On Saturday evening, March 4, Ma’ayanot parents, students, alumnae and friends will gather at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck for Ma’ayanot’s Annual Scholarship Fund Dinner. This year’s dinner is dedicated to the memory of Bruce Ritholtz, z”l, and the school is honored to present his wife, Michelle, and their children, Annie (’11), Dani and Talia (’16), its Be’er Torah Memorial Award. The Teacher of the Year Award will be presented to Mrs. Suzanne Cohen. The Amudei Ma’ayanot Awardees are Lori and Elliot Linzer, and Parents of the Year are Rabbi Daniel and Diane Cohen.
The Be’er Torah Award commemorates the significant impact that Bruce Ritholtz had on the Ma’ayanot community by serving on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Board, and by serving as a driving force for the founding of the School’s Development Committee. To commemorate Mr. Ritholtz’s exceptional devotion to Jewish education, Ma’ayanot is also naming its Thursday evening mishmar program “The Bruce Ritholtz Mishmar Program.” Ma’ayanot is grateful to have the opportunity to memorialize Mr. Ritholtz’s passion for Talmud Torah through the naming of this central Ma’ayanot program.
Mrs. Suzanne Cohen, Teacher of the Year, has taught Tanakch at Ma’ayanot since 2003, and also serves as Chair of the Tanach Department and Co-Director of Israel Guidance. Mrs. Cohen’s teaching is suffused with love of Torah, intellectual rigor and deep appreciation of each student’s personality and perspective. She is a gifted Tanach scholar who guides her students lovingly and thoughtfully, whether they are analyzing a mefaresh, discussing important religious questions or thinking through significant life decisions.
Elliot and Lori Linzer, Amudei Ma’ayanot Honorees, are deeply dedicated to Jewish education and are involved in all aspects of life at Ma’ayanot. Mrs. Linzer currently serves as a Vice President on the school’s Executive Board, is a member of our Board of Trustees and has served on Ma’ayanot’s Education and Dean of Students Search Committees. Together, in addition to being exceptionally strong financial supporters of the school, Mr. and Mrs. Linzer have graciously hosted numerous Ma’ayanot events, including Friday night onegs, parlor meetings and the Ma’ayanot Book Club.
Parents of the Year, Rabbi Daniel and Diane Cohen, are deeply dedicated to the values of community, Jewish education and personal development, as is manifest in their work as Senior Rabbi and Rebbetzin of Congregation Agudath Shalom in Stamford, Connecticut. Through their volunteerism on behalf of Ma’ayanot, much of which centers around providing educational experiences for its students, Rabbi and Mrs. Cohen have proven to be true partners in Ma’ayanot’s quest to develop within its students a deep and enduring connection to Hashem. Ma’ayanot is grateful for the shabbatonim they have hosted, the shiurim they have given and the educational panels on which they have served.
All funds raised through the dinner will dedicated to underwriting Ma’ayanot’s scholarship program, which awarded more than $1.4 million for the current fiscal year to families in financial need. For more information or to register for the dinner please contact Pam Ennis at [email protected] or 201-833-4307, ext. 265.
