lichtman Esses is your new
class rep.! Read more about Daniella
in our Career Spotlight column on p.
3. Daniella.lichtman@gmail.com
Aliza Abrams is engaged to Sam Konig! Mazel tov! Read more about Aliza
in our Career Spotlight column on p.
3.
tice in New Rochelle. She lives with
her husband and three children in the
Bronx.
Adina (Leidner) Bernstein and her
husband welcomed a baby son,
Nitanel. Mazel tov!
Shira (Stokar) Kessock works as a
speech therapist in a public school.
She lives with her husband and three
children in Bergenfield, NJ, but hopes
to return to Israel where they own an
apartment in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Channah (Pilavin) Charlton and her
husband recently welcomed a baby
son, Shai Kalev. Mazel tov!
Esther (Berman) Lefkowitz works for
Hadassah WZOA in Brooklyn.
Ellie (Shulman) Schlanger is living in
Israel with her husband Daniel and
three children, Tikva, Yakir and Lev.
She invites any of her classmates traveling to Israel to contact her at 054249-0082.
Shonnie (Schwartz) Chambre works
as an Early Intervention Therapist in
NJ. She lives in Clifton, NJ with her
husband Yoni and five children.
Aliza (Moskowitz) Sokol teaches English and is the Rakezet of the English
Department of an elementary school
in Efrat. She lives in Alon Shevut with
her husband and two children.
Devorah (Stein) Edelman made Aliya
last year and currently lives with her
husband and children in Beit
Shemesh. We wish her and her family
much luck in their Aliya journey!
Sari (Stein) Willig and her husband
recently welcomed a baby son, Roey.
Mazel tov! They have two older children, Emunah and Azaraya.
Aderet (Block) Frager is a pediatric
nurse practitioner. She moved last
year to Lower Merion, PA with her
husband Yehuda and their three sons,
Max, Tzvi and Mikey.
Michal (Safier) Goldberg earned a
PhD in Clinical Psychology and works
as a psychologist and supervisor at
the Center for Applied Psychology of
Bikur Cholim in Monsey, NY. She lives
in New Jersey with her husband and
two children.
Talia (Wiesen) Hindin is a psychologist working in a public school in Rye,
and she also maintains a private prac-
Class of 2002
Dahlia (Fein) Goldbrenner is your
new class rep.! She works as an administrative assistant at SAR High
School and lives in Riverdale with her
husband Baruch and children Aliza
and Jack.
dahlia.goldbrenner@gmail.com
Sarah Rindner recently welcomed a
baby daughter, Bat-Tziyon Bayla.
Mazel tov! Sarah is an English Professor at Touro College and she runs a
book club in Englewood.
Class of 2003
Ilana Levin—ilana.levin@gmail.com
Leetal (Rivlin) Forkosh and her husband recently welcomed a baby
daughter, Amelia. Mazel tov!
Chavie (Machefsky) Fuchs and her
husband recently welcomed a baby
son, Moshe Eliyahu. Mazel tov!
Alyssa (Garfunkel) Barzideh works in
Risk Management at Morgan Stanley
and lives in Bergenfield with her husband and three children.
Gila Hoch is engaged to Avi Bieler.
Mazel tov! Read more about Gila in
our Career Spotlight column on p. 3.
Rebecca Koolyk and her husband welcomed a baby son, Ori Moshe. Mazel
tov!
Cheryl (Hirschhorn) Scher and her
husband welcomed a baby daughter,
Gabriella Sarah. Mazel tov!
Timi Strauss recently married Danny
Waltuch. Mazel tov!
Class of 2004
Ariella (Ross) Shaffren ariella.shaffren@gmail.com
Dena (Katz) Block and her husband
Avi recently welcomed a baby daughter, Ayala Shalva Sarah. Mazel tov!
Esti Schloss is engaged to Adam Palmer from Yerushalyim. Mazel tov! Esti
lives in Israel and works for Hillel International as the Assistant Director
of Israel Experiences.
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
10
Green. Mazel tov!
Class of 2005
Eliana (Grosser) Rotenberg
eliana.grosser@gmail.com
Eliana recently accepted an invitation
to serve on the Ma’ayanot Board of
Directors!
Elena Rosenbaum elenarosenbaum26@gmail.com
Sara Hindin married Yechiel Mor in
December. Mazel tov!
Class of 2006
Racheli (Rosen) Katz rachelkatz7@gmail.com
Leora Cohen is currently a student at
Georgetown Law School.
Tova Flancbaum recently married
Dovid Bashevkin. Mazel tov!
Miriam (Escott) Fein recently graduated from NYU Nursing School (mazel
tov!) and is working as a nurse. Miriam and her husband also recently
welcomed a baby son. Mazel tov!
Rebecca (Stern) Rauch and her husband recently welcomed a baby
daughter, Atara. Mazel tov!
Ahuva Schwartz became a private
chef in Israel and has a popular blog
called The Katamon Kitchen. Ahuva
also works for the One Family Fund.
Sara (Blass) Weingarten and her husband welcomed a baby daughter, Kira. Mazel tov!
Class of 2008
Rachel Shulman recently married Benjamin Gottesman. Mazel tov!
Class of 2009
Leah Felner—leahfel91@gmail.com
Rachel Weber -rachweb22@gmail.com
Dalia Arussy recently made Aliya—we
wish Dalia much luck on her Aliya journey!
Ilana Barta made Aliya and married Akiva
Fund his past summer. Mazel tov!! Click
here to see an interview of Ilana featured
on an Israeli news broadcast the day after
she made Aliya.
Tamar Blanchard married Adam Winer in
August and they are living in Israel for the
year. Mazel tov!
Dena Peyser and her husband welcomed twins. Mazel tov!
Chani Markel is your new class rep.!
Chani earned a B.S. in Speech Pathology from Stern and an M.A. in Speech
& Language Pathology from Queens
College. She works as a speech
pathologist at The Community School,
a private special education school in
Teaneck. chani12@optonline.net
Meena Viswanath is an engineer and
lives in Atlanta. Read more about
Meena in our Career Spotlight column
on p. 5.
Jordie Gilbert is engaged to
Moshe Honick from Baltimore. A January wedding is planned. Mazel tov!
Aviva Novick and her husband recently
welcomed a baby daughter, Shlomit Bracha. Mazel tov!
Bayla (Balk) Haskel recently graduated Bar Ilan University with an MBA—
mazel tov! Bayla is working for Intel in
business development for their
new RealSense technology.
Sara Schild recently married Ron Nahshon.
Mazel tov!
Esther Hindin recently graduated law
school and passed the bar—mazel
tov! She spent the last few months in
Ethiopia working on a health project
with the NALA Foundation, an Israeli
organization focusing on NTD's
(neglected tropical diseases) in the
Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Batya Sadek—batya.sadek@gmail.com
Amanda (Alexander) Moskowitz and
her husband Avi welcomed a baby
daughter, Nechama. Mazel tov!
Class of 2007
Tamar (Katz) Halpern is your new
class rep.! Following her graduation
from Barnard, Tamar learned in the
GPATS program at Stern for a year
and a half. She is currently studying
toward a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
and lives in Philadelphia with her husband Dovid and son Shai.
Halperntamar@gmail.com
Sara (Fredman) Aeder and her husband recently welcomed a baby
daughter, Lianna. Mazel tov!
Yael Selter recently married Jonathan
Shira Fox is engaged to Yair Hillman.
Mazel tov!
Gabrielle Hiller is engaged to Akiva Berger. Mazel tov!
Lauren Horowitz recently married Joseph
Novogrodsky. Mazel tov!
Class of 2010
Aliza Gottlieb—alizagottlieb@gmail.com
Talia Adler is graduating from Queens
College and is making Aliya in January. We
wish Talia the best of luck in her new
home!
Sarit Forman made Aliya last year. She
studied Psychology for one year at Bar
Ilan, but recently transferred to IDC. Read
more about Sarit’s Aliya journey on p. 7.
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
11
Racheli Fromowitz made Aliya last year.
She is currently studying political science
and communications at Bar Ilan University.
Read more about Racheli’s Aliya journey
on p. 7.
Lottie Kestenbaum made Aliya last year.
She is currently studying English Literature and Jewish History at Bar Ilan University. Read more about Lottie’s Aliya journey on p. 7.
Layla Blenden is a senior at Stern majoring in Judaic Studies. She is also taking courses toward a Masters in Jewish
Studies at Bernard Revel. Read more
about Layla in our Fellows column on
p. 6.
Kayla Gottlieb is a junior at Stern and is
double majoring in Psychology and Jewish
Studies. Read more about Kayla in our
Fellows column on p. 6.
Class of 2013
Tobey Linhart has agreed to be a class
rep.! tobeylinhart@gmail.com
Shira Rosenberg recently married Shmulie Ayala Laub is engaged to Eli Waltuch.
Golomb. Mazel tov!
Mazel tov!
Julie Schwartz has agreed to be a class
rep.! julieschwartz18@gmail.com
Niki Sadek made Aliya last year. She is
Shira Westrich made Aliya in October!
currently studying Architecture and Interi- We wish her much luck in her new
or Design at ORT Singalosky, a Science and home!
Technology college in Tel Aviv. Read more
about Niki’s Aliya journey on p. 7.
Class of 2012
Class of 2011
Sara Kaszovitz—
sarakaszovitz@gmail.com
Rena Bierig made Aliya in October! She is
studying Psychology, Criminology and Sociology at Bar Ilan University. Read more
about Rena’s Aliya journey on p. 7.
Ariella Cohen was accepted to G.W.
Medical School as a sophomore at the Chani Colton recently married Josh Gildin.
University of Maryland. She will not be Mazel tov!
required to take the MCATS! Mazel
Michal Fromowitz made Aliya in October!
Tov!
She is studying Social Work at Ariel University in Kadumim. Read more about
Hanna Erdfarb made Aliya last year
and is currently serving as a Staff Com- Michal’s Aliya journey on p. 7.
Rena Levin is majoring in Media Communication at Queens College and will graduate in May. She created a wonderful “first mander in the Operation Division of
day of school” video for Ma’ayanot, which Electronic Warfare in the IDF. Read
you can see by clicking here.
more about Hanna’s Aliya journey on
p. 7.
Shira Marder married Jason Saibel in July.
Mazel tov! Shira also started medical
Aliza Friedman is engaged to Benjy
school this past September—we wish her Kreitman. A January wedding is
the best of luck in her studies!
planned. Mazel tov!
Shiri Tsour recently married Ajay Rosenbloom. Mazel tov!
and Jewish Studies. Read more about
Racheli in our Fellows column on p. 6.
Tsipporah Rossman made Aliya this past
August and is currently doing sherut
leumi. We wish her much luck in her new
home!
Talia Moss— taliaemily@gmail.com
Daniella Greenbaum daniella.greenbaum@gmail.com
Racheli Ambinder is a sophomore at
Stern double majoring in Psychology
We would love to share your milestone events
(professional, educational or personal) with the Ma’ayanot alumnae community!
Either email your class rep or email Pam Ennis at Ennisp@maayanot.org.
SAVE THE DATES!!
Reunion for alumnae, Classes 2000-2013, living or studying in Israel in January—stay tuned for details!
Reunion for shana alef alumnae with Mrs. Suzanne Cohen is on Monday, January 26th!
Class of 2005 10th year reunion is on May 17, 2005!
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
12
Ma’ayanot has been featured in numerous articles since
September. Below are links to many of those articles!
News Articles:
Ma'ayanot Seniors Contemplate their Place in the World
Ma'ayanot Students Learn About Aliya and Israel
Ma'ayanot Student Chosen as Regional Finalist in Siemens
Competition
Teachers Teaching Teachers: Professional Development at
Ma'ayanot
Ma'ayanot Growth, Renovations and Innovations
Siemens Regional Finalist
Devorah Saffern
Sports Articles:
Ma'ayanot Swim Report
Ma'ayanot JV Volleyball Report
Ma'ayanot JV Basketball Report
A Great Start to the Ma'ayanot Varsity Basketball Season
Varsity Rapids Open With a Win
Ma'ayanot Volleyball
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
13
For Alumnae who live in or around Bergen county, we invite you to join our continuing education program. Below is the schedule for this year.
Dr. Oshra Cohen, Guidance Counselor
The Psychology of Teshuva
September 18th
Ms. Elana Flaumenhaft, Assistant Principal
Ezra, Nechemya, Chagai & Zecharya: The Forgotten Neviim
October 23 & 30
November 6, 13 & 20
Rabbi Zev Prince, Director of Religious Programming
K'tav V'Kabbalah: The Story of the Sidrah as Told by the Sages of the Talmud
December 4, 11, 18 & 31*
January 8 & 14*
(*Wednesday)
Mrs. Leah Herzog, Director of Israel Guidance
Prophets and Prophecy
February 12, 19 & 26
March 12, 19 & 26
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Mrs. Rivka Kahan, Principal & Dr. Rayzel Yaish, Director of Guidance
B’chol L’vavcha U’vechol Nafshecha:
The Interplay of Torah and Psychology
May 7, 14, 21 & 28
June 4 & 11
We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of parents from the class of 2014 who donated toward a class gift that will be utilized to support this Continuing Education Program.
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
14
Michal Kaufman (class of 2001)*
Daniella Lichtman Esses (class of 2001)*
Dahlia (Fein) Goldbrenner (class of 2002)*
Ilana Levin (class of 2003)
Ariella (Ross) Shaffren (class of 2004)
Elena Rosenbaum (class of 2005)
Eliana Grosser Rotenberg (class of 2005)**
Racheli (Rosen) Katz (class of 2006)
Tamar (Katz) Halpern (class of 2007)*
Chani Markel (class of 2008)*
Rachel Weber (class of 2009)
Leah Felner (class of 2009)
Batya Sadek (class of 2010)
Aliza Gottlieb (class of 2010)
Sara Kaszovitz (class of 2011)
Talia Moss (class of 2012)
Tobey Linhart (class of 2013)*
Julie Schwartz (class of 2013)*
The Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association Mission Statement
 Promoting fellowship among alumnae
 Providing opportunities for alumnae to remain connected to
the greater Ma’ayanot community
 Assisting in the planning and implementation of activities
relating to alumnae programming, including class reunions
and other alumnae events
 Cultivating leadership and financial support for Ma’ayanot
priorities
 Developing an alumnae career network that will secure
mentoring, internship and employment opportunities for
current students and alumnae
*New this year
**Also serves on the Ma’ayanot Board of Directors
Like us on
Facebook!
Click here to view the our
Annual Report
Send an email to ennisp@maayanot.org if you would like to:

Help plan our next career networking event

Share a special milestone, personal or professional, with the Ma’ayanot
community!

Share ideas or suggestions for programs or events that you would enjoy and
that would help you remain connected!
Ma’ayanot Alumnae Association
Ennisp@maayanot.org
15
INAUGURAL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
ALUMNI EVENT
NETWORKING FOR
ATTORNEYS, ACCOUNTANTS,
FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS
AND RELATED FIELDS
FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
JEFF COHEN
SUCCESSFUL CAREER PATHING:
TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR CAREER
EVENT INFO
EVENT COMMITTEE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015, 7:00 P.M.
RACHEL KATZ, ESQ.
AT THE OFFICES OF
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP
300 MADISON AVENUE
DEC CONFERENCE ROOM
NEW YORK, NY
KAGAN LUBIC LEPPER FINKELSTEIN & GOLD LLP
NAAMA LEVIN
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP
EZ SHAFFREN, ESQ.
MADISON COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SERVICES LLC
COST: $12.00
NOAH GOLDBERG
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP
CLICK HERE TO RSVP BY:
JANUARY 29TH
MONDAY,
BUFFET DINNER WILL BE SERVED
THE FIRST 20 REGISTRANTS WILL RECEIVE A FREE SIGNED COPY OF
JEFF COHEN’S BOOK: RECESSION PROOF CAREERS
FOR MORE INFORMAITON CONTACT:
THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO MA’AYANOT AND
TABC ALUMNI AND THEIR SPOUSES IN
THESE FIELDS
PAM ENNIS
Ma’ayanot
Alumnae Association
RABBI HOWARD
JACHTER
ENNISP@MAAYANOT.ORG
HOWARD.JACHTER@TABC.ORG
Ennisp@maayanot.org
16