If you told me 10 years ago that I would live and own a home in New Jersey, I would have told you that you were crazy and probably placed a very high bet against the odds. I would have lost, badly. I always said there were two things I would never do in life – own a white car and live in New Jersey. Well, never say never, cause here I am, (with a white car).

I hail from the great state of New York. I grew up on Long Island in the town of Dix Hills where my father, sister, niece, and nephew still reside. Besides a brief stint in Pennsylvania for college, I have lived most of my adult life in Brooklyn, Williamsburg to be exact. Some of my fondest memories are of living in Brooklyn – the food, the energy, the vibe (did I mention the food?), but I am thrilled to now call New Jersey my home.

My family joined Shomrei Torah roughly three years ago. We were members of another Shul in the area and frankly, it just never felt like home. As I was dropping off camp health papers for the kids at Camp Veritans, I struck up a conversation with LeeAnn Beck who told me about Shomrei Torah, the community and the school so I figured we would give it a shot. We have never looked back. Thank you, LeeAnn and Rabbi Mark for welcoming us.

I attended Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. I made the decision to attend at the very last hour of the deadline because I was torn between attending a school more focused on music or one where I could still pursue music but receive a good education. When my mother and I visited campus, I was sold and became a Nittany Lion. I studied music performance my first two years but was not happy with it anymore – my skin was just not thick enough and the cutthroat competition was off-putting. I was undecided for a while but after taking an internship in Manhattan at a PR firm, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in communications. I switched my major and graduated with a B.A. in Telecommunications.

I currently serve as an Executive Vice President and co-lead for uncapped communications, a GCI group company in the city. I lead large teams that are focused on helping biotech and pharmaceutical companies communicate about their corporate, pipeline and marketed product offerings. We help build strategies that raise awareness amongst their key stakeholders (doctor, patients, advocates) as well as deal with government agencies when helping to bring products to market.

I love to travel whenever I can, and am committed to getting to every continent sooner or later. There is nothing I love more than learning about new cultures and seeing new places. I also love to cook!

I have an awesome blended family and currently live with my (very handsome)partner, Eitan and our three children, Maya, Sara, and Liam. Liam is studying for his Bar Mitzvah next year and Sara is entering the 4th grade. Maya is enter-ing 9th grade and volunteers as a Madricha for Morah Dassy and Rabbi Claire. I am very close with my father and sister, Gina and I have an adorable and wildly funny niece and nephew in George and LuLu (Lucija).

My grandmother and grandfather on my mother’s side influenced me the most. I come from a large and loud Italian family who always got together every weekend to cook and spend time together. My grandfather was the most selfless, caring, and respectable man. He singlehandedly took care of my grandmother who suffered from various debilitating health issues that left her in a wheelchair. Despite the extra work on him and my grandmother’s hardships and pain, they never complained and were always grateful for what they were given. They were also truly in love. I often look back in awe of how happy they were just to be with family and each other. They were kind and funny and driven by the love of their family and to me, that is just beautiful. They taught me that family and their love mean everything.

I would be remiss if I did not mention my partner, Eitan. He has taught me not to sweat the small stuff and while it is important to help and support others, not do it at the detriment of your health or mental well-being. It is balance I am still working on as I find it hard to say no but he keeps me grounded with his advice and Israeli honesty. He is also a very inspirational person. He came to this country with some money and a dream and worked incredibly hard to build a life here. He gets up and hustles for us every day. He is the epitome of the American dream, and I could not be prouder of him and the example he sets for Maya, Liam and Sara.

Here at Shomrei Torah I currently serve on the Executive Board as VP of Education. I try to participate in services and events as much as possible. As our children grow, it is important for them, and us, to be a part of a caring community and for them to learn and appreciate Jewish values and traditions.

Well, over the past two years, the world has certainly changed. There are different expectations or wants related to the way we communicate, find balance, and participate in Shul. We need to find a way to marry the past with the wants and needs of the future so our community can continue to thrive. Change is never easy. Compromises will need to be made. I hope to see us be willing to take hy-brid approaches to participation for the long-haul and work with people 1:1 to address concerns. As someone who works in communications, I would love to work with our members to hear new ideas and past perspectives so we can infuse them to serve the broad needs or our congregants.

I was an All-NY State and All-Eastern singer. I would love to join a local chorus so if you know of one, please reach out! I also really love cars – which makes Eitan very happy except when we must get a new one and I keep adding larger rims and more bells and whistles to the final product. However, I have learned that preparing a good schnitzel meal with his favorite Moroccan salads prior to car hunting suddenly makes negotiations easier!