(Courtesy of Ben Porat Yosef) Ben Porat Yosef in Paramus will hold its annual dinner on Tuesday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. at Montammy Country Club, Alpine. The dinner will honor a few families whose contributions to the school have made significant impacts throughout BPY’s 17 years: Morah Avital and Rav Haim Hadad, Tamar and Uri Moche and Karen and Eric Orgen.
Karen and Eric Orgen have two daughters, Jamie, a current BPY student (eighth grade) and Allie, BPY ’16, and currently a sophomore at The Frisch School. Karen and Eric’s involvement at BPY has been multifaceted. Karen co-chaired three Annual Gala Dinners, was a member of the Walkathon committee, and worked on many PTO projects and events. Eric served six years on the board of trustees, four of those years as secretary, and worked on numerous committees including Governance, Fundraising and Building. Outside of BPY, Karen and Eric are actively involved in other community organizations including the Township of Teaneck, where Karen serves as a member of the planning board and the environmental commission, and The Frisch School, where Eric is a member of the annual dinner committee. At Congregation Shaare Tefillah, their synagogue, both are active members and have both chaired and worked on various committees. Eric previously served on the board of directors for eight years, seven of them as the treasurer. Karen currently serves as co-president of the board of directors. Karen and Eric are also retired life members of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps where Karen is a past president and Eric served as a crew chief.
Tamar & Uri Moche are parents of current BPY students: Victor (fourth grade), Rosie (second grade) and Leo (pre-K). Uri has the honor of serving as vice president of the BPY board of trustees, where he chairs the building subcommittee. Prior to joining the board, Uri led the effort to procure debt financing for the purchase of the BPY school building. Uri also serves on the board of Bnei Akiva North America. Tamar is an active member of BPY’s PTO and has worked tirelessly on school events ranging from the open house to the annual Walk-a-thon and Read-a-thon. Tamar has also committed countless hours to organizing events for wellness, social inclusion and personal health. Tamar and Uri live in Englewood. They are members of the Benaroya Sephardic Center at Ahavath Torah. They are also affiliate members of Kehilat Kesher and East Hill Synagogue.
Rav Haim and Morah Avital Hadad are shlichim from the Amiel Institute, and current fifth- and third-grade teachers. They are also BPY parents, with four children enrolled: Achinoam (third grade), Carmel (second grade), Tealor (kindergarten) and Yonatan (toddler program). In Israel, the Hadads resided in Even Shmuel. Haim was a graduate of a hesder yeshiva. He served in Modi’in Sadeh in the army. He was a rabbi for four years in Kiryat Gat. Avital is one of 10 siblings. She is a graduate of the Shapir School. The Hadads’ goal as BPY teachers (since 2013) has been to teach/inspire their students with a strong connection to Israel and Hebrew fluency, which they have done, and so much more. In addition to their role at BPY, they have been hosted and cared for by the Ahavath Torah community. Rav Haim leads tefillah for children at Congregation Ahavath Torah on Shabbat.
