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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.
Rabbi Emeritus David K. Holtz
rabbiholtz@tba-ny.org
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 Emerita Margot E.B. Goldberg
emerita.cantor@tba-ny.org
Cantor Margot Goldberg, fondly known as Cantor Margot, retired from serving Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown, NY in 2023 after 29 years. Cantor Margot started her path towards the Cantorate during her undergraduate tenure at Syracuse University. While studying for her Bachelor of Science in Design and Technical Theater, she sought out a Jewish connection by becoming involved at the local Reform Synagogue, Temple Concord. At Temple Concord, she served as their Junior Youth Group Leader. During Friday night services, the community quickly saw how beautiful her voice was and her passion for Judaism. Since late nights and cast parties were not her cup of tea, they urged her to go to Cantorial school rather than becoming a stage manager/designer. After graduating from Syracuse University, Cantor Margot enrolled in Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion-School of Sacred Music, where she received a Masters in Sacred Music and an Investiture as Cantor in 1994. Before graduation, Cantor Margot had the pleasure of serving as a Student Cantor at Temple Israel in Waterbury, CT and at Community Reform Temple in Westbury, NY. After graduation, Cantor Margot found an instant home at TBA! Cantor Margot loves teaching and singing with children of all ages from 0 to 120. 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
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
Melissa McHugh holds a Masters degree from Lesley University in Early Childhood Education with a further credential in creative arts in learning and special education. Her bachelors degree is in English and Theater performance and she has performed in many theater productions. Melissa has been a teacher for twenty-eight years and taught in both the New York City and Boston private school sectors prior to her tenure at Village Nursery School in Cornwall where she served as the Educational Director for eight years. Melissa was raised in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and moved to Monroe, NY fifteen years ago with her husband (also an educator) and their three children. In addition to her career in early childhood, Melissa coached “Girls on the Run” for eight seasons, has served on on numerous PTA boards, and is an active president of PAGE (Parents Advocating Gifted Education). She is an advocate for children and cherishes their energy, curiosity, and wonder.
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 3 adorable grandchildren. Irene enjoys attending theater, reading, gardening, learning in Torah classes, and spending time with family and friends.
Melissa Baer, Office Manager
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 place as the Office Manager. 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 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.
TJ Hwang, Bookkeeper
bookkeeper@tba-ny.org (914) 631-1770 x10
Kira Gleit, Religious School Assistant
hebrewschool@tba-ny.org
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 | ||||
| President | Steven Gosset | President@tba-ny.org | ||
| First Vice President | Liz Ross | ExecutiveVP@tba-ny.org | ||
| Second Vice President | Herb Baer | VP@tba-ny.org | ||
| Recording Secretary | Tracy Ostroff | RecordingSecretary@tba-ny.org | ||
| Treasurer/Finance Chair | Judith Balsan | Treasurer@tba-ny.org | ||
| COMMITTEE CHAIRS | ||||
| Adult Education | Bernice Rogowitz | AdultEd@tba-ny.org | ||
| Board of Education | Emily Chazen Amy Shapiro-Kessler | BoardofEd@tba-ny.org | ||
| Early Childhood | Cindy Collins Jamie Lefkowitz |
VPNursery@tba-ny.org | ||
| Fundraising & Development | Risa Swersey | Fundraising@tba-ny.org | ||
| House, Health & Security | Jon Strom | House@tba-ny.org | ||
| Member Services | Avi Lipski Patti Potash |
MemberServices@tba-ny.org | ||
| Ritual | Melissa Stein | Ritual@tba-ny.org | ||
| Tikkun Olam | Audrey Gelfand | TikkunOlam@tba-ny.org | ||
| Israel | Marla Peers | IsraelCommittee@tba-ny.org | ||
| TRUSTEES | ||||
| Term Expiring 2027 | Jennifer Povman | |||
| Jessica Ross | ||||
| Mark Solomon | ||||
| Claire Zucker | ||||
| Term Expiring 2028 | Lee Lefkowitz | |||
| Lori Petererzell | ||||
| Loren Ratner | ||||
| Amy Zerman | ||||
| Term Expiring 2029 | Neil Bruckner | |||
| Loretta London | ||||
| Mark Polisar | ||||
| Richard Stern | ||||
| 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 |
