It’s a cool winter Shabbat morning. Donned in his tallit, Moshe Stareshefsky is davening in his customary seat (makom kavua) at the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton when his hand-held Hatzolah radio suddenly vibrates.

Calmly and without disruption, Moshe heads out and within minutes is responding to an emergency call. At the resident’s home, the 44-year-old Passaic native checks key vitals before summoning the local Hatzalah ambulance.

Shortly afterwards, as the Young Israel congregation prepares to read the weekly parashah, Moshe returns unobtrusively to his seat, enwraps himself with the tallit and takes out his chumash. No fuss, no commotion. Just another Shabbat for the man who embraces helping others.

For Moshe, medical calls are but one piece of the puzzle that makes up a typical week. In addition to his EMS contributions at Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton, he has spent the past 21 years as a ranking volunteer firefighter for the Rutherford Fire Department, where he was recently promoted to the status of chief.

Unlike Moshe, who has spent his entire life in one community, his wife, Tifarah, has packed and unpacked her belongings multiple times. A Syracuse, New York, native, Tifarah, as she described, “moved around a lot as a kid,” hopscotching from Toronto to Spring Valley, New York, to Denver, then Monsey and now Passaic.

If you have ever tried Tifarah’s desserts, you are instantly struck by thematic artistry, remarkable craftsmanship and incredible taste. Not surprisingly, the mother of two boys (we’ll get to them soon) has worked in fashion boutiques as both a buyer and manager, and currently cares for unwell family members.

On Wednesday, March 19, Moshe and Tifarah will be honored by the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton. The dinner is taking place at the Grand Event Space at Brook Haven Mall. To register, go to: www.yipc.org/dinner.

“Moshe and Tifarah personify the values of YIPC at every level,” said shul Rabbi Yaakov Glasser. “They are engaged in all of our Shiurim, committed to leadership roles in our tefillah, and have built their family life around a selfless commitment to helping others.”

Bashert? Well, Not That Simple

In the dating world, we often celebrate shidduchim. Matchmaking is in our DNA.

But that’s not exactly how Moshe and Tifarah met.

The story begins easily enough. If you were to take away one impression of Moshe, it’s that he doesn’t sit idle. In addition to his extensive volunteer activities as well as his paid job as chief growth officer at Community Home Health Care, Moshe works as a wedding band coordinator and performer.

In 2001, he met a young woman at one of his gigs. Tifarah was a guest at the wedding. Boy meets girl. Boy marries girl.

Not quite.

“We dated for a while, then broke up,” Tifarah recounted. They would not reconnect until five and a half years later, when they “re-met” through an old-school Passaic shadchan friend of Moshe’s at Saw You at Sinai.

Married for 17½ years, the couple are parents to two boys—Eli, a junior at MTA and Yonatan, a sixth grader at YBH.

When asked about their parents’ upcoming honor, neither son was surprised.

“My parents have done so much for this shul,” said Eli. “Running security, setting up events, running some events…seeing them do this also inspired me to help out around the shul.”

Yonatan echoed his older brother, adding, “My parents have inspired me to help however I can. That’s why when you come downstairs to have shalosh seudos, you will see me making sure that no one takes anything before it is time to eat.”

Nostalgia Meets Contemporary

Young Israel is one of Passaic’s oldest shuls, operating on Brook Avenue for some 60 years, including nine in the current structure. Moshe and his three sisters grew up in Young Israel, where they saw their late grandparents, founding members Joe and Lil a”h, and parents, the shul’s former chazzan Richie and his wife, Helen, play vital roles in the shul through both prayer services and social activities.

Moshe blends nostalgia and contemporary realities when reflecting on the family’s 75-year local history. “Passaic has come a very long way from when I was a kid growing up. My family has been in Passaic-Clifton since 1950. What Passaic has become was not even a dream anyone could have fathomed back then.

“When we got married and decided to start our family, it was obvious that we wanted to stay in Passaic and daven at Young Israel,” he continued. “It’s a place where everyone feels welcome. Frum. Not frum. Adults. Seniors. Kids. Especially the kids. Rabbi Glasser took on the mantle from Rabbi [Chaim] Wasserman, zt”l of making all that we do about growth and about the younger generation.”

While lacking Moshe’s local history, Tifarah has comfortably blended into the community while striking her own mark in both the shul and broader community.

“We both grew up in homes where working with the klal was second nature,” Tifarah said. “Both homes were known for hosting guests, especially out-of-towners, and Passaic was definitely out-of-town!”

Citing her father Shlomo’s work in Jewish education, including as a principal, and her mother Roslyn Cohen’s duties as a healthcare administrator, Tifarah speaks effusively about her passion for shul volunteerism.

“Both [our] homes were heavily involved in education and furthering the next generation,” she said. “So, it comes a little naturally to us to also want to be generous with our time and energy.”

Moshe couldn’t imagine it any other way.

“I heard a great quote, `When people are financially invested, they want a return… when people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.’ And it’s so true.

“We are emotionally invested. We want to contribute so that we, and our kids, can benefit. And we want to help others benefit by association.”