The Teaneck Mikvah Association will host its “Tenth Annual Women’s Event” on November 20, 2019. That evening, service awards will be presented to two most deserving women, Renee Blumenfeld and Adeena Mayerfeld, and the program will feature inspirational speaker Judith Rubin, founder of the Ohel Sarah Amen Group of Lawrence, New York.

For the last 15 years, Renee Blumenfeld has been a dedicated and essential member of the Teaneck Mikvah Association’s board. Alisa Levy, mikvah COO, explains, “Renee is so giving, talented and helpful. She is always the first to volunteer, implement and share her time and skills—and always with a smile.” Renee serves as a mikvah liaison to Keter Torah and chairs the Annual Event seating committee. Renee has put her exceptional organizational skills to use on many mikvah projects including the creation of a database to track constituents. She has edited event videos and helped with decor and setup for the Annual Event. In addition to her work for the mikvah, Renee is involved in many other worthy community causes including I-Shine, Yad Leah, Leket Israel and Tomchei Shabbos. Renee has served on the Keter Torah Dinner Committee and as a past president of the Yavneh Parents Association & Auxiliary.

Adeena Mayerfeld has been an active and valued Teaneck Mikvah Association board member since 2009. “Adeena makes sure that the Sterling Place mikvah is up, running and available. Her dedication to and concern for the mikvah in general and Sterling Place in particular are truly inspiring,” says Miriam Greenspan, chairman of the Board.

She was an integral member of the lay leadership who spearheaded the building of the Sterling Place mikvah on the south side of town and she continues to play a very active role overseeing its weekly operations. Adeena has served on the Annual Event committee since its inception. She is also a member of the Facilities Committee and is a volunteer guide for the annual high school senior tours of the mikvah facility. In addition to her involvement in the mikvah, Adeena has served as an executive board member of RYNJ for the past decade, co-chaired the RYNJ Board of Education, co-chaired the MTA Parent Council and is currently the treasurer for Bikur Cholim of Bergen County. Professionally, Adeena is the program and operations manager of the Women’s Initiative at the Orthodox Union.

“The Teaneck Mikvah and the community as a whole are so fortunate to be the beneficiaries of Renee and Adeena’s talents, wisdom and time. These women are always thinking about what they can do for others, for our organizations and for our community, and then they go ahead and act on it,” says Nomi Rotblat, Teaneck Mikvah president.

In honor of the tenth anniversary of the Florence and Joseph Appleman Building located on Windsor Road, the mikvah is including a special $10,000 “Mikvah Pillar” category of sponsorship for the Annual Event. A plaque will be installed in the mikvah listing the families who have participated in this effort. The amounts collected from this special campaign, as well as general sponsorships, will ensure that the mikvah has the funds to remains the jewel of the Teaneck/Bergenfield/New Milford community: pristine, attractive and befitting the mitzvah of taharat hamishpacha.

An average of 600 women attend the annual event held in November of each year. For the past ten years it has been an evening that celebrates the mikvah and attracts a diverse crowd representing all of the different schools, shuls and age groups within the community. It is an event that unifies the greater Teaneck-Bergenfield-New Milford community.

This year’s speaker is Mrs. Judith W. Rubin, the founder and spokeswoman of the Ohel Sarah Amen Group of Lawrence, New York. The Ohel Sarah Amen Group, in memory of Sarit Marton, is a sisterhood of Orthodox Jewish Women who gather six mornings a week in the Five Towns to connect to Hashem by saying the Birchot HaShachar and amen aloud. Founded in 2005, the group was influenced by the teachings of Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky, a”h. The Amen Group offers many initiatives, chaburas and shiurim including a Rosh Chodesh program, where hundreds of women join together. The Ohel Sarah Amen Group has been described as a beacon of light for klal Yisrael and is recognized on a global scale. In addition to the Amen Group, Judy is an active volunteer in other meaningful causes. She serves as an ambassador for Acts of Kindness Initiative, was an educator for the Magen Li Long Island Safety Kid program, is a volunteer mikvah attendant, and has organized events for iShine. Judy has presented in a host of venues, including the Long Island Challah Bake, local elementary high schools, the Frum Divorce organization, the Bonei Olam fundraising initiative and the OU Women’s Leadership Initiative Summit.

Judith will share insights into the significance of reciting brachot with her speech titled “Count your Blessings 100 Times a Day.”

The Teaneck Mikvah’s annual women’s event is Wednesday evening, November 20, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Keter Torah. To make a reservation or to sponsor, please visit www.teaneckmikvah.com/event� or contact [email protected].