(Courtesy of Darchei Noam) Congregation Darchei Noam of Fair Lawn’s fifth shul dinner, to be held on Sunday, June 16, at 6 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, promises to be a premier event and magical evening filled with picture perfect memories of a night spent with many warm and caring people. All are welcome to come and help celebrate as Darchei Noam nears its “bar mitzvah,” 13 years since its inception. Just as one takes pride and marvels at their child’s growth from infancy to adulthood, so too Darchei Noam members take great pride in the continuing growth of their very special shul. There is much to celebrate as Congregation Darchei Noam is a special gem in the Fair Lawn Jewish community: friendly, warm and welcoming to all.

While Darchei Noam has enjoyed a fairly recently expanded shul on Alexander Avenue, as well as a constantly growing membership under the leadership of Rabbi Jeremy Donath and his wife, Yoetzet Halacha Shira, it recognized a need for even further growth and expansion. Darchei Noam turned to its members and the wider community to support its efforts to accommodate the needs of the growing shul and community by providing added adult learning and youth programming. As Darchei Noam has grown, it has become evident that added space is needed to do so and many members are actively involved in the expansion process.

This year’s dinner will showcase the unique warmth that exists between all members of the kehilla, no matter how long they have been at Darchei Noam. Two families will be honored at the event. Both families have made a huge impact on the congregation and the shul is delighted to have an opportunity to thank Rabbi Avi and Leah Herzog and Oren and Rachel Kravetz.

The Herzogs are one of Darchei Noam’s founding families and their contributions are too numerous to recount. Rabbi Avi and Leah have frequently delivered divrei Torah and shiurim to the community, including on Shabbat and Tikkun Leil Shavuot. In addition to serving on the board of directors, being one of the gabbaim for many years, delivering the Sunday morning breakfast Mishnayot shiur and coordinating speakers, Baalei Kriah and Baalai Tefillah, the shul has been privileged to listen to Rabbi Avi’s beautiful voice as a regular Baal Koreh and Shaliach Tzibur. Prior to Rabbi Donath joining Darchei Noam, the shul was fortunate to have Rabbi Avi’s halachic guidance and leadership during its early years. Both Leah and Rabbi Avi dedicated their lives to Torah education, evidenced by the various teaching positions they have each held in the New York area day school system. Many students and communities have benefited from their scholarly gifts. The Herzogs’ Torah knowledge is vast and encyclopedic and when coupled with their ability to impart information to others makes them truly special. As Rabbi Avi and Leah will make aliyah this summer, the community will have the bittersweet chance to thank them while also wishing them hatzlacha in Eretz Yisroel.

Oren and Rachel Kravetz moved to Fair Lawn from Washington Heights in the summer of 2014. Oren being from Florida, and Rachel from Ohio, the couple decided they were both looking for somewhere to settle that was a little more suburban. They quickly became heavily involved in Darchei Noam and now serve as an integral part of its leadership, with Oren on the executive board and Rachel on the general board of directors. Together they helped expand programming and events at Darchei Noam and have been involved in many functions such as the Annual BBQ, fundraising for the Yoetzet Halacha initiative and education and several successful Melava Malka events. Oren is a user experience designer in the city, and eagerly took upon himself the running and maintenance of the Darchei Noam website. His efforts have added much functionality to the website and streamlined many functions such as dinner and membership donations. Oren likes staying on top of all new developments in tech, especially virtual and augmented reality. Oren’s personal hobbies include photography and checking things off his to- do list. Rachel is an occupational therapist working with older adults throughout Bergen county, and aspires to one day become a certified hand therapist. Rachel’s hobbies include crocheting, reading and posting cute pictures of their kids, Ezra and Tamar, on Facebook. Ezra is well known for trying to give Shul President Mark Moerdler a run for his money by making “announcements” in the shul during kiddush. The Kravetzs love going on hikes together as a family, playing board games and hosting Shabbat meals. Their energy, creativity and leadership have and continue to elevate Darchei Noam to best serve the next generation of Fair Lawn families.

For Darchei Noam to keep growing, personal thanks to honorees are to be accompanied by much needed contributions. The covert for the dinner is $225 per person, which can be covered in personal and/or business ads, direct contributions or a combination of the above. The personal ads will be published in a virtual journal and the business ads will be published in both print and virtual form. Reservation and ad submission can be made on the Darchei Noam website, darcheinoam.com. Your attendance is sure to further enhance the Darchei Noam Dinner. Your support is greatly appreciated. To place an ad and /or to participate in the Darchei Noam Dinner, RSVP on the Darchei Noam website at https://www.darcheinoam.com/

Congregation Beth Shalom is located at 354 Maitland Avenue, Teaneck.