Lifelong Learning
Our Learning Series for Alumni met in New York City in February and early March, before shifting to virtual meetings. Above, Rabbi Abby Sosland taught a session titled “Holy Emotions: Finding Balance through a Jewish Lens.”
Fall/Winter 2020-2021
Middle School
Rachel Kessler (MS 2008) and Kemoy Campbell were married in August.
Justin Mayer (MS 1998) and Amy Mayer welcomed a baby boy, Max Jonah Mayer, in May.
Suzanne Nossel (MS 1983) published Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All in July.
Jenna Polinsky (MS 1998) and Scott Ginsberg welcomed a baby boy, Liam Miles Ginsberg, in March.
Director of Lower School Admissions Diana Schutt (MS 1982) became engaged to Shai Franklin in October.
Rabbi Deborah Wechsler (MS 1983) was honored by Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Pikesville, Maryland for her 20 years of service.
Naama Wrightman (MS 2001) and David Alper welcomed a baby girl, Gali Alper, in December.
Shira Wrightman (MS 2001) and Andy Sullivan welcomed a baby boy, Ziv Nadav, in September.
Class of 2005
Leora Kalikow and Matt Leibowitz welcomed a baby boy, Milo (Mendel) Chaim Leibowitz, in April.
Benjamin Leffell and Julie Leffell welcomed a baby girl, Andi Bea Leffell, in May.
Rachel (Weinberger) Wolf and Michael Wolf welcomed a baby girl, Shaina Yarden Wolf, in January.
Gavi Young and Rabbi Jason Fenster welcomed a baby boy, Henry Amitai Fenster, in February.
Class of 2006
Tal Cushmaro and Rachel Cushmaro welcomed a baby boy, Haden Samuel Cushmaro, in December.
Leah Doctor and Adam Rosenberg were married in March.
Aaron Glick and Sara Glick welcomed a baby boy, Sheldon Lev Glick, in February.
Jenn (Lande) Leffell and Adam Leffell (Class of 2008) welcomed a baby boy, Leo Bernie Leffell, in June.
Rachel (Rothman) Sackman and Michael Sackman welcomed a baby boy, Corey Logan Sackman, in June.
Class of 2007
Sarah Bicky and Alexander Levy were married in November 2019.
Zach Dannett launched Tumble in November, a direct-to-consumer brand producing 100% spillproof and machine-washable rugs.
Jordan Kosterich and Melissa Polinsky (Class of 2009) were married in December.
Lianne Madorsky and Danny Liebowitz welcomed a baby girl, Poppy Rose Liebowitz, in February.
Hilary Polak became engaged to Sam Lipshutz in August.
Rabbi Jordan Soffer received the Covenant Foundation’s 2020 Pomegranate Prize. The Pomegranate Prize is designed to honor emerging leaders who have been in the field of Jewish education for up to ten years.
Rabbi Becca Weintraub accepted a new position as Assistant Rabbi at B’nai Jeshurun in New York City. Rabbi Weintraub and her husband Jeremy Edelman welcomed a baby girl, Azamra Ellie Weintraub, in August.
Class of 2008
Rachel Abady, Josh Abady (Class of 2012), and Guy Greenstein (Class of 2012) co-founded and recently launched Manna, a new recipe app and cooking platform.
Jessie Cohen and Brian Schafler were married in January.
Melissa (Soskin) Feldstein and Jason Feldstein welcomed a baby girl, Estee Miriam Feldstein, in September.
Adam Leffell and Jenn (Lande) Leffell (Class of 2006) welcomed a baby boy, Leo Bernie Leffell, in June.
Jillian (Weisman) Mandell and Josh Mandell welcomed a baby boy, Cameron Judah Mandell, in May.
Matthew Scheff and Debbie Goodman were married in March.
Class of 2009
Alexandra (Picheny) Bernstein and Jacob Bernstein welcomed a baby boy, Harrison Leo, in August.
Zoelle (Mallenbaum) Fox and Nate Fox welcomed a baby boy, Aryeh Emmett Fox, in November.
Michael Gelb became engaged to Raquel Saxe in September.
Alexander Gruenstein and Margot Weissman (Class of 2011) were married in July.
Ari Holsten and Lauren Kurtz were married in August.
Aliya Lapp graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a doctorate in chemistry in May.
Adina Munk became engaged to Eric Sachs in March.
Melissa Polinsky and Jordan Kosterich (Class of 2007) were married in December.
Ariel Shemen and Nehama Shemen welcomed a baby boy, Nehemia Shemen, in July.
Class of 2010
Rebekah Lipsky and Jared Kurlander became engaged in October.
Samantha Franklin and Amir Dinur were married in October.
Maya Moskowitz became engaged to Jonathan Darnell in July.
Roshana Sirkin became engaged to Steven Saunders in February.
Becky Young and Jake Orbach-Smith became engaged in July.
Class of 2011
Heylee Bernstein became engaged to Jacob Sachs in October.
Meredith Cove became engaged to Ben Sarfaty in October.
Daniel Jaret became engaged to Carly Scheinberg in March.
Yoni Karas became engaged to Janie Smukler in April.
Eric Landsberg received his MD from SUNY Upstate Medical School in May and began a residency program in psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Medical Center in June.
Margot Weissman and Alexander Gruenstein (Class of 2009) were married in July.
Class of 2012
Josh Abady, Guy Greenstein, and Rachel Abady (Class of 2008) co-founded and launched Manna, a new recipe app and cooking platform.
Steven Belyanskiy became engaged to Caitlin Goldstein in July.
Jill Golub became engaged to Zach Griff in July.
Remy Gordon and Jared Chariton were married in December.
Rebecca Rimsky and Daniel Stecker were married in June.
Shira Wexler became engaged to Josh Goldhirsch in November 2019.
Class of 2013
Jordan Shasha became engaged to Oriah Sakazi in July.
Class of 2014
Ilana Forchheimer and Bradley Goldman became engaged in October.
Shira King-Berkman and Elad Sadot were married in August.
Class of 2017
Rachel Fortinsky became engaged to Daniel Rabizadeh in November 2019.
Amanda Levi was awarded the Grossman School of Business Student Engagement Award at the University of Vermont.
Class of 2019
Alexa Cotel-Altman was named president of Auburn University Hillel in March.
Brian Feiler, an entrepreneurial studies major at Syracuse University, began interning for Auburn Jewelry over the summer and encouraged the company to partner with Save a Child’s Heart, an organization he visited on Lev V’Nefesh. Through the collaborative efforts of Brian and the company, Auburn Jewelry’s “Gifts that Give Back” collection now includes a charm with Save a Child’s Heart logo, and part of the proceeds from sales will go to SACH.
Jacob Zuckerman was sworn in to the 188th Battalion of the Israeli Defense Forces in May, and was one of two soldiers to receive a certificate of excellence for being a role model: “מופת פלוגתי”.
Class of 2020
Olivier Mastey was selected as a recipient of a 2020 Opportunities for Multigenerational Engagement, Growth, and Action scholarship by the MIT AgeLab. Olivier worked tirelessly last spring to help our High School’s Intergenerational Chess Program with DOROT pivot to an online format. Olivier’s efforts allowed senior citizens and our students to continue to engage in meaningful conversations and challenging games of chess.
Interested in organizing a virtual meet-up?
Looking for a job?
Do you have news to share?
The Alumni Association
leffellschool.org/community/alumni
EMAIL: Orlea Miller, Community Engagement and Education Associate, omiller@leffellschool.org
- January 5, 2021
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