Shomrei Emunah

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Clergy

Julie Roth, Rabbi
When Rabbi Julie Roth became a Religious Studies major at Brown University, she didn’t know women could be rabbis. The daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a community organizer, she grew up in Cleveland in a family that sang loudly in synagogue and always invited extra guests to Shabbat dinner. In the summer of 2005, when she was ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary, she saw two pathways before her, one as a congregational rabbi and one as a Hillel rabbi.

As the Jewish Chaplain at Princeton University, she has extensive experience leading High Holiday services and Passover seders, teaching classes on ethics, social justice, Israel, and theology, officiating at life-cycle events, facilitating interfaith dialogue, addressing controversial topics, and counseling thousands of students and faculty. Rabbi Julie is the rabbi and co-founder of Zamru, a musically innovative, spiritually-engaging, inter-generational Friday night indie minyan based in Princeton that grew to a community of over 300. In addition, she co-founded Shabbat Katan, a creative, interactive, 5 and under service that revitalized young family engagement at her local synagogue

Yearning to spend more time doing what she loves most – building intentional relationships, leading spiritually-alive services, giving inspirational sermons, officiating at life-cycle events, teaching Torah addressing contemporary issues, and listening with compassion – Rabbi Julie is ready to lead a congregation. Guided by the central teaching that each and every human being is beloved, infinitely valuable, and unique, her calling as a rabbi is to connect each person with the piece of Torah, Jewish experience, or community that will help them live their lives as a sacred gift. She passionately believes Judaism contains the sparks not only to transform the world, but also to transform how we live our daily lives with greater meaning, joy, gratitude, and wonder.

An avid traveler to Israel and around the world and an extensive reader (she reads the same number of books each year as her age), Rabbi Julie loves to take walks with friends, look at the ocean, and binge-watch television series. A rusty ballroom dancer who loves to eat a delicious meal cooked by someone else, Rabbi Julie is grateful for the love of her family including her husband, Rabbi Justus Baird, and their three children, Ilan, Rafael, and Noa.

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Jacob Kaplan-Lipkin, Rabbinic Intern
Jacob is a rising 4th year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he is also pursuing a master's degree in Hebrew Bible. He is returning from an emotional and enriching year in Israel as a visiting student at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem. He enjoyed mentoring and learning with gap year students this past year as the Rabbinic Intern/Spiritual Advisor for the 43rd cohort of Nativ. While in Israel, Jacob was also privileged to participate in a variety of programs with Pardes, the Shalom Hartman Institute, and Hadar Israel. During his first two years of JTS rabbinical school, Jacob worked at Cornell Hillel as the Rabbinic Intern.

Jacob is involved in various interfaith activities, for which he was awarded a Milstein Center Fellowship, and he is a leader in JTS’s Dayenu Circle for Climate Action. Prior to starting at JTS, Jacob worked in Jewish social services at DOROT, where he served as the Facilitator of Intergenerational Programming. Summer 2024 will be his fifth summer working at Camp Ramah; he is serving as the Senior Jewish Educator at Ramah NorCal this summer. Jacob is proud of his origins in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he was born and raised and even stayed close by for college at Stanford University.

Jacob was married to his partner Shira, a graduate student at Columbia in social work, in August, 2024. Jacob and Shira love seeing Broadway shows, strolling through Central Park, and constantly trying to beat their previous records of how many friends they can fit in their apartment for Shabbat meals. They are really excited to get to know the Shomrei community! Outside of his diverse Jewish and academic interests, in his free time, Jacob enjoys being outside whenever possible, reading the New Yorker, and exploring new vegan recipes.

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Staff

Ehud Klinger, Director of Operations
While Ehud is a native Israeli, he takes great pride in living in New Jersey. Having lived in Israel, Japan and the US, Ehud brings different views and approaches to Judaism and community. Ehud has worked in both the non-profit and for-profit world, previously managing non-profit academic organizations. He holds several degrees in International Relations and Asian Studies but mostly enjoys meeting people. Ehud enjoys spending time with his family, exploring new places and re-visiting old favorites.

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Aylah Winter, Director of Education
Since moving to Montclair Aylah has become involved in the Shomrei community. She has served on the Shomrei Education Board for two years and worked in the preschool as an assistant teacher. She also worked to coordinate travel to Israel for individuals, families and groups with a private tour operator.

Prior to moving to Montclair, Aylah and her family lived in Manhattan where she worked for several Jewish non-profit organizations. Most recently, she worked for American Jewish World Service coordinating their international Alternative Spring Break program for Hillel students around the country. Aylah is passionate about experiential education and its value with young adults. During this time she had the opportunity to travel extensively through central America.

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Lesley Gering, Assistant Director of Early Childhood Education
Morah Lesley has been working at the Shomrei Preschool Program since 2017 in various capacities. Lesley is certified as a K-8 Elementary and Special Education Teacher in the State of New Jersey. She started as the New Young 2’s teacher and then became the Pre-K teacher, before becoming the Assistant Director of Early Childhood Education.

Lesley has worked as a public school teacher in the Elizabeth and Summit School Districts before staying home to raise her two children, Jackson and Taylor. When Lesley is not at Shomrei she enjoys volunteering for her children’s various clubs and activities and playing pickleball. She is passionate about early childhood education and its significant positive impact on a child’s development and future success.

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Sarah Kamenetsky, Assistant Director of Education
Sarah grew up in Rochester, NY, and Northwest NJ. She earned degrees in illustration and graphic design and an MST in Art Education at RIT, then spent six months studying art in Jerusalem. After moving to Chicago in 2012, she was a Moishe House Resident, JCC preschool teacher, summer camp counselor, and a Religious School teacher at Temple Sholom of Chicago before she completed an MAT in Counseling: Art Therapy at Adler University.

She has been a Case Manager at The Ark Chicago for seven years, a member of the Anshe Emet Synagogue Religious School faculty for two years, and a B’nai Mitzvah Tutor for multiple Chicago congregations, preparing students to be honored and celebrated on the bimah. She is excited to be returning to New Jersey and looks forward to joining the Shomrei Emunah community. Sarah will be leading and teaching Tfila during JLC and teaching our upcoming BMitzvah students.

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Marjorie Steffe
Office Support

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Jennifer Harvey
Office Support

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Gail Slepian
Office Support

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Carlos Allegre
Head Custodian

Mustafa Laboo
Kitchen Coordinator

Javier Perez
Custodian

Preschool Staff/Faculty

JLC (Hebrew School) Staff Faculty

Lay Leaders

Aaron Delaney, President

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Martin Kurzweil, Executive Vice President

Martin grew up in Shomrei (as the son of longtime members Lynne and Lanny) and re-joined the congregation, along with his wife, Fiona, when they moved to Glen Ridge in 2015. Their son Jack attended Shomrei Preschool and, with his brother Micah, is now in the JLC. You can often find Martin at kid and family-related Shomrei activities, and he was a member of the 2021-22 Rabbi Search Committee.

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Michael Sag, Immediate Past President
Michael moved to Montclair in 2009, has been a member at Shomrei Emunah since 2014, has served on the Education Committee since 2016 and as a Trustee since 2021. Michael is in his 6th year as the Managing Director of WP Theater, a small not-for-profit theater company focused on plays and musicals written and directed by women.

Michael loves spending time with his three kids, Jordan (Renaissance), Noah (Bullock) and Elliott (Over The Rainbow) and keeping the outside of his house looking sharp! Michael’s wife, Lindsey, is General Manager at NY’s Manhattan Theater Club and serves on the Off-Broadway League’s Board of Directors. Michael is an adjunct professor at Montclair State University and currently serves as president of the Association for Non-Profit Theater Companies (ANTC). An avid fan of the NY Rangers, NY Yankees and NY Giants, invite him to a game and he’s likely to join you!

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Officers, Board of Trustees, Committee Chairs and Volunteers
Shomrei is led by congregants who comprise our Board of Trustees. The whole congregation is thankful for their dedication and efforts.

-                                        President
+                                        Aaron Delaney
-                                        Immediate Past President
+                                        Michael Sag
-                                        Executive Vice President
+                                        Martin Kurzweil
-                                        VP-Building & Grounds
+                                        Eric Feldman
-                                        VP-Education
+                                        Mara Weinstein
-                                        VP-Finance
+                                        Béla Schwartz, Pam Golden
-                                        VP-Legal
+                                        Dan Winter
-                                        VP-Membership
+                                        Romy Rost
-                                        VP-Programming
+                                        Suzana Grobman, June Zimmerman
-                                        VP-Religious Life
+                                        Geoff Sadow
-                                        Corresponding Secretary
+                                        Jerilyn Margulies
-                                        Recording Secretary
+                                        Gail Stocks
-                                        Trustee
+                                        Risa Bernstein, Adam Dembrow, Sarita Eisenberg, Eric Feldman, Pam Golden, Shirley Grill, Suzanna Grobman, Beryl Hiller, Josh Hirsch, Rachel Kanter, Carol Katzman, Josh Kline, Martin Kurzweil, John Lasiter, Jerilyn Margulies, Romy Rost, Geoff Sadow, Béla Schwartz, Gail Stocks, Mara Weinstein, Dan Winter, June Zimmerman
-                                        Adult Learning Chair
+                                        Sarita Eisenberg
-                                        Carol Starr MESH Cafe Chairs
+                                        Aileen Grossberg, Lynne Kurzweil
-                                        Cemetery Assoc. President
+                                        Carol Katzman
-                                        Communications Chairs
+                                        Sarita Eisenberg, John Lasiter
-                                        Education Committee
+                                        Charles Breslin, David Brooks, Heather Brown, Rabbi Julie Roth, Romy Rost, Michael Sag, Sarvenaz Singh, Aylah Winter
-                                        Education Committee Chairs
+                                        Mara Weinstein, Shirley Grill
-                                        Family Promise Chairs
+                                        Shirley Grill, Dale Russakoff
-                                        Finance Committee
+                                        Pamela Golden, John Lasiter, Béla Schwartz
-                                        Membership Committee
+                                        Sara Ann Erichson, Romy Rost, Adrienne Shulman
-                                        Mensch Squad Chair
+                                        Dale Russakoff
-                                        Preschool PTO Chair
+                                        Suzanna Grobman
-                                        Purim Carnival Chair
+                                        Nancy Breslin
-                                        Refugee Assist. Group Chairs
+                                        Judith Antelman, Michael Legman, Andrew Silver
-                                        Religious Life Committee
+                                        Craig Eichner, Sarita Eisenberg, Fern Heinig, Allen Lefkowitz, Jerilyn Margulies, Rabbi Julie Roth, Geoff Sadow, Todd Wieseneck
-                                        Security Committee Chair
+                                        Adam Dembrow
-                                        Simcha Band Chairs
+                                        Merrill Silver, Mark Weinstein
-                                        Social Action Committee Chair
+                                        Risa Bernstein
-                                        Synagogue Librarian
+                                        Aileen Grossberg

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