Guests of Honor
Debbie and Steven Siegler live in Englewood, NJ and are the proud parents of Shira (Moriah ‘17), Jonah (Moriah ‘19), Nava (Moriah ‘21) and Talia (Moriah ‘24). Both Debbie and Steven have been involved in the broader community since they moved to Englewood in 2004. Debbie served as MAP Co-President for two years and continues to serve on the MAP board. Debbie also served as Treasurer and Co-President of the Sisterhood of Congregation Ahavath Torah. She volunteers to restock the kosher kitchen at Englewood Hospital, participates in Bikur Cholim throughout the community and recently completed her role as Co-President of the Englewood chapter of Emunah. Steven has served on the Executive Committee at Moriah for five years and has been deeply involved with the Early Childhood and Gesher Yehuda Programs, while leading various committees and initiatives for the Board of Trustees. Steven was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Congregation Ahavath Torah for several years and has volunteered for Project Ezrah in many capacities. Together, Debbie and Steven created the Kosher Clipper Card for Moriah in 2010. The incredible success of the card has helped Moriah raise funds for programming, while benefiting the parent body and staff by offering discounts with local vendors. Debbie, Steven and their kids have had the honor of hosting the shlichot in their home over the past several years and believe this experience has been extremely impactful for their family.
Young Alumni Leadership Award
Lindsay and Daniel ('99) Setton live in Englewood, NJ and are the proud parents of Marcky (‘23), Neesy (‘25), Harrison (‘27), Annie (‘28) and Moses (‘30). When thinking of a place to move to, Lindsay and Daniel knew that there was no other choice for their family besides moving to Englewood and sending their children to Moriah. Moriah has instilled strong values in their lives that they now wish to pass onto their children. Lindsay loves to spend her days at Moriah volunteering for the Sephardic cultural program, admissions committee, lifecycle committee, as well as acting as the Early Childhood liaison coordinator and serving on the Moriah board. She also chairs the Welcoming Committee for Congregation Ahavath Torah and is involved in coordinating community wide events throughout the year. Daniel is involved with the Sephardic cultural program and has been instrumental in organizing a Sephardic minyan at Moriah with parent involvement. He also plays an active role on the executive committee of the Benaroya Sephardic Center, as well as a board member for Congregation Ahavath Torah. Lindsay and Daniel are thrilled to see the growth that their children have had at Moriah and look forward to continuing to watch the school grow.
Rabbi J. Shelley Applbaum, Z”L Service Award
Barbara Rotenberg, our Middle School Coordinator, became a Moriah parent in September of 1980 and has been a part of the Moriah family ever since. She joined the Moriah staff in 1992 in the Business Office, front office, and Jewish Studies department. Most recently, she served as yearbook advisor and Middle School Coordinator. Barbara has worked closely with Moriah's administrators, teachers, parents and students and has played a key role in countless activities and projects and in the day to day running of the school. A native of the Bronx and of Woodmere, Long Island, Barbara attended HILI, has a BA in History and Political Science from Barnard College, and Master’s degrees from Columbia University’s School of International Affairs and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Previously, Barbara worked as a research assistant at the National Bureau of Economic Research in NYC, as a Division Head at Camp Lavi and as a freelance writer. A former MAP Treasurer, Barbara also served as co-president of the Frisch Parents Association, was a member of the Board of Directors of The Frisch School and was co-president Geulah Chapter of Amit. Barbara has been married to Joseph, a Senior Vice President in the Global Wealth Management unit of Morgan Stanley and a writer, for 44 years. They are the proud parents of Jeffrey ('89) and Rachel, Michelle ('91), Yoni ('95) and Chani, Daniella ('97) and Scott, and Ariel ('01) and Sheri as well as the proud grandparents of Akiva, Keren, Eli, Benjy, Eliana, Yehuda, Zisi and Ava.
Rabbi J. Shelley Applbaum, Z”L Service Award
“If you love children, call Mr. Fox at (201) 567-0208 ext. 327.” This was the ad in the classified section that Nurse Toby answered when she was looking for a job after working in local hospitals for 14 years. Ever since then, Moriah has been her “home away from home.” Over the course of over a decade, Toby Eizik, affectionately known as “Nurse Toby”, has tended to, bandaged, nurtured, comforted and assisted hundreds of Moriah students, many of whom now have their own children in school. Anyone who sends their children to Moriah is familiar with Nurse Toby’s lovable habits, like starting a phone conversation with “Everything is fine, no emergency, but…”, or being a stickler for precise and accurate medical records. Nurse Toby also uses Moriah as an outlet for her creative energy so that she can enhance special events with her special talents. Her resume includes The Lion King, siddur plays, past dinner choir presentations, and more. Nurse Toby and her husband Yaakov are the proud parents of Tamar and Josh, Elli and Selina & Naomi, and proud grandparents of Yitzchak Mordechai, Rivka Miriam, Aiden and Skyler. Nurse Toby feels privileged to work at Moriah, and Moriah looks forward to her maintaining the high standard of care that she has worked hard to implement for many years to come.
Special recognition for years of service to the community
As the Rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, New Jersey for over 30 years, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin has had a tremendous impact on our local community. Rabbi Goldin holds a particularly special place at The Moriah School. He has been considered to be the rabbinical posek for Moriah for many years, answering halachic matters pertaining to the school. He has also helped bridge the school and shul connection for many of our Englewood families. Most recently, the 2015-2016 8th graders were privileged to have Rabbi Goldin teach the ‘Names Not Numbers’ class. He is a master teacher, and his lessons left a lasting imprint on our students.
Rabbi Goldin’s involvement stretches well beyond our own community. Currently, he chairs the committee overseeing the Rabbinical Council of America’s policies and standards for conversion to Judaism. He is a member of the U.J.A. Rabbinic Cabinet; the Rabbinic Cabinet of Israel Bonds; the Rabbinic Alumni Cabinet of Yeshiva University; the board of the Beth Din of America; the board of the United Jewish Community of Northern New Jersey; and the boards and advisory committees of numerous other communal associations and organizations. Rabbi Goldin has lectured and published in a myriad of settings. His five volume set of studies on the weekly parsha, “Unlocking the Torah Text” has earned wide critical and popular acclaim. Some of Rabbi Goldin’s past positions include: President of the RCA; President of the Rabbinic Alumni Association of Yeshiva University; President of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County and Chairman of its Kashruth Committee; Rabbinic advisor to the Jewish Youth Encounter Program; membership on the Executive Committee of the United Jewish Community of Northern New Jersey; membership on the Board of Directors of the Sinai Learning Disabilities Program of New Jersey; membership on the Board of the Orthodox caucus and Chairmanship of their Task force on Singles; instructor of Bible and Philosophy at the Isaac Breuer College and the James Striar School of Yeshiva University; Rabbi of Beth Sholom Congregation, Potomac, Maryland and Assistant Rabbi, Beth Jacob Congregation, Beverly Hills, California.
