 Rabbi Judith S. Lewis became the rabbi of Riverdale Temple in the summer of 2006, after having served for 14 years as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel of the City of New York. She began her tenure at Temple Israel as the Director of Education for six years.
Rabbi Lewis celebrated her 25th year in the rabbinate in 2005, earning an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, where she was ordained in 1980. She was part of the first generation of women rabbis, becoming ordained at a time when there were fewer than a dozen women in the Reform rabbinate. Her undergraduate degree was in Philosophy, from Oberlin College in Ohio.
Rabbi Lewis was born and raised in Rochester, New York where her extended family participated in every congregation of every denomination. One of her favorite recollections from childhood is the observance of Jewish holidays at each congregation successively. Once services ended at her family’s Reform synagogue, they would often go to join her grandparents in their Conservative congregation as their services concluded, and finally join aunts and uncles at the Orthodox synagogue to finish the celebration of the holiday.
The diversity and proximity of the Jewish population in Riverdale is both familiar and welcome to Rabbi Lewis who believes that a Reform congregation has a vital role to play in the ongoing creativity of modern Jewish life. As the oldest Jewish institution in Riverdale, this congregation has a rich and noteworthy heritage of involvement with the community which she looks forward to promoting and sustaining.
Rabbi Lewis is available to meet with prospective congregants to provide additional information about our congregation and help you identify and pursue the many ways in which synagogue affiliation can enrich your Jewish life. We hope that you will become an active and integral part of our community and enjoy the spiritual, intellectual and social resources Riverdale Temple can offer you.
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Rabbi Lewis's door is always open, and she looks forward to meeting with congregants and prospective congregants -- even if it's just to get to know each other. Please feel free to call her to set up an appointment.
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 Aviva Kolet is thrilled to be Riverdale Temple's new Cantorial Intern. A third year Cantorial student at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, Aviva is originally from Ottawa, Ontario, but comes from a family of Bene Israel Jews from India. In 2005, she completed a Bachelor's degree in Classical Vocal Performance. Immediately following that, Aviva completed a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting. After spending years teaching and conducting secular music, Aviva made the decision to marry her passion for music with her passion for Judaism, and applied to Cantorial school. She has extensive experience working with children, and loves to teach. Aviva is looking forward to bringing her love for choral music to the adult and youth choirs at Riverdale Temple, and is excited to lead services with vibrant new music. When she is not teaching or leading services, Aviva is enjoying her new life in the big city and spending time with friends and family.
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Riverdale Temple’s staff will also be enhanced this year by a Rabbinic Intern, Steven Altarescu. Steven will be teaching in our Religious School as well as in our Adult Education Program with a course on RELATIONSHIPS IN THE TORAH -- Love, Sex and Violence; Parents and Children, Husbands and Wives, Siblings, Lovers, Us and God. The course will be held on alternating Thursday evenings.
Steve lives in Riverdale and is in his fourth year of rabbinical school at the Academy for Jewish Religion, a pluralistic seminary in Riverdale. He has taught fourth, fifth and second grades at Temple Beth Shalom in Hastings-on-Hudson for thirteen years.
He is married and the father of two grown daughters, three stepdaughters and one stepson.
Steven brings a passion for Jewish spirituality, prayer and Torah study to our Temple.
He is also the Vice President of Operations for Bliss Pest Protection Services and an Associate Certified Entomologist.
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 Rabbi Stephen D. Franklin assumed the post of Rabbi of Riverdale Temple on July 1, 1979. He was graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, cum laude, with honors in English when he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College in 1963. Obtaining rabbinical ordination, as well as the Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, the rabbi also did supplementary work at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Before coming to Riverdale he was a Navy Chaplain, serving at The Great Lakes Naval Training Center and at Camp Lejeune with the Marines; from there he was assigned to a battalion landing team with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. There followed six years as Assistant and then Associate Rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto and two years as Associate Rabbi of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania. Rabbi Franklin is a Past President of the local Interfaith Clergy Conference and President of the Greater New York Area Reform Rabbis. After serving Riverdale temple for 24 years, Rabbi Franklin became Rabbi Emeritus in 2003
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 Frana Mills came to Riverdale Temple Nursery School in the summer of 2003. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Master of Arts degree in Administration and Supervision.
Permanently certified by NYS as a teacher of Nursery through sixth grade, she also holds permanent New York State certification as a School and District Administrator.
Prior to coming to Riverdale Temple, Frana worked for the New York City Board of Education for thirty-two years as a Kindergarted teacher and supervisor, and as a Nursery School Director for a synagogue in Connecticut.
Adored by her students, embraced by their parents, and admired by the temple's teaching staff, Frana quickly became part of the Riverdale Temple family and has become well respected in the community.
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 Arnold Ostlund, Jr. has been at Riverdale Temple since 1991. His teachers include Frederick Swann at Riverside Church in New York, Dr. Alexander McCurdy, under whom he earned his undergraduate degree at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and M. Seare Wright, with whom he did graduate study at Columbia University.
Active in the New York area as an organist, recitalist, and accompanist, Arnold is a member of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists' Executive Board and serves as Director of Music at the West Center Church in Bronxville.
At Riverdale Temple he provides musical accompaniment to our cantor, congregation and choirs at weekly Shabbat services and serves as Music Director as well as Choirmaster to the professional choir quartet.
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The Board of Trustees establishes the policies and procedures of the temple, manages its business and affairs, and has custody and
control of its property and revenue. Trustees are the elected lay leaders of the congregation.
The board presently consists of elected trustees, the eight officers of the temple (president, three vice presidents, treasurer, financial
secretary, associate financial secretary, recording secretary), the elected presiding officer of each affiliate of the temple (Men's
Club, Women of Reform Judaism, Senior Youth Group, Junior Congregation) and all past presidents.
All members of the congregation in good standing may be nominated and elected to serve as a trustee. Trustees serve for a
period of two years and can be re-elected for up to three consecutive terms.
The board is governed by the By-Laws of the temple. Meetings of the board are held monthly and are open to all members, except for
those held in closed executive session. All congregants are entitled to have a copy of the temple By-Laws upon request.
The Executive Committee of the board consists of the eight officers of the temple and four members of the board elected by the board.
The Executive Committee recommends to the board the employment of the management staff and oversees the staff. The
committee advises and informs the board on matters relating to the operation, management, and administration of the temple, of
policies, management, and administration of the temple, of policies, and future planning. The Executive Committee also meets
monthly.
Officers of the Congregation
President: Dr. Rachel L. Radna
Vice Presidents: Susan Birnbaum, L.Michael Griffel, Rob Katz
Treasurer: Stu Goldshein
Financial Secretary: Carole Feinberg
Assistant Financial Secretary: Elaine Katz
Recording Secretary: Dr. Ronna Weber
Men's Club President: Steven Rosenfeld
WRJ Co-Presidents: Elaine Katz, Dr. Helen Meltzer-Krim
Youth Group Co-Presidents:
Jr. Congregation President:
Board of Trustees: *Carolyn L. Baron, *Charles S. Baron, Enid Black, *Bert Feinberg, I Jack Fisher,
David Fried, Simon Giserman, Stuart Goldshein, Sylvia Gottlieb, Dr. Margaret Ross Griffel,
Dr. L. MIchael Griffel, Fred Haber, Michael Heller, Martin Hoffman, gayle Horwitz, Linda Kaplin,
Olivia Koppell, Dr. Helen Meltzer Krim, Rita Lowe, David Roskind, Cordell Schachter,
Lydia Silverman, Jeanne Snyder, Amy Leff Temple,
* past president of the congregation
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