(Courtesy of BPY) Ben Porat Yosef in Paramus, the only yeshiva day school in Bergen County with the prestigious dual accreditation from NJAIS and MSC-CESS, will be hosting its 22nd annual dinner on Thursday night, February 23. The dinner will take place at the Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, New Jersey, at 7 p.m.. The annual dinner affords the opportunity to gather as a community to enjoy an evening dedicated to celebrating and supporting the yeshiva and highlighting and thanking some of those who help make BPY a warm and dynamic “home away from home” for the children.
The theme for the 2022-23 school year at BPY is “Chaverim Kol Yisrael – All of Israel are Friends,” with various programming and activities throughout the year highlighting for the students the many ways in which we are all connected to – and responsible for – one another. Community is the bedrock of Jewish life and of life at Ben Porat Yosef, both in and out of the classroom. Each of this year’s dinner honorees exemplifies this principle and has demonstrated through his or her actions a deep and abiding commitment to BPY and to the broader Jewish community.
The school is privileged to celebrate the brilliant leadership of Guests of Honor Elinor & Maury Litwack and Cherie & Steven Mayer. In addition, they will recognize the incredible contributions of Faculty Award Recipient Stacy Goldstein, BPY’s director of operations. Finally, they are thrilled to announce that Jacklyn Cohen is the recipient of BPY’s inaugural Young Leadership Award, recognizing the commitment and dedication of those who are newer to the BPY family.
Elinor and Maury Litwack are the proud parents of Mayer (Class of 2021), Leah (Class of 2023), Sarina (Class of 2026) and Levi (Class of 2029). Throughout their years as BPY parents, Elinor and Maury have been active and involved in supporting and growing the school. Elinor served on the BPY Board of Trustees for two years and currently serves as chair of the audit committee. Maury served as co-chair of the BPY Development Committee. Maury is managing director of the Orthodox Union and founder of the Teach Coalition, a national advocacy operation that advocates for over $350 million dollars in annual aid to community institutions. Maury has served on the development committees of three schools and one shul.
Steve Mayer has been active as a board member and committee member at BPY. When he and Cherie moved to Teaneck, they decided to search for a yeshiva day school in which they could be active and of which they could be proud. As soon as they met Rabbi Zucker and he gave them a tour, BPY became an easy choice. One year later, Shlomo Cohen, their grandchild, enrolled at BPY. The next year, Meir and Shua Cohen joined him. The children have been extremely happy at BPY; it was a match made in heaven. Cherie and Steve are proud grandparents of BPY students.
Jacklyn Cohen is the proud mom of Yael (third grade), Doron (first grade), Noa (nursery) and Tali. Jacklyn lives in Englewood with her husband, Yoni, where she serves on the board of the Benaroya Sephardic Center at Congregation Ahavath Torah. Before moving to New Jersey, Jacklyn worked as a teacher at the Ramaz ECC, and studied education and psychology at Brandeis University. Jacklyn got involved at BPY as soon as she came to Englewood, inspired by some of her friends who were active in the PTO, but it was the smile on her children’s faces every time they saw her in the building that got her hooked. After serving as PTO co-president with Ariel Harary, and a year later with
Leah Benhamou, Jacklyn continues to volunteer in different areas of the school, and Yoni recently joined the BPY Board of Trustees.
Stacy Goldstein is BPY’s director of operations. On a daily basis, she works tirelessly behind the scenes orchestrating the day-to-day activities. Some of her responsibilities include the building, facilities, security, human resources, lunch, schedules, programs, transportation and communications, just to name a few. Stacy partners with the board of directors, the building committee and the finance director, in helping to develop the annual budget, oversee the school’s operations and manage the facility. Additionally, Stacy supervises the office staff, security staff, maintenance staff and food services. She also partners with the Paramus Board of Education, Paramus Borough Hall and state government leadership. Stacy lives and breathes BPY. Without her leadership, expertise, calmness and work ethic the school could not have grown to the prestigious education institution they are today
For more information on BPY or the annual dinner, please contact Ari Greene, director of development at 201.249.6809 or [email protected]. To register for the dinner, go to www.bpydinner.org. If you would like to schedule a tour of Ben Porat Yosef, please contact Renee Klyman at [email protected] or 201.845.5007 ext 1816.
