HAFTR Heritage
Issue: #20 June 2015

 

MAZEL

TOV!

 

 

ENGAGEMENTS

 

Jessica Rothenberg on her engagement to Jeremy Ross

 

Jaclyn Bernstein "2008" engaged and Josh Grossman "2006" on their engagement

 

 Brandis Weissler "2000" on her engagement to Joseph Buzkin

 

Alyssa Galler "2005" on her engagement to Steven Greenstein 

 

Clara Lokshin "2000" on her engagement to Michael Spencer

 

Stephanie Itzkowitz "2003" on her engagement to Roy Kirsch

 

Erica Lokshin "2006" on her engagement to Daniel Krasna

 

Ashley Wiener "2004" and Steven Kohn "2002"  on their engagement

 

Adam Fink "1998" on his engagement to Ilana Isaacson


 

Shira Oppen "2011" on her engagement to Nechemia Shavrick


 

WEDDINGS

 

Jonathan "JC" Cohen "2002" on his marriage to Edit Meier

 

Jessica Rothenberg "2005" on her marriage to Jeremy Ross

 

BIRTHS

 

Reut Vazana Bendelstein "2004"  and her husband Oren on the birth of twin daughters

 

Rachel Kirsch Berger "2002" and her husband Avi on the birth of a son

 

Jamee Itzkowitz Spira "2004" and her husband Daniel on the birth of a son

 

Adam Yedlin "2000" and his wife Jennifer on the birth of a son  

 

Sarah Lukin Auman "2005" and her husband Yehoshua on the birth of a son

 

Sara Lampert Grossman"1997" and her husband Daniel of the birth of a daughter

 

Aliza Friedman Romanoff "2008" and her husband Elchanan on the birth of a son

 

Melissa Enbar Benzel "2002" and her husband Irwin on the birth of a daughter

 

Leah Schlussel Daniel "2002" and Evan Daniel "2002" on the birth of a daughter

 

Ilana Hershenov Rosenweig "2005" and her husband Raffia on the birth of a daughter

 

Tanya Wertentheil Farber "03" and her husband Natan on the birth of twin boys

 

Estee Cohen Schneider "2000" and her husband Aryeh on the birth of a son

 

Danielle Schwartz "2006" and Jacob Friedman

"2004" on the birth of a daughter

 

Jonathan Mosery "2000" and his wife Yael on the birth of a son

 

Lily Senders Weichholz "2004 and Michael "2000" on the birth of a baby girl

 

Ayelet Walker Weiss "2003" and her husband Effie on the birth of a son

 

Debra Sherman Orner "ES 2000" and her husband Shimmy on the birth of twin girls


 

Hope Fisse Markowitz "2003" and her husband Amir on the birth of a daughter

 

Stephanie Goldberg Ulmer "2000" and her husband Ilan  on the birth of a son

 

Duvi Kestenbaum "2004" and his wife Brigitte on the birth of a daughter

 

Ariella Hochsztein Friedman and her husband Elliot on the birth of a son

 

 

MORE SIMCHAS

 

Robin Sterman Ritholtz (Hillel ES '77) and her husband David on engagement of their son Benjy to Shira Falk.


 


 


 

If you have a simcha to share, please e-mail us at [email protected] 

_____________________

 

 

Become a Class Ambassador!

 

Class of 1975 (Hillel)

Jonathan Alter 

 

Class of 1976 (Hillel)
Rise Davidoff Kaufmann  

 

Class of 1977 (Hillel)
Suzanne Berkowitz Gurvitch


Class of 1978 (Hillel)
Karen Schiffman Baker 

Alyssa Davidoff Sterba 

 

Class of 1983
Felicia Feder Bernstein 

 

Class of 1984
Aleeza Steinhorn Lauer  

Class of 1985
Simona Vogel Lumerman 

Class of 1986
Estee Berman Stein
Carolyn WallachRosenberg  

 

Class of 1987
Royce Feld Maron

Michelle Golub Shari Haim Kaufman 

 

Class of 1988
Stephen Wallach
Jennifer Wiessen Zwiebel

Class of 1989
Wendy AusternOttensoser

Nicole Beck Spivak  

 

Class of 1991
Steven Ackerman 

Class of 1993
Elyse Dorkin Sharon 

Class of 1994
Ari Zoldan 


Class of 1995
Chani Schwartz Herman 

 

Class of 2000
Tamar Ausubel Scharf 

Class of 2001
Ariella Schulman Weitzman

 Craig Weitzman

Class of 2002
Jamie Rohde Scharaga
Sondra Scharf 

Class of 2003
Leslie Reis Gang 

Class of 2004
Allison Rohde Rahmani  

 

Class of 2005

Hannah Steinblatt Topiel

Esther Dubow

 

Class of 2009
Jennifer Lauer

Jessica Shapiro

Class of 2010
Alana Warhit

 

Class of 2011

Aleza Kleinworm

 

Class of 2012

-volunteers needed

 

Class of 2013

-volunteers needed

 

Class of 2014

-volunteers needed

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Welcome back to HAFTR HERITAGE!

 

We hope you are enjoying the spring season and are getting ready for a relaxing and enjoyable summer!

 

It has been very exciting to hear all of your feedback! We also want to thank you for sending us your updated contact information. This has allowed us to build a stronger alumni database. Please continue to do so. We really appreciate it.

 

 

Melodie Scharf, Chairperson, HAFTR Alumni Relations and Co-Editor of HAFTR Heritage

 

Rise (Davidoff) Kaufmann, Hillel Elem. '73, Hillel High School '76, Vice Chair, HAFTR Alumni Relations

 

Leslie (Reis) Gang, HAFTR Elem. '99, HAFTR High School, '03, Director of Admissions & Communications, Co-Editor of HAFTR Heritage

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________
HAFTR ALUMNI FEATURE   
         ROCHELLE (HAFTR HS '09)  & SIMON DANIEL (HAFTR HS' 2000)  

 

WHAT YEAR DID YOU GRADUATE HAFTR?

Simon - 2000

Rochelle - 2009

 

WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECTS IN SCHOOL:

Simon - Chemistry

Rochelle - History

 

WHAT ACTIVITIES WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AT HAFTR?

Simon - Aviation Club founder, G.O., AIPAC

Rochelle - Chessed Club; President of the Chessed Club Breakfast Division which raised money for tzedukah 

 

 

WHAT SCHOOLS DID YOU ATTEND AFTER GRADUATING FROM HAFTR?

Simon - Queens College, and Sackler School of Medicine

Rochelle - Stern College for Women, and Queens College

 

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO TODAY.

Simon: I am a physician

Rochelle: I work at the American Museum of Natural History.

Together, we create unique worldwide kosher travel experiences. When traveling with SnowAir Tours, one can expect to be a traveler - and not just a tourist - without compromising on magnificent destinations and quality kosher food.  

 

 

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS BUSINESS? WHERE DID THE IDEA ORIGINATE?

The idea started at HAFTR! Simon 'operated' his first trip with friends during his senior year of high school. His travel adventures began in Italy and continued to Portugal, Spain, Belgium, France etc. after graduating. After years of experience, we decided that it was time to share our love and passion for travel. We have teamed up with experts worldwide to help encourage religious people to travel beyond the usual destinations, and hope to inspire young professionals to see the world's most exotic places.

 

WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING ASPECT OF THIS ENDEAVOR?

Simon - Making our passion more accessible for observant young adults. 

We found there are so many people out there like us who find world travel irresistible but are hindered by the challenge of arranging a trip, finding others to join in, while also keeping kosher.

Rochelle -  Exactly what Simon said; it's so exciting to be able to provide the opportunity for observant young adults to see the world.

 

CREATING A COMPANY CAN PROVE TO BE VERY DIFFICULT- HOW  DID YOU GET OFF THE GROUND? WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES?

We just asked ourselves, what interests us when we travel? What would others be excited about? And that helped us formulate a plan. Since we are both experienced travelers, we were able to reach out to our contacts around the globe, and create itineraries based on interests and local attractions. The most difficult part was choosing which destinations we were going to visit for our first adventures! 

 

HAVE YOU NETWORKED WITH OTHER GRADUATES WHILE BEGINNING YOUR BUSINESS?

Yes, networking is an essential part of creating a business. 

 

HAS BEING IN BUSINESS TOGETHER BROUGHT YOU CLOSER AS SIBLINGS? 

We were always close. SnowAir Tours allowed us to put our common interests together to make this endeavor possible.

 

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OUR READERS WHO MAY BE LOOKING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS OR COMPANY?

Simon  Don't be intimidated, just go out and do it!

Rochelle -  If your interested in something, it's very likely that others are too! 

   

ARE YOU STILL IN TOUCH WITH ANY OF YOUR HAFTR CLASSMATES?

Simon - Yes of course. 

Rochelle - yes, actually some classmates and I were recently reminiscing about HAFTR High School

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILIES.

Our family and friends are our biggest supporters. 


 


 

 

A little bit about SnowAir Tours LLC:

 

SnowAir began as a school child's dream that has evolved over two decades to become a leader in worldwide kosher travel. Our private journeys have covered more than 30 countries and territories on six continents. We have now teamed up with some of the best travel professionals around the globe to create unique and memorable experiences that build on our extensive knowledge of international kosher travel. 

We will be continuously announcing programs throughout the year, which include hotels, tours, and three kosher meals daily. In addition, we offer custom kosher travel experiences.

The program's first adventure, Ireland Coast to Coast, takes young professionals on an exploration of Dublin, Ireland's lively capital, and all four coasts of the island.  The trip is geared towards young professionals ages 21-32, and has an itinerary packed with fun, allowing young professionals to travel with sophistication and style, while keeping costs at a minimum.
 

We feel that young professionals are always looking for a way to travel and discover new places, but it takes time to plan a trip and kosher food can be difficult - and sometimes impossible - to find in many regions of the world. We hope SnowAir Tours encourages religious people of all ages to travel, and seek to inspire young professionals to see the world's most exotic places, beyond the ordinary destinations.


 

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Network and connect 

with other HAFTR graduates!

 

We have created various portals for our HAFTR alumni to reach out to one another for both professional and personal networking. 

 

 Please take advantage of these opportunities!

 


 

_________________________________________________

                      HAFTR FACULTY FEATURE 
Jennifer (Lauer) Geffner  (HAFTR HS '09)

 

WHAT YEAR DID YOU GRADUATE HAFTR?  
I graduated HAFTR High School in 2009

WHAT ACTIVITIES WERE YOU INVOLVED IN? DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY SPORTS? I played volleyball at HAFTR 

WHAT SCHOOL(S) DID YOU ATTEND AFTER GRADUATING FROM HAFTR?

I went to Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University and Queens College


WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT POSITION AT HAFTR?
Right now I am an assistant teacher in the Early Childhood Program
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A TEACHER AT HAFTR? 

 I love seeing how all of the children have grown from the beginning of the year to the end

 

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU SEE YOUR STUDENTS HAVE EXPERIENCED IN SCHOOL THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN WHILE BEING A STUDENT? 

I was also a HAFTR Nursery student and I had a similarly great experience 

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO FOR FUN OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES AND INTERESTS? 

I like spin classes, going to the beach, traveling and cooking

NOW THAT YOU ARE WORKING AT HAFTR, CAN YOU TELL US HOW THE SCHOOL HAS CHANGED SINCE YOU WERE A STUDENT HERE?

I think HAFTR continues to be an excellent place for a child to learn and grow

DO YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS THAT YOU MADE WHILE YOU WERE A STUDENT AT HAFTR? 

My HAFTR childhood friends are still my best friends.

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY. 
I recently got married and live in Queens. My mother has been a teacher at HAFTR for 20 years and my father is the Vice President and General Counsel of Yeshiva University. He's also a former Chairman of the Board of HAFTR. My siblings are 19, 18, 16.
_________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

We are very excited to be planning 

 the following reunions:

 

HAFTR High School Class of 1990

(25 years)

** WE ARE LOOKING FOR 

 A CLASS REPRESENTATIVE**

 

HAFTR High School Class of 2005

(10 years)

 

If you would like to join our planning committees for either of these events, please e-mail us at [email protected]

 

 

 

HAFTR ALUMNI COUPLE

Alana Goldberg Luger & Elan Luger

(HAFTR HS '01)

 

 

WHAT YEARS DID YOU GO TO HAFTR? 

We were both in the same class from first grade through 12th grade, graduation in May 2001. 


HOW DID YOU BECOME A COUPLE? 
We were always the best of friends. We ended up going to college together, but never dated. It was not until Elan transferred to NYU Stern and Alana was still in Brandeis that we ran into each other In New York City and decided to go on a date. We were engaged shortly after. 


 

WHEN DID YOU KNOW HE/SHE WAS THE ONE? 
Elan was very sure from the time we sat next to each other in

Morah Chaya's first grade class. Took Alana a bit longer...
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HAFTR MEMORY TOGETHER?

Sitting by the front office signing each other's 8th grade yearbooks. We still have them and often re-read what we wrote to each other. Who knew... 

IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ONE TEACHER TODAY, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

Alana: Morah Bain who always used to yell at us to stop talking to each other. I would ask her if she found it at all comical that were still talking...

Elan: I don't think any teachers would want to have lunch with me. 

 

WHAT ITEM WAS ALWAYS IN YOUR LOCKER/BACKPACK?
Alana: Diet Peach Snapple.

Elan: a very fattening snack...I was able to eat anything back than. Oh, the good old days. 


IF YOUR FRIENDS FROM HAFTR COULD DESCRIBE YOU IN ONE WORD, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Alana: witty

Elan: mischievous 


WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE CLASSROOM MOMENT?

Alana: Most memorable moments were probably those spent with friends hanging out in the small hallway by our lockers. We spent endless hours laughing and chatting and eating sour power. 

Elan: when we lost in the JV Hockey Tournament and Mr Nagel came over and said "we'll get them next year." I was so relieved by the implication that I would be on the varsity team I forgot all about the loss.

 

WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL ONCE YOU GRADUATED?
We both started out in Brandeis and Elan transferred to NYU Stern.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR LIVES TODAY? 

We are blessed with three beautiful daughters, Annabelle (5), Ava (2) and Ruby (4 months). Elan trades equities at Och-Ziff, a hedge fund in Manhattan and Alana is a stay at home mom. We live in the Upper East Side. 

DO YOU STILL KEEP IN TOUCH WITH HAFTR CLASSMATES?
We are very fortunate to have maintained so many of the close friendships forged throughout our HAFTR years. Some of our best friends have kids who now play with our children and that is beyond special. We will always be grateful to haftr for providing us with a first rate education and the Torah values that will survive for generations to come b"h.
___________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

After 30 years of teaching at our institution, Dr. Terry Treuman is saying goodbye to the hallways of HAFTR High School. 

 

Dr. Treuman has mentored and guided hundreds of students at HAFTR, and for that- we are all so very grateful.
 


 
The High School administration will be celebrating 
Dr. Treuman's time at HAFTR in just a few weeks, 
and we would like your participation!

Please send us any memories, personal stories, photos, etc. that you may have relating to Dr. Treuman, 
as we hope these moments will enhance the program.

Photos, files and stories can be e-mailed to
[email protected]
  
 
We wish Dr. Treuman all the best 
in this next chapter of his life 

 

 
HAFTR Heritage is all about you!

 

Tell us about your latest news and update your personal information so we can keep you posted about your classmates and their journey since graduating from HAFTR.  You can do this by friending us on Facebook or by emailing us at [email protected].

 

Send us your recommendations of people you know whom we might want to profile for Alumni Features, Alumni Teachers and Alumni Couples, along with other interesting alumni story suggestions.