Leadership

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

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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 26th 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.

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Cantor Margot E.B. Goldberg

cantor@tba-ny.org

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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

Stuart Skolnick, Executive Director

sskolnick@tba-ny.org
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Stuart Skolnick has been the Executive Director at Temple Beth Abraham since January 2013 and in this capacity serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Temple Beth Abraham. He came to TBA after serving as Administrator at Temple Emanu-El in Livingston, NJ and Executive Director at Congregation Beth El in South Orange, NJ. Before entering this field Stuart held various senior management positions in the jewelry manufacturing industry. He also has a strong Judaic background including college course work, graduation from the Florence Melton Adult School and post-Melton courses. Stuart graduated from the University of Rochester and attended business law courses at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

As Executive Director, Stuart watches over the Temple’s calendar, budget, and, together with the facility staff, physical plant. On a daily basis he interacts with the Clergy, Professional Staff, Committee Chairs, and TBA members. His work supports the initiatives of the TBA Board and implements Board policies. Stuart also supervises the production of regular Temple communications including the weekly electronic news, Shabbat Handout, and monthly Bulletin.

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Yanira Quiñones, Director of Education

educator@tba-ny.org
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Yanira graduated from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America with a Masters in Jewish Education with a concentration on Congregational Leadership. She completed the iFellows Master’s Concentration in Israel Education at the iCenter in Chicago. Yanira was awarded her bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in Human Development.

Yanira has worked in a variety of educational facilities during her career, including Camp Ramah during the summers, religious school right here at Temple Beth Abraham, an early intervention agency, and in an inclusion classroom at Bank Street College of Education.

It brings joy to Yanira as she watches learners learn and discover their own love for Judisim.

Yanira lives in White Plains, New York with her husband and three children and their dog Gracie.

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Stessa Peers, Director of Youth Engagement and Social Media Coordinator

youthdirector@tba-ny.org
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Stessa Peers is our Director of Youth Engagement, a teacher in our Religious School, and is our Social Media Coordinator. Stessa teaches 4th grade Sunday School, Monday Madregot, Monday Hebrew, Hebrew High School, and 6th and 7th grades on Wednesdays. Stessa 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.

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Irene Metz, Clergy Coordinator

clergyassistant@tba-ny.org
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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.

Maggie Lissy, Bookkeeper

bookkeeper@tba-ny.org
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Larry Murray, Facilities Supervisor

lmurray@tba-ny.org
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Jaime Valencia, Assistant Facilities Supervisor

jaime@tba-ny.org

OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES