Honorees
Founders’ Award
Amy and Phil Cushmaro have been members of Temple Emanu-El for the past 18 years. Together with their children, Tal, his wife Rachel, and Adam, they enjoy being part of the TE community. The Temple provides a sanctuary filled with love, friends and a committed clergy that caters to the community’s needs. Phil and Amy have been involved in many ways, whether through their generosity or being a part of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Temple. Both Phil and Amy served as Treasurers and in that capacity, they helped the Temple navigate its finances during a period of expansion and growth. To Phil and Amy, Temple Emanu-El is a center for Jewish life and an important part of their social life.
Phil and Amy met 37 years ago in Israel. While at Princeton University, Amy took her junior year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. After serving 3 years in the IDF, Phil enrolled in the Technion in Haifa. They met at a weekend party in Phil’s student apartment and have been together ever since. Phil and Amy will celebrate 36 years of marriage this August.
After a successful career in the corporate world where she worked as an executive at the benefits consulting firm, Kwasha Lipton, Amy turned her attention to raising her two kids, Tal and Adam, and to focusing on helping Jewish causes. Amy has been a long contributor and participant in the Jewish community in NJ and NY. She is a Past President of the board of Solomon Schechter Day School in New Milford, NJ and just completed ten years as a board member and officer at the Leffell School (previously Schechter Westchester) in Hartsdale, NY. As a Berrie Fellow, she had an opportunity to deepen her awareness of Jewish life in the US and to develop leadership skills to help the community at large. In addition to the two Schechter schools and the Temple, Amy has also been on the boards of The Davidson School, JCRC, and the University of Rochester Hillel. Currently, Amy is focusing much of her attention on the financial needs of SSDS and has helped to raise over $3 million for the Schechter Endowment Fund.
Phil has spent the majority of his career on Wall Street. After a short stint at Lehman Brothers, he moved to Credit Suisse (CS) for a 17-year run. At CS, Phil was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and in that capacity, he managed the firm’s investment bank global technology group and was a member of the executive committee. Phil founded Rebar Systems in partnership with a number of large hedge funds 10 years ago and has been the CEO and Chairman of the firm since then. Learning from the example set by Amy as well as her parents, Rebecca and Herb z”l Gordon, Phil jumped in and became deeply involved in Jewish causes and philanthropy. He first got involved with the fledgling Schechter Regional High School and then with the Temple as Treasurer and then Vice President. In both deeds and resources, he supports AIPAC, JNF, FIDF, and Englewood Hospital. Phil and Amy are proud members of this community and are humbled to receive this award.
Young Leadership Award
Jocelyn and Evan Schwarz met on Jdate – back when online dating was very new. They lived just 6 blocks away from each other when they met, and very quickly realized that this was “it”. Fast forward to just a little over a year later and they were getting married, and just another year after that, pregnant with their first child.
When they decided to move their family to New Jersey, there was no question that they would join Temple Emanu-El. Jocelyn grew up going to Temple Emanu-El, and Cantor Singer was the Cantor at her Bat Mitzvah. This connection made their oldest daughter’s Bat Mitzvah in December of 2018 that much more special.
Jocelyn and Evan live in Tenafly and have two daughters, Marni and Maddi. Their connection to Temple Emanu-El may have started with Jocelyn and her parents, Carol and Ken Allen, but has now extended to Evan and the girls as well. Evan has been an active member of the Temple community for many years, first getting involved when his mom became sick with breast cancer, and then after she passed away in 2013. Being involved helped him to feel more connected to her. Over the years, Evan has consistently worked to generate new ideas and raise interest as an active member (and most recent Past-President) of the Men’s Club, and he is now a member of the Temple Emanu-El Executive Board. And for the girls – their connection to the Temple and Judaism in general, was highlighted on their recent trip to Israel with Rabbi Kirshner. Experiencing Israel through the Rabbi’s unique lens is something they will always remember.
Evan is a Prosthodontist and practices in Manhattan. He is involved in numerous Dental organizations, including World of Smiles – a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing comprehensive oral health care for the underserved of the world, while building sustainable local collaborations. Evan has traveled to the Dominican Republic twice in the last year, providing dental care to their community. Evan also teaches a Dental Ethics course at Columbia University.
Jocelyn is an active member of the Tenafly community, currently serving as Vice President of the Tenafly Board of Education. Giving back to the community where she grew up, and where their children are now in school, is extremely important to her and their family.
Jocelyn and Evan are both passionate about volunteering and being involved in their community, something they hope to instill in Marni and Maddi.