Leadership is a partnership between our inspiring clergy, our friendly and helpful staff and our dedicated lay leaders.
Rabbi David K. Holtz
rabbi@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x104
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 continues to serve 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. They have three children, Holly, Avi and Shira.
Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman
cantor@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x101
Praised for her “blithe, welcoming voice,” (Chicago Classical Review), Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman began her tenure at Temple Beth Abraham in July 2023. She was ordained by the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2013 and holds degrees from Tufts University and The Boston Conservatory.
Highlights from Cantor Fogelman’s career include singing the National Anthem at a Milwaukee Brewers game, performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as a member of Hazamir: The International Teen Choir, and serving on faculty at the North American Jewish Choral Festival. Cantor Fogelman is a proud member of the American Conference of Cantors and serves on the Executive Committee for Transcontinental Music Publications (TMP), the world’s leading publisher of Jewish music. Her compositions are included in TMP’s Shabbat Anthology IX and Manginot: The Complete Jewish Songbook for Children, Volume III. A lifelong New Yorker, Cantor Fogelman lives on Croton-on-Hudson, NY with her husband, Dan, and sons, Alex and Evan. For more information, please visit www.cantorlauren.com.
Stessa Peers, Director of Education and Youth Engagement
speers@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x108
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.
Melissa McHugh, Director of Early Childhood Education
cgcdirector@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x107
Irene Metz, Clergy Coordinator
clergyassistant@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x106
Irene Metz has been the Clergy Coordinator at Temple Beth Abraham since 2014. She is a long-standing member at Community Synagogue of Rye where her personal volunteer involvement has grown over the years. She has served on several committees, participated on search committees, was on the Board of Trustees, and most recently served as Congregational President. Her professional career of 35 years was in supply chain management at Scholastic, Inc. (publisher of children’s books, including Harry Potter and Hunger Games). When that 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 is that perfect workplace. She feels particularly lucky to have two synagogues to call home!
She and her husband Jonathan live in Rye Brook. They have 2 adult children who are married and scattered across the country – and 2 adorable grandchildren. Irene enjoys attending theater, reading, gardening, learning in Torah classes, and spending time with family and friends.
Melissa Baer, Administrative Assistant
tbaoffice@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x100
Melissa Baer has been a member of Temple Beth Abraham since 2004. Almost from the beginning, she served on the Board of Trustees in a variety of roles, including Nursery School Chair, Adult Education Chair, Tikkun Olam Chair and on the Executive Committee. She has served as an interim staff professional at TBA over the years and is happy to have found a permanent place as the Administrative Assistant.
Melissa’s professional career was in financial services, but she retired in 2000 and dedicated her career to volunteerism. Melissa worked as the UJA-Federation of New York’s EngAGE Jewish Service Corps as Site Coordinator at the JCC on the Hudson from 2015 to 2018. In this capacity, she coordinated group and individual volunteer activities, often serving as a volunteer herself. Melissa joined the Board of Directors of the Westchester Jewish Council in 2020. She was the co-chair of their Gala Programming Committee and co-chairs the Julian Y. Bernstein Distinguished Service Awards Committee.
Melissa and her husband Herb live in Chappaqua. They have 2 adult children and a French bulldog named Lizzie.
Kira Gleit, Religious School Assistant
hebrewschool@tba-ny.org
Yakov Orentlikher, Facilities Supervisor
facilities@tba-ny.org
914-631-1770 x109
Yakov was originally born in Azerbaijan when it was part of the Soviet Union. He has an advanced degree in mechanical engineering and extensive experience managing building operations.
You are as likely to find him rolling up his sleeves with a paintbrush in hand, as you are to see him sitting at his computer typing up quotes for building repairs. His journey at TBA has just begun, but Yakov is fitting-in well with the team – and he said he feels right at home here.
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 | Herb Baer Brian Schneider |
President@tba-ny.org | ||
| First Vice President | Amy Zerman | ExecutiveVP@tba-ny.org | ||
| Second Vice President | Liz Ross | VP@tba-ny.org | ||
| Recording Secretary | Mark Polisar | RecordingSecretary@tba-ny.org | ||
| Treasurer/Finance Chair | David Greenspoon | Treasurer@tba-ny.org | ||
| COMMITTEE CHAIRS | ||||
| Adult Education | Claire Zucker | AdultEd@tba-ny.org | ||
| Board of Education | Amy Shapiro-Kessler | BoardofEd@tba-ny.org | ||
| Fundraising & Development | Jenny Libien | Fundraising@tba-ny.org | ||
| House, Health & Security | Neil Bruckner Jamie Wilson |
House@tba-ny.org | ||
| Member Services | Jennifer Povman Loretta London |
MemberServices@tba-ny.org | ||
| Preschool Steering Committee | Cindy Collins Jamie Lefkowitz |
VPNursery@tba-ny.org | ||
| Ritual | Melissa Stein | Ritual@tba-ny.org | ||
| Tikkun Olam | Lisa Piedimonte Bergman Jennifer Lewin |
TikkunOlam@tba-ny.org | ||
| Israel | Marla Peers | IsraelCommittee@tba-ny.org | ||
| TRUSTEES | ||||
| Term Expiring 2025 | Lee Lefkowitz | |||
| Tracy Ostroff | ||||
| Bernice Rogowitz | ||||
| Harry Stein | ||||
| Term Expiring 2026 | Emily Chazen | |||
| Steve Gosset | ||||
| Jon Strom | ||||
| Risa Swersey | ||||
| Term Expiring 2027 | Judith Balsan | |||
| Audrey Gelfand | ||||
| Marc Solomon | ||||
| Sarah Winston | ||||
| Honorary Trustees | ||||
| Barry S. Agdern | Dr. Stephen Gerstman | Farron Roboff | ||
| Herb Baer | Robert Harris | Pearl Ann Schwartz | ||
| Ruth Biloon | Liza Karsten | Dr. Richard Weiner | ||
| Allison Fine | Jennifer Povman | Jamie Wilson | ||
| Audrey Gelfand | Loren Ratner |
