Leadership is a partnership between our inspiring clergy, our friendly and helpful staff and our dedicated lay leaders.
OUR CLERGY
Rabbi David K. Holtz
rabbi@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x 17
Rabbi David Holtz was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1987. After serving six years as the Associate Rabbi at Har Sinai Congregation in Baltimore, he was called to the pulpit of Temple Beth Abraham in 1993, where he is in his his 29th year as spiritual leader.
In addition to his many congregational responsibilities, Rabbi Holtz is very involved in the local community. He is a past-president of the Westchester Board of Rabbis, made up of rabbis of every denomination. He has chaired the Rivertowns Clergy Association, which works to improve interfaith relations, and which serves as an important moral voice in the community. He has twice served as president of the Rotary Club of the Tarrytowns, a service organization which helps fund local and international non-profits. He also teaches community-wide Adult Education courses, and is a guest-speaker on a variety of subjects. Rabbi Holtz lives in White Plains with his wife, Renée, and their three children, Yoni, Avi and Shira.
Cantor Margot E.B. Goldberg
cantor@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x 11
Cantor Margot Goldberg, fondly known as Cantor Margot, has been serving at Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown, NY since her graduation from Hebrew Union College in 1994. Cantor Margot loves teaching and singing with children of all ages as well as adults. She finds fulfillment in celebrating lifecycle events with the families she has come to know over the years she has been at TBA. Cantor Goldberg is married to Barry Goldberg, a Programmer for IBM. They are the proud parents of Tamir, who is the light of their lives.
OUR STAFF
Erica Newman, Director of Operations and Engagement
enewman@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x13
From the moment she walked into TBA, Erica and her husband Rob knew they belonged, so it was easy for them to understand the TBA tagline, “Join us, You already belong.” Now she is thrilled to join again as Director of Operations and Engagement.
She is a wife of 23 years to her husband, Rob; mother to two beautiful college-aged daughters, Samantha and Nicole; an adoptee of two adorable dogs, Lucy and Rascal, and let’s not forget the 8 chickens in her yard. When not at TBA she can be found in the kitchen cooking up a storm as she jams out to tunes from the 60’s and 70’s or in the garden harvesting herbs, fruits and vegetables. She is an avid pro-Israel activist who fights for a strong US/Israel relationship in our congressional landscape, and she is 100% committed to the future of the TBA community.
Please stop by anytime to say hi, maybe get a dozen eggs, or some berries that she is happy to share from their garden and kibbitz about initiatives at TBA or the latest pro-Israel candidate for congress.
Stessa Peers, Director of Education and Youth Engagement
educator@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x22
youthdirector@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x28
Stessa Peers has a passion for Judaic History with a focus on “minority within minority” history (Jewish women, Jews of the Mediterranean and Middle East, and Jews of Color) that was solidified during her years of study at Binghamton University, where she received a double degree in History and Judaic Studies.
Stessa loves teaching at TBA and helping our children cultivate a lifelong passion for Judaism, leadership, social justice and tikkun olam. She is also a lifelong member of TBA and is proud to give back to the community in which she grew up.
Irene Metz, Clergy Coordinator
clergyassistant@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x19
Irene Metz has been the Clergy Coordinator at Temple Beth Abraham since March 2014. She is a long term member at Community Synagogue of Rye where her personal volunteer involvement started small and has grown over the years. She has chaired the membership committee, served 6 years on the Board of Trustees, was a part of Reimagine, participated on search committees and is currently recording secretary on the Executive Committee. When her 35 year professional career in supply chain management at Scholastic, Inc. (publisher of children’s books, including Harry Potter and Hunger Games) concluded, the logical step for the next phase of her career was to combine her prior work experience with her commitment to the Jewish community – Temple Beth Abraham seems like that perfect workplace. She feels particularly lucky to have two synagogues to call home!
She and her husband Jonathan live in Rye Brook in an almost empty nest, with their two adult children, Joshua and Isabel, off pursuing careers and education. Irene enjoys attending the ballet, theater and movies, reading, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.
Larry Murray, Facilities Supervisor
lmurray@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x25
Jaime Valencia, Assistant Facilities Supervisor
jaime@tba-ny.org
OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lay Leadership At Temple Beth Abraham
Volunteer leaders guide many Temple Beth Abraham activities as members of our Board of Trustees, and committee chairs.
The Board of Trustees is elected at the Annual Congregational Meeting.
| OFFICERS | ||||
| Co-Presidents | Audrey Gelfand Loren Ratner |
President@tba-ny.org | ||
| First Vice President | Herb Baer | ExecutiveVP@tba-ny.org | ||
| Second Vice President | Liz Ross | VP@tba-ny.org | ||
| Recording Secretary | Amy Zerman | RecordingSecretary@tba-ny.org | ||
| Treasurer/Finance Chair | Judith Balsan | Treasurer@tba-ny.org | ||
| COMMITTEE CHAIRS | ||||
| Adult Education | Claire Zucker | AdultEd@tba-ny.org | ||
| Board of Education | Emily Chazen | BoardofEd@tba-ny.org | ||
| Fundraising & Development | Risa Swersey | Fundraising@tba-ny.org | ||
| House | Neil Bruckner | House@tba-ny.org | ||
| Member Services | MemberServices@tba-ny.org | |||
| Ritual | Steven Haber (co-chair) Sharon Kirschner (co-chair) |
Ritual@tba-ny.org | ||
| Tikkun Olam | Lisa Piedimonte Bergman | TikkunOlam@tba-ny.org | ||
| Israel | Marla Peers | IsraelCommittee@tba-ny.org | ||
| TRUSTEES | ||||
| Term Expiring 2023 | Stuart Kolbert | |||
| Loretta London | ||||
| Roy Solomon | ||||
| Term Expiring 2024 | Shelley Greenspan | |||
| Stacy Katz | ||||
| Jenny Libien | ||||
| Marc Solomon | ||||
| Term Expiring 2025 | Tracy Ostroff | |||
| Mark Polisar | ||||
| Bernice Rogowitz | ||||
| Brian Schneider | ||||
| Honorary Trustees | ||||
| Barry S. Agdern | Robert Harris | Farron Roboff | ||
| Herb Baer | Michael Karnes z”l | Pearl Ann Schwartz | ||
| Ruth Biloon | Liza Karsten | Dr. Richard Weiner | ||
| Allison Fine | David Kaufman | Jamie Wilson | ||
| Dr. Stephen Gerstman | Jennifer Povman | Robert Zinman |
