(Courtesy of Ma’ayanot) Ma’ayanot’s 27th Annual Scholarship Dinner, “Mi Keamcha Yisrael—Celebrating our Strength,” will focus on Ma’ayanot’s values, which have shaped a special community with remarkable results. At Ma’ayanot we imbue each and every student with a love of Torah, an unbreakable commitment to Israel, and the ambition and ability to serve the wider community.
Every year the Ma’ayanot community, faculty, parents and students celebrate Ma’ayanot’s dedication to every student’s spiritual and emotional growth and to their intellectual and social development. This year our community is stronger than ever, and our appreciation for the strength of the Ma’ayanot experience is stronger than ever. Ma’ayanot will recognize Amudei Ma’ayanot awardees Yosef and Lisa Rubinstein, Hakarat Hatov awardees Jeremy and Rebecca Kurz, and Faculty Excellence awardees Chani Rotenberg and Shifra Schapiro.
Amduei Ma’ayanot awardees Yosef and Lisa Rubinstein, proud parents of Leia (‘19), Noa (‘21), Miri (‘25) and Leora (‘26), have contributed to Ma’ayanot for nearly a decade, since their oldest daughter began high school. Yosef has served on the Board and the Scholarship Committee, and recently completed two terms as president. He served as president during covid and led Ma’ayanot to the completion of its capital campaign. Lisa is on the Parent Council and has served as a parent ambassador. The Rubinsteins appreciate that “Ma’ayanot has been a great fit for each of our four daughters, all different from one another. Ma’ayanot gives students the space to grow and think for themselves, and opens their minds.”
Their daughter Leora said, “I am very inspired by my parents’ dedication to Ma’ayanot. Through my father’s role on the board and past presidency, and my mother’s help in various community activities, they set a great example for my sisters and I by highlighting the importance of doing your part.”
This year’s Hakarat Hatov award is being presented to Rebecca and Jeremy Kurz. Rebecca served on the Ma’ayanot board and on the executive committee as recording secretary. Rebecca also chaired the Board Governance Committee, was a member of the Board Nominating Committee, co-chaired the Covid Reopening Task Force and co-chaired the senior breakfast in 2021. Rebecca and Jeremy are committed to Ma’ayanot and have been involved in other community organizations including the Chevra Kadisha, Tomchei Shabbos, Yeshivat Noam, TABC and Congregations Rinat Yisrael and Beth Aaron. They are very appreciative of Ma’ayanot for “the excellent education and nurturing Torah environment it has provided for our daughters and for the young women of the Jewish community.” Rebecca and Jeremy are the proud parents of Yonatan and Leah, Ayelet (‘21), Aviva (‘24) and Daniel.
Aviva explained, “I am constantly inspired by my parents’ deep commitment to our community and values. They often devote their free time to volunteer work on individual and communal levels. They are both great at utilizing their unique strengths and skills to best help those around them.”
Faculty excellence awardee Chani Rotenberg is the Chair of Ma’ayanot’s History Department and Co-Director of Humanities Enrichment. In addition to her legendary academic rigor, innovative teaching techniques, and her students’ consistently outstanding AP exam results, Mrs. Rotenberg exemplifies the strength of Ma’ayanot with her steadfast, creative and forceful leadership in civic engagement and Israel advocacy. She helps Ma’ayanot students find their voice daily in a range of advocacy and bridge-building projects, from the local community, to state and federal government representatives, to communications using social and traditional media. Mrs. Rotenberg hails from Silver Spring, Maryland, studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum, graduated from Barnard College, and earned two Master’s Degrees: in Public Administration, specializing in Policy Analysis from NYU, and in Adolescent Social Studies Education from Hunter College.
Ma’ayanot Junior Sophie Fine expressed her appreciation: “Mrs. Rotenberg’s unwavering dedication to her students is incredible. She encourages us to embrace challenges and strive in our academics, and is an extremely supportive mentor outside of the classroom, empowering students to actively engage with the community and the world at large. Mrs. Rotenberg’s energy and guidance to help us succeed are appreciated by so many students!”
Faculty excellence awardee Mrs. Shifra Schapiro has taught Tanakh at Ma’ayanot since 2005, and advises the Ma’ayanei Torah yom tov publication, yearbook, Sambatyon literary journal and Envision Shakespeare. She also serves as Ma’ayanot’s Middle States coordinator and AP coordinator. She studied in Michlalah Jerusalem College, earned a B.A. from Stern College and an M.A. in Tanakh from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School. Her students appreciate her warmth and her Torah knowledge.
Sophomores Suri Seplowitz and Nava Barenholtz exclaimed, “Mrs. Schapiro brings the Torah to life in our classroom. She clearly loves what she does and brings that passion to our class every day.”
Ma’ayanot’s 27th Annual Scholarship Dinner will take place on April 1 at Keter Torah. Please visit www.maayanot.org/dinner to donate and RSVP.
