SPOTLIGHT
... to recognize members of Beth David and our community
The Membership Committee has begun a new tradition of the “member spotlight” where we will announce and learn all the many interesting and fun things about our congregants.
July 2019:
This Month: Ben & Rachel Abrams
Ben & Rachel Abrams: Rachel is from Stockton, CA and Ben was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. They have lived in West Hartford for almost 7 years and were married at Beth David. Rachel enjoys reading historical fiction, especially the Outlander novels. Ben loves golfing, following professional sports, and learning about history. They are proud owners of the cat Bonnie (aka Miss Moo Moo). If you are looking for more Moo Moo updates, be sure to friend Rachel on Facebook - she posts regularly about what the cat is up to!
June 2019: Martin & Sharon Freilich
Martin & Sharon Freilich: Sharon and Martin Freilich have been members of Beth David Synagogue since they came to town in 1985, when Martin joined the University of Connecticut faculty and Sharon joined a downtown Hartford law firm. While raising their sons Michael and Eli, they have been actively involved in many Beth David activities including young couple’s club, children’s choir and a variety of Board and committee related matters. They enjoy spending time visiting the ocean, tropical places and the mountains with family and spending time with their Beth David friends at home in West Hartford. Martin will be the incoming Beth David president starting this summer.
April 2019: Donna Wolf
Donna Wolf: Donna has been an active member of Beth David since 1988. She founded the Chesed Committee with Rabbi Adler and is one of the first two women to serve on the Board of Directors. She is married to Dr. Tony Capitao, a college professor and "Portuguese cutie" (direct quote!). Donna is a proud dog mom to Elvis and human mom to two sons, David and Ari. When she is not busy helping out at Beth David, she designs jewelry, writes books about Jewish topics, and collects and sells vintage clothing.
March 2019: Jon & Galya Greenberg
Jonathan & Galya Greenberg: Galya and Jonathan Greenberg were members of Beth David from 1986 through 1994, and rejoined the congregation in 2002. Galya grew up in West Hartford and is a Jewish educator, teacher, and consultant, who currently serves as director of a Bible curriculum used in Jewish Day Schools across North America. Jonathan grew up in Springfield, MA, and is a psychiatrist at Saint Francis Hospital. They have three grown sons, three wonderful daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. Jonathan served on the Board of Directors as a Vice President in the 1990s, and Galya is finishing her fourth (and final) year as chairperson of the Ritual Committee. They share their home with Mufassa, their beloved 11 year old Golden Retriever. The accompanying picture was taken last year at AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. They are looking forward to attending this year's conference in a few weeks. They enjoy hiking, visiting National Parks, Jewish heritage tours in Europe, reading, and binge watching TV series. In May, they will be traveling on a 10 day riverboat and hiking tour of the Snake River, following the trail of Lewis and Clark from Spokane to Portland!
February 2019: Laurie Feldman & Steve Gilles
Laurie Feldman and Steve Gilles: Laurie and Steve are new members of Beth David. They met at the University of Chicago Law School. Now Laurie works as an appellate prosecutor for the state of CT and studies Talmud with Rabbi Adler (for the past 11 years!). When she is not busy on her cases, Laurie likes to learn and speak Hebrew, keep in touch with her 6 children who live both domestically and internationally, and take an oil painting class in town.
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