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With Gratitude to All Who Contributed this High Holy Days Season

Two campuses. 

Five prayer spaces. 

More than 30 services. 

Three options for joining (indoors, outdoors, and at home). 

More than 10,000 people joined in prayer! 

Hundreds of people filling 88th Street and West End Avenue for outdoor prayer. 

The BJ office, sending out more emails than anyone can count. 

 

This year’s High Holy Days were not what they have been in years past; but that made them feel all the more meaningful.

In our recognition email last year, we said that 2020 was a year “unlike any other,” but many of us were surprised to see that 2021 was even more unlike any other.

We were called to answer many questions and overcome many challenges. This year’s volunteers should be noted not only for their hard work and dedication to our community, but also for their patience and flexibility as our plans for the holidays changed by the day.

Click below to see all of the names of the volunteers who helped make BJ the place you know and love. It’s our honor to recognize them for all they’ve contributed to the High Holy Days season.

Elul Shofar Blowers: Stephen Friedgood, Mark Lehrman, Harry Lutrin, Elana Roberts

Mahzor deliverers: Nancy Tepper

Holy Rollers (for rolling 14 Torahs to the correct spots for Torah readings): Stephen Friedgood, Carol Gelles, Freddy Goldstein, Paula Kramer Weiss, Dova Marder, Matan Marder Friedgood, Ellen Metzger, Peggy Moss, Shelly Ostro, Rachel Park, Yosef Riemer, Abby Park (photographer)

Polishers of Torah Silver: Abigail Duclos, Abigail Human, Bernice Todres

Head Ushers: Judith Trachtenberg, Henry Weinberger

Ushers/Greeters: Martha Ackelsberg, Karen Adler, David Bernard, Andrea Bigelisen, Mandy Braun, Ryan Brenner, Joni Brenner, Sylvia Dresner, Nilda Torres Dicker, Shelley English, Shira Fernandes, Donald Fishbein, Martha Kate Ginsberg Rosenfeld, Diane Goldkopf, Susan Grodnick, Rabbi Miriam Herscher, Susan Hyman, Joan Jankell, Steven Koppel, Paula Kramer Weiss, Ellen Landsberger, Susan Lieberman, Ricki Lieberman, Wendy Linderman, Mimi Lox, Steven Morey Greenberg, Shira Nadich Levin, Andrea Newman, Sonia Orenstein, Lisa Mednick Owen, Deborah Ann Ramer, Jodi Reiskind, David Rhode, Ilene Rosenthal, Suzanne Schecter, Jonathan Schwartz, Leah Silver, Lori Sumberg, Nancy Tepper, Scott Weiner, Lisa Zucker, and Ariel Zwang

Torah Readers: Martha Ackelsberg, Joshua Bordereau, Joshua Bromberg, Micah Dicker, Susan Etra, Jenny Golub, Celia Nicole Lambert, Leah Silver, Arthur Staub

Haftorah Readers: Abigail Behrendt, Yael Berkman Mintz, Annie Bovitz, Orli Hockenstein, Natan Hockenstein, Max Ben-Azai Kirschner, Shira Elisheva Kirschner, Jacob Lopatin Bordereau, Mariel Aliza Priven, Rebecca Rhode, Simon Rosenthal Arenson, Ella Amalya Silver-Lewis

Eleh Ezkerah Speaker: Debra Cohn

Lead Gabbai: Carol Gelles

Gabbaim: Hadley Allen, Sharon Antsey, Ellen Bloch, Sandee Brawarsky, Stephen Friedgood, Mark Lehrman, Galit Lopatin Bordereau, Ellen Metzger, Yosef Reimer, Eli Weiss

Shofar Blowers: Samuel Bruce, Jonathan Silver, Elana Roberts

Volunteer Service Leader: Lizzie Kraiem

Family Service Teen Leaders: Eliza Anker, Sari Bovitz, Raphaëlle Eckhardt, Eli Fraiman, Ari Freed, Noa Glezer, Orli Hockenstein, Eli Klotz, Matan Marder Friedgood, Julia Slavin

Family Services Ushers: Hannah Bayer, Oriyan Gitig Schwartz, Helaine Harte, Alison Holden, Sofia Hübscher, Adam Klotz, Rachel Laiserin, Dova Marder, David Rhode, Rebecca Rhode, Jonathan Schwartz, Maya Schwartz, Stu Slavin, Julia Slavin

Family Services Lead Gabbai: Dova Marder

Family Services Gabbaim: Galit Lopatin Bordereau, Max Bordereau, Stephen Friedgood, Adam Klotz

Family Services Torah Readers: Annie Brown, Eli Fraiman, Matan Marder Friedgood, Julia Slavin, Barry Waldman

Family Services Musicians: Eli Klotz, Matan Marder Friedgood, Ari Freed, Eliza Anker, Raphaelle Eckhardt

Family Service Leaders: Julia Slavin, Noa Glezer, Matan Marder Friedgood, Sari Bovitz, Orli Hockenstein, Eli Fraiman

Family Services Shofar Blower: Stephen Friedgood

Family Mahzor Creation: Mariel Priven

Teen Kavanah Contributors: Sammy Bovitz, Eli Klotz

Kol Nidre Solicitors: Harriet Abraham, Karen Adler, Galit Lopatin Bordereau, Madeline Cohen, Ellen Corenswet, Helena Diamant Glass, Nancy Greenblatt, Ruth Jarmul, Steve Koppel, Shira Nadich Levin, Alan Mantel, Jessica Mantel, Les Nelson, Lisa Mednick Owen, Yosef Riemer, Ilene Rosenthal, Irv Rosenthal, Suzanne Schecter, Jonathan Schwartz, Leah Silver, Judith Trachtenberg, Paula Kramer Weiss, Liza Zucker, Ariel Zwang

Sukkot, Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah readers: Susan Etra, Jenny Golub, Harriet Goren, Lizzie Kraiem, Elenor Radzivilover, Arthur Staub

Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah Haftarah readers: Freddy Goldstein, Steve Koppel, Rabbi Joanna Samuels, Leah Silver, Ariel Zwang

Simhat Torah honorees: Ellen Metzger (Kallat Torah), Eli Weiss (Hatan Breishit)

COVID-19 Re-Entry Task Force: Brad Abelow, Dale Bernstein, Chris Falkenberg, Jennifer Hirsch, Steve Koppel, Shira Nadich Levin, Alan Mantel, Ilene Rosenthal, Irv Rosenthal, Suzanne Schecter, David Stern, Dana Trobe

We worked very hard to ensure that all our volunteers are listed here. If we inadvertently omitted your name, please accept our apologies and let us know so that we can make it right!