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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 world.
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.
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 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 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? Absolutelyverything. 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 Sragow Family
Where did you grow up? Linda grew up in Edison, New Jersey and Murray grew up in Rochester, New York. When Murray was in eighth grade, he moved to East Brunswick, New Jersey.
Where did you live before Teaneck? When did you move to Teaneck/join Rinat? We spent our first year of marriage at the Gruss Kollel in Israel and then came to Teaneck 31 years ago. We joined Rinat right away, though we went to Beth Aaron when Murray was their youth director.
Tell us about your children. We are the proud parents of four awesome children. Our oldest Shira is married to Ari Lewis and they have three adorable children - Amalya, Tani and Akiva. Miriam our second child is married to Eli Shteingart and they have three adorable children - Shua, Tova, and Aderet. Both girls live in Fairlawn. Our oldest son Gavi is married to Shayna and they have an adorable baby girl - Dena. They live in Baltimore. Our youngest, Yonatan, is in Shana Bet at KBY.
What's something about you that people would be surprised to learn? Most people do not know that we dated for seven years before we got married!
What's your favorite thing about Rinat? We love everything about Rinat. It is like a second home for us and almost all of our close friends go to Rinat as well. We are honored to have Rabbi Adler as our Rav and especially enjoy the high level of learning he shares with us.
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.
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.
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 anti-terror 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 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.
VV and 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 year’s 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....
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 things 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.
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!
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
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 Mathew 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.
