Motzei Shabbat, December 23, will mark an auspicious date for the broader Teaneck community, when the Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, commonly referred to as BMOB, will host its Inaugural Annual Dinner. The dinner will celebrate the installation of Rabbi Zev and Michal Goldberg, as well as honor the service of Yale and Annie Baron.
Prior to Rabbi Goldberg, the shul was fortunate to be led by Rabbi Moshe Stavsky. Rabbi Stavsky and his family made aliyah in 2022, after serving the BMOB community for 11 years. While the community searched for its new mora d’atra, BMOB families were privileged to have Rabbi Neal Turk serve as interim rabbi.
After a year-long search during which over 20 highly qualified rabbinical candidates were vetted, the rabbinic search committee of BMOB, chaired by Yisroel Hochberg and Jason Koenig, selected Rabbi Goldberg to become the congregation’s new rav. Recognizing his erudition as a talmid chacham, along with his warm personality and nine successful years as mora d’atra of the Young Israel of Fort Lee, the members enthusiastically approved his appointment.
Looking forward to the formal installation of Rabbi and Michal Goldberg, Daniel Barzideh, president of BMOB shared: “We are so fortunate to be celebrating the installation of our esteemed new rav and his wonderful wife, Michal, at our upcoming inaugural dinner. Rabbi Zev and Michal Goldberg have brought an abundance of wisdom, warmth and dedication to our congregation. Rabbi Goldberg’s spiritual guidance has been a source of inspiration to us all, and has already had a tremendous impact on our community.”
Rabbi Neal Turk, who serves as the mashgiach of the Semikha Program at YU’s RIETS, echoed that sentiment., “Rabbi Zev Goldberg is an inspirational leader who will uplift the BMOB community to ever-greater heights of spirituality. BMOB is a shul of wonderful people who are searching for opportunities to grow in Torah learning, tefillah and chesed. Rabbi Goldberg will surely be successful in bringing the shul and its members to the next level of success. We look forward to being a part of that growth for many years to come.”
The dinner is also an opportunity for the shul to recognize the longtime service of founding members Yale and Annie Baron. As Barzideh remarked: “We are also thrilled to honor Annie and Yale Baron as our first-ever dinner honorees. The Barons are among the early founders of BMOB. Their continuing dedication to our shul from our fledgling years as a house basement minyan is remarkable. They have both served our shul community tirelessly in various leadership roles, most notably with Yale serving as president for five years, and both currently serve on our board of trustees. Their generosity is truly unparalleled, and we owe them an enormous amount of hakarat hatov for their tremendous efforts and significant contributions in shaping our shul into the warm, welcoming and beautiful mikdash me’at that it is.”
Rabbi Stavsky was similarly enthusiastic about the selection of the Inaugural Dinner honorees. “BMOB has been blessed with Annie and Yale’s visionary leadership for nearly two decades. They are true role models of idealistic, sensitive, selfless and humble communal service. During his time as president and beyond, I enjoyed working together with Yale and immensely valued his judgment, foresight and proactive involvement in all communal matters.”
BMOB is a Modern Orthodox congregation in Bergenfield known for its welcoming and warm atmosphere. Founded in 2004, the shul has doubled in size over the last five years, and now serves over 225 full member families and 75 affiliate families. The congregation is housed in a beautiful new state-of-the-art facility located at 385 South Prospect Avenue.
Since its founding, BMOB has spearheaded several learning initiatives including a chaburah delivered by members following the Shabbat hashkama minyan, a dvar Torah delivered by members of the Nusach Sefard minyan, and a Thursday night mishmar program. On Shabbat, the shul hosts four minyanim and an inclusive, ever-growing youth program. Under the leadership of Rabbi Goldberg, BMOB will be adding to its extensive educational offerings catering to every level of the shul community.
To reserve your place at the upcoming BMOB Inaugural Dinner on Motzaei Shabbat, December 23, 2023, taking place at 8 p.m. at Congregation Keter Torah, 600 Roemer Avenue in Teaneck, go to www.bmob.org/dinner.html.
