Jewish Community News

Simchas: May 2008

Simchas of Silicon Valley

Births

    Double congratulations are due for the family of Rabbi Aaron & Jane-Rachel Schonbrun of Congregation Beth David on the births of their daughter Leora Rose and son Gavriel Finn Schonbrun on March 11. The Brit Milah and the baby naming took place on March 18 at the synagogue. Aviva Hailey, who will be 2 in June, is very excited about her new role as big sister. Leora weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and Gavi was 7 pounds. The proud grandparents include Dr. Michael & Joan Sanow of Baltimore, MD and Dr. Myron & Doreen Schonbrun of San Diego and the late Anita Schonbrun. Other close family members are Aunt Lieba & Uncle Danny Savitt, Aunt Cindy & Uncle Gil Goldberg, and Aunt Becky Schonbrun. Gavriel was named in memory of Jane-Rachel’s great-aunt Genevieve and Aaron’s Bubbie Fayge; Leora was named in memory of Aaron’s Bubbie Lakie.

    Alexandra Pearlman, daughter of Stuart & Jenny Pearlman of San Jose was born on April 25, 2007 and named at Congregation Sinai on March 29, 2008. She is the little sister of Josh Pearlman, 4½, and the granddaughter of Andy & Steve Pearlman of Foster City and Vi Mueller of La Grange, TX. Alexandra was named for her great-grandmothers Ruby and Rose, and her Hebrew name is Gili Shoshana.

   Tracy Nemiro & Blake Wong of Piedmont joyfully announce the arrival of their son Brent Joseph Wong on March 19, weighing in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 20.87 inches. His big sister Alyssa, 4, loves to help care for her little brother. Brent is the grandson of Josephine & Fred Stern of San Jose, Lonnie & Monte Walker of Alameda, Phillip Wong & Lisa Lemus of Oakland, Don & Carol Nemiro of Hollister. His Aunt Kelly Nemiro lives in San Jose; his Aunt Karna Wong lives in Oakland and Uncle Taylor Wong lives in Berkeley.

    Rabbi Joshua & Claire Fenton welcomed their new son into the world on March 22. He weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and was welcomed into the covenant at Congregation Sinai on March 29 at which time he was given his name: Simcha Lev Fenton. His big brother Yaakov and big sister Fayna are 2½. His grandparents, Wade & Marina Barber of Chapel Hill, NC and Henry & Gilly Fenton of Los Angeles, CA were on hand for the celebration as were Uncle Ben and Uncle Daniel Fenton and Aunt Rebecca Fenton of Los Angeles and Aunt Elizabeth Barber of Chapel Hill.

      Dr. Nathaniel & Sherry Cohen of Los Gatos welcomed their daughter Shaina Ruth into the world on March 24. Her big brother Ari Jacob Cohen, 2¼, is happy to see his little sister in the nursery. Shaina will be given her official Hebrew name Jaffa on May 10 at Shir Hadash. Shaina is the granddaughter of Lee Henderson of Sacramento and Jonathan Sievers of Encino and Bernard & Phoebe Cohen of New York. Her great -grandmother Mary Frieman, 103, also lives in New York. Uncle Alex Cohen lives in Washington, DC and her Aunt Margaret Cohen lives in Palo Alto where she is on the faculty of Stanford University.

    Stephanie & Ian Kass of San Jose happily announce the birth of their daughter Rhianna Chava Jasmine Kass on March 27. Big brother Sammy¸ 23 months, is thrilled to welcome Rhianna to the family. She is named after her great-grandmother Ruth Wilson, her great-aunt Celia Brickel and her great-aunt Judith Otero-Strozer. Rhianna is the granddaughter of Alfred & Marlene   Kass
of Congreg-ation Beth David in Saratoga, Laura Flint of Surprise, AZ and Jeffrey Strouzer of Willis, TX. Rhianna’s loving family also includes Uncle Evan Kass and Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Felicia, Larry and Adrianna Snyder. She was given her name at a Brit Bat officiated by Rabbi Daniel Pressman and Rabbi Aaron Schonbrun on May 26 at her home.

   Joyce Wies proudly announces the birth of her new granddaughter Sarah Anne Wies, daughter of Kimberly & Edward Wies. Joyce, who lives in Cupertino, is a member of Shir Hadash. Sarah was born on April 5 and weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces. Her big brother is Adam David Wies, 3.

Called to the Torah

     Samuel Paktor, son of David & Judy Paktor who live in Sunnyvale, was called to the Torah at Congregation Beth David on April 12. He is a student at the Discovery Charter School in San Jose. Sammy is a voracious reader who loves science fiction and fantasy. His sister, Rebecca, 9, is a student at South Peninsula Hebrew Day School. He was very pleased that his grandmother, Helen Paktor, who lives in New Jersey, was able to join him for this special occasion. He is donating some of his Bar Mitzvah monies to the Lindsay Hospital and Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek because he has a great interest in animals.

     Neely Shachal, daughter of Eli & Sue Shachal of Santa Clara celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at Temple Eman-u-El on April 12. She is a student a Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale. Her brothers, Leeor and Oren were on hand for this special occasion as were her grandparents, Ed & Miriam Ochman who live in Florida. Neely donated part of her Bat Mitzvah monies to the SPCA.

     Rachel Arielle Steinberg and Danielle Leigh Steinberg, daughters of Leslie and Alan Steinberg of San Jose, were called to the Torah as b'not mitzvah on May 24th at Congregation Sinai. The twins are 7th graders at Chaboya Middle School. Rachel enjoys running for her school's Cross Country and Track teams, and taking Jazz dance classes at the Y with her sister and friends.  She has donated her hair to Locks of Love twice (so far). Dani enjoys all kinds of sports, playing the guitar, and hanging out with friends. Their brother Joshua, a freshman at Evergreen Valley High School,  also participated in their B'Not Mitzvah service. Their grandparents, Henry & Anne Steinberg of Laguna Woods, CA, and Robert & Shirley Gottesman of Greenbrae, CA, were there for the ceremony as were his aunts and uncles Bonnie and Michael Gottesman of Redwood Shores, Jim Gottesman of Greenbrae, Nancy & Harold Mann of Greenbrae and Doreen & Ron Hill of Woodland Hills, CA. Their many cousins also attended. For their “green” Mitzvah Project, Rachel and Dani are helping their class raise money to purchase solar panels for Congregation Sinai. In addition, they will be planting flowers for the Sinai Nursery School.

Special Accomplishments

     Shannon Stein has been given the “2008 Barrister of the Year” award by the Santa Clara County Bar Association. The Barrister’s Award is given to an attorney who demonstrates high ethical and professional values, is active in the community, performs pro bono work and is active in the bar  association. Shannon practices Family Law at the Sayar, Fausto LLP. She is currently the chair of the Family Law Section Committee and is on the Board of Trustees of the Santa Clara Bar Association. Shannon also is a member of the Women Lawyers Committee and the Finance Committee of the SCCBA. She previously served as chair of the Barrister’s Section from 2004 – 2007. She is also on the Amicus Committee of the Silicon Valley Legal Services, is active in the Junior League of Palo Alto/Menlo Park, William Ingram American Inn of Court and participates in other community organizations. Shannon, who grew up in Stockton now lives in Sunnyvale with her husband Shaul Nassi. She is the daughter of Ron & Donna Stein who live in Stockton. Her in-laws Meno & Jeanie Nassi reside in Palo Alto.

Benjamin Lilly, 16, son of Nancy Weintraub & Byron Lilly of Temple Emanu-El, completed the requirements to become an Eagle Scout in January and celebrated with an Eagle Court of Honor at the synagogue on April 27. He is a student at Homestead High School and a member of Troop 75. His father Byron Lilly is the scoutmaster of the troop. Ben is the older brother of Jordana, 14. His grandparents are Harriet & Jack Weintraub of Los Angeles and Tom & Marsha Lilly of Oceano, CA. For the Eagle Scout requirements, Ben catalogued, protected and stored historic artifacts from 150 years of Temple Emanu-El’s past. He supervised 35 volunteers who logged over 300 hours. The documents include old prayer books, some of which are in Braille, Temple newsletters and board minutes. Ben is a member of this year’s confirmation class, works as a madrich (student teacher), volunteers for the Jewish Family Service and leads services at Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto. At school he writes for his school newspaper and is active in the drama department.

   Michelle Weiss of Boulder Creek, a first grade teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary School in the Cupertino District, has been selected Teacher of the Year for her school. According to Vivian Franklin, the principal at Stevens Creek Elementary School, Michelle is dedicated to her students and works hard to give an exemplary curriculum that addresses the needs of all of her students. She earned her Masters in Reading and attends workshops and conferences in order to remain current in evolving teaching methodologies; her interest in curriculum development benefits not only her students but also the school and the district. She piloted Social Studies and Science materials. As a primary Technology lead teacher, she has presented mini workshops to teachers across the grade levels. Michelle is an excellent representative of the Stevens Creek teaching staff and she represents the collegiality, caring and creativity that is appreciated in teachers. She is the daughter of Linda & Joe Weiss of Cupertino and granddaughter of Joan & Henry Stone of San Jose. Both the Weiss and Stone families are members of Congregation Beth David.

   Kevin Frankel, 25, graduated from Columbia University School of Law in New York City last May and was immediately hired by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, and Wharton & Garrison in New York. Kevin is the son of Steven & Donna Frankel of Saratoga and the brother of Bay Area author and teacher Valerie Frankel. The family has belonged to Congregation Beth David for over 24 years. Kevin is the grandson of Murray Frankel of Ramona, CA and his Aunt Shirley & Uncle Allen Ginzburg are proud of their nephew. Kevin passed the NY Bar and was notified in November. He is planning to take the CA Bar so he can practice in either state.

    Robert Streeter, son of Vicki & Jim Streeter, has been selected as the “Youth Citizen of the Year” for the town of Los Gatos. Robby is a junior at Los Gatos High School where he plays the tuba in the marching band. He also does freshman skills with the band. The Streeters belong to Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills and Robby is the Religious and Cultural Vice President of the youth group there. In addition he is the music teacher at Beth Am. He was nominated for the honor of youth citizen for his contributions to the community and for being a role model for other young people.

Confirmation Classes 2008

    The following young people are being confirmed at Temple Emanu-El on June 8: Jacob Baker, son of Abby Perr Baker& Tom Baker; David Cappello son of Amy & Manny Cappello; Samantha Casale, daughter of Ellen Boisier; Kristina Fernandez, daughter of Carol Hoffman; Alicia Fox, daughter of John Fox & Laura Vivit; Aaron Gerston, son of Marci & Joel Gerston; Brent Ghan, son of Lori & Jeff Ghan; Cassie Kopelson daughter of Julie Gleaves and Robert Kopelson; Benjamin Lilly, son of Nancy Weintraub & Byron Lilly; Sydney Mirth, daughter of Linda Blauner& George Mirth; Gabriela Osias, daughter of Joel Osias and Doris Vela; Hannah Roberts, daughter of Susan & Michael Roberts; Adam Rubin, son of Lori Telson & Kurt Rubin; Gabriel Segal, daughter of Perry Segal & Michelle Indianer.

   The following students are being confirmed at Shir Hadash on June, 8, Shavuot: Sydney Burns, daughter of Pearl Burns; Mira Chaykin, daughter of Lori &Robert Chaykin; Leah Cohen, daughter of Ivalee & David Cohen; Burton Cohen, son of Maria & Richard Cohen; Ariel Fishman, daughter of Robin Mano & Alan Fishman; Alex Fotland, son of Wendy & David Fotland; Sarah Hartman, daughter of Julie & Bruce Hartman; Hilly Hess, daughter of Virginia & Randy Hess; Miranda Kibel, daughter of Sharla & Owen Kibel; Shayna Levy, daughter of Denise & Stan Levy; Aaron Mednick, son of Johanna & David Mednick; Kayla Miller, daughter of Sharon Miller; Jordan Raice, son of Catherine & Jeffrey Raice; Ben Rosenberg, son of Nancy Small & Gordon Rosenberg; Madeline Rothenberg, daughter of Sarah & William Rothenberg; Kelly Schuman, daughter of Geraldine & Glenn Schuman; Brandon Shapiro, son of Wendy & Alan Shapiro; Tracy Silagi, daughter of Sandy & Greg Silagi; Erica Silverman, daughter of Pamela & Martin Silverman; Evan Siporen, son of Karen & Robert Siporen; Eric Siporen, son of Karen & Robert Siporen; Sean Williams, son of Sheryl & Richard Williams; Noam Zohar, daughter of Amit & Eitan Zohar.

Graduating Class 2008
 
MAZEL TOV to the following Hebrew High Seniors from Congregation Beth David: Max Blumenthal, Michael Bricker, Sarah Gafter, Abigail Gavens, Samantha Hoffman, Edward Levin, David Osofsky, Nicole Sabes, Rachel Sabes and Shira Yomtoubian.