The 11th annual gala of the Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies (BCHSJS), a 41-year-old supplementary Jewish high school that meets on Sundays, is set for Thursday, May 28, at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center.
Bess Adler, finishing her fifth year as principal of the school, following Fred Nagler who was principal for over 20 years, said that BCHSJS is a vibrant and a warm community of Jewish teens who are engaged in Jewish study and socially connected to one another. Quoting the school’s mission statement, she said, “We strive to deepen the Jewish identity and Jewish commitment of our students and to instill the values of Klal Yisrael (Jewish pluralism), Tikkun Olam (mending the world), Derech Eretz (respect for others), and Ahavat Yisrael (love of Israel).” The organization is funded by the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey in partnership with 22 area synagogues, and is geared toward teens who attend public or other non-day schools. Classes are held at the Moriah School in Englewood.
“The core of BCHSJS is a Sunday three-hour elective program that is supplemented with a full calendar of social programs and community activities. Through their participation, our students explore a wide range of Jewish topics that raise historical, contemporary, cultural, and ethical questions,” Adler said. She added that there are also additional optional after-school activities once a month, such as overnight programs, Shabbatonim, volunteer mitzvah projects, and fun activities like snow tubing and trips to Great Adventure. This year, the school has 135 students actively involved in programming.
BCHSJS’ May 28 fundraiser will honor Melvin and Lillian Solomon of River Edge. Susan and Moshe Castiel of Woodcliff Lake are Parents of the Year. Walter Ramsfelder of Teaneck, a founding board member of the organization, is being recognized, as is a beloved former faculty member, Rabbi Ely Allen of Bergenfield.
Mel Solomon, a partner in the Hackensack law firm Parsekian & Solomon, P.C., is BCHSJS’ immediate past president and the current president of Congregation Beth Tefillah in Paramus. He also served in many capacities at the Jewish Federation. Lillian, a retired educator who taught English as a Second Language in the Lodi School District, also was its coordinator of Holocaust Education. She is past president of Woman’s American ORT and an active member of Hadassah. Lillian now provides private English instruction and volunteers with the Adler Aphasia Center and other community organizations.
Susan and Moshe Castiel are BCHSJS’ Parents of the Year. The Castiels have two children: Alexandra, 18, and Simon, 15. Susan is a co-founder of travel eCommerce advisory firm Black & Wright and has been providing social media and marketing assistance to BCHSJS. She and Moshe, VP, Director of Enterprise Data Warehouse at JPMorgan Chase, also have hosted events at their home to help promote the school.
Walter Ramsfelder, of Teaneck, was one of the founding Board members of BCHSJS and served as Board president several times during the past 40 years until retiring just last year. His daughter Miriam was among the first graduates of the school and his granddaughter graduated from the school in 2013. Walter, a retired mechanical engineer, and his wife, Ruth, are members of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck.
Rabbi Ely Allen, of Bergenfield, taught at BCHSJS for 20 years. He now serves as the Director of Hillel of Northern New Jersey for the Jewish Federation of NNJ at the four local colleges, and teaches at Yeshiva University’s JSS Program. Rabbi Allen also is the Rabbi Emeritus at Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck.
“Rabbi Ely Allen has had a profound influence upon thousands (literally) of middle and high school students at BCHSJS. His warm and enthusiastic teaching style brought many students closer to their Judaism, and inspired them to learn more, participate in events and activities at BCHSJS, and keep connected after high school,” said Adler.
Rabbi Allen reflected on his time at BCHSJS, indicating that he is “indebted to the program for becoming who I am.” He started teaching there when he was 23, and it was essentially his first of many teaching jobs reaching students with little or no formal observant background. “I have had at least 1,000 students, and at least 450 Facebook friends from the program who I am still in touch with.” Adler estimated Rabbi Allen has impacted well over 2,000 students.
Rabbi Allen, who will be making aliyah with his family later this summer, is happy with the opportunity the gala is giving him. “I think part of their idea in giving me the honor at the dinner is so we would have the opportunity to say goodbye, so I can see the alumni and visit with them a last time before I go.”
To purchase tickets or place an ad or greetings to honorees in the green ad journal, or for more information, visit www.bchsjsdinner.org. Interested families can also visit the website for the school at http://www.bchsjs.org.
By Elizabeth Kratz
