Springfield, New Jersey was an ideal location for newlyweds Rachel and Shelly Kohn on so many levels.  Fresh out of graduate school with a PhD in Organic Chemistry from MIT, Rachel had just taken her first job in nearby Summit. To Shelly, Springfield seemed just far enough away to discourage drop-in visits from either of their families.  But even more important they both found a home in Congregation Israel, where they felt comfortable and truly needed.  Someone always had something broken for Shelly to fix, and the shul had a need for Rachel’s special talents.  Both the shul and community learned that Rachel was an organizer, a doer, someone who could accomplish goals--and more important, she never said no.
Around the time Rachel was thinking of starting a women’s learning group, Sisterhood President Sharon Fersel asked her to do just that – and Rachel was its driving force for the next sixteen years. Rachel also initiated the Purim mishloach manot project, which has since grown into the Sisterhood’s largest fund raiser; and she was one of the originators of the women’s weekly Tehilim group, in which she continues to be a regular participant.  For the past ten years Rachel has been the only female presenter in the series of shiurim on Shavuos night.  Her shiurim have covered topics ranging from the coming of Mashiach to halachot that are often ignored.  As a trustee on the shul board, she chaired the Gemilas Chesed Committee (a.k.a. Elul Enterprises) for several years.
Some people fit their extra-curricular activities around their work and family; Rachel structured her life to address the needs of the kehilla. In 2005, she co-founded Tovatech LLC, an international distributor of laboratory equipment, partly because she figured it would be impossible to be fired from her own company, but largely to make more time for the project that defines her service to the community.  Since 2008, she has been the President of Mikvah Yisroel of Springfield--fundraising, overseeing the completion and start-up of the facility, hiring and training the staff, and managing its ongoing operations, with a lot of help from many other shul members, including Shelly.
Rachel and Shelly raised their two boys, David and Justin, in Springfield.  Both boys graduated from the JEC in Elizabeth; David has a law degree from Fordham University and Justin has BS in Accounting from Lander College. Now David and Lauren Kohn, residents of Springfield, make their own very important contributions to Congregation Israel.  Justin and Jordona play key roles in Congregation Ohev Shalom in Dallas, TX.  The Kohn grandchildren, Arianna, Binyamin, and Yisroel Mayer, contribute just by being adorable.
Rachel can always be found at Shabbos minyanim, and Shabbos and weekly shiurim.  She can usually be found at Shabbos morning Kiddush chasing after her grandsons, who are getting faster by the day.

With their vibrancy, warmth and dedication, Ben and Daniella Hoffer have made an indelible impact on CIS since their arrival in Springfield eight years ago.  What is more, both individually and as a team they have contributed immeasurably to the growth of our community, by inspiring other young families to move here, and by enhancing the spiritual, educational and social opportunities all shul members now enjoy.

A native of Philadelphia, Daniella grew up in Edison, New Jersey, with her parents Alex and Debbi Diament, active members of Congregation Ahavas Achim, and three younger siblings. Both of Daniella’s paternal grandfathers were renowned leaders and role models: Alter Diament was president of the Young Israel of Winfield, and worked together with Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky z’l to build the Greater Philadelphia Jewish community; and Rabbi Solomon J. Sharfman, Esq., served for 45 years as the Rabbi of Young Israel of Flatbush. Daniella studied at Midreshet Moriah in Israel before enrolling at the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University, where she earned a B.S. in Marketing.  She currently pursues her longtime interest in digital advertising as the Senior Manager of Digital and Device Partnerships for the New Ventures division of Bayer Consumer Care, a division of Bayer Healthcare.

A native of Bayonne, New Jersey, Ben moved to Springfield with his parents Emmy and David, and his brother Aaron, in 1989.  As a direct result of the outpouring of warmth the Hoffers felt, they joined Congregation Israel of Springfield and quickly became a core family within the community. Like Daniella, Ben grew up observing and modeling his parents’ devotion to Klal Yisrael, as well as their tireless and heartfelt service to the shul. He studied with Rabbi Chaim Marcus at Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim in Israel before enrolling at Yeshiva College of Yeshiva University, where he studied in the Mazer Yeshiva Program and earned a B.A. in Economics; after graduation, he studied at YU’s Gruss Kollel and received smicha from Rabbi Zalman Nechemya Goldberg.  After graduating from Brooklyn Law School in 2007, Ben began his legal career at Atlantic Realty Development Corporation, where he currently serves as the Associate General Counsel.

When Ben and Daniella moved to Springfield in the summer of 2007, they were inspired to revive the many passionate discussions they had had over the years with Rabbi Marcus about building a community centered around the passionate pursuit of religious and personal growth—a community where the love of every Jew and the land of Israel is at the core of every member’s identity. To help achieve this dream, Ben joined the membership committee of CIS and was subsequently elected to the Board of Trustees; he currently serves as chair of the committee and as Vice President of the shul. Over the years, Daniella and Ben have coordinated numerous programs for the mikvah, sisterhood, nursery school, and day camp; and they are widely admired as the guiding lights of our shul’s efforts to enhance our chesed and incentive programs. The Hoffers routinely open their home for community-wide events, and they frequently and happily host families considering a move to Springfield; thanks to their infectious enthusiasm and unflagging energy, many of these visitors now call our shul their home away from home. Daniella and Ben are the proud parents of three daughters, Yakira (8), Maytal (6) & Tzofia (2).