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Margo Hassan joined the MRT Board in 2020 as Recording Secretary. She retired in 2018 after 31 years as an attorney in the Financial Industry, first at the New York Stock Exchange and then at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Margo resides in Monmouth Beach with her husband of over 35 years. Margo and her husband John have one daughter who resides in the District of Columbia.
Ellen Rubinstein grew up on Long Island, attending a Conservative synagogue where she became a Bat Mitzvah and was confirmed. Through college years, she returned home to celebrate Jewish holidays with family, as she earned degrees in English Literature, Chemistry, then Materials Engineering.
After a few years in industry, she and her husband Ernest Guenzburger moved to Holmdel NJ, twenty-eight years ago. Once they had two young children, Sarah and Sam, they were encouraged by a neighbor to look into Monmouth Reform Temple’s toddler program, run by Adaya Henis. It was the warmth and spirit they felt there that drew them to join MRT, once the children were of elementary school age.
At that time, with the encouragement of then-principal David Levinsky, Ellen began to teach a Jewish Literature class to 7th graders in the Religious School. She taught at MRT for eight years. She was also a Chemistry teacher in public school, and eventually stopped teaching at MRT due to the demands of full-time work and family. Ellen has also taught Math at Brookdale Community College, Chemistry at Monmouth University, and is currently in her fifth year as an adjunct professor of Chemistry at Kean University.
Both Sarah and Sam made friends during their years of Religious School, and both were confirmed at MRT. They also enjoyed the Junior and Senior Youth Groups, both serving on the MRTSY Board, Sarah as president during her senior year. Ernest has been a member of the Arts and Deco committee for many years. His woodshop has created several custom pieces for the sanctuary and the front lobby. Ellen, Ernest, and Sam enjoy participating in the MRT choir. Sam plays keyboard in the Shir Chadash band on First Fridays, and occasionally accompanies at other times.
Ellen is pleased to contribute to the Board and to help enrich the MRT community by bringing interesting and inspiring programs to temple members.
Pam is a Jersey girl, born in Colonia, NJ, and graduated from Monmouth College and then went on to get her Masters from Stevens Institute, both with degrees in computer science. Pam was raised Jewish although her mother was catholic and her father was Jewish, and she celebrated both religions’ holidays. Pam and her husband John raised their daughter Jessica in the Jewish faith. She and John have been married for 29 years. They moved to Middletown in 1992.
The McGovern’s joined MRT when their daughter was in second grade to give her a Jewish education. Pam co-chaired the Membership Committee in the past and is now Chair of the Social Action Committee. She says she initially was a bit intimidated about chairing such an involved and successful group of people but then she quickly realized how supportive everyone was and she is glad she accepted the position on the Board!
Pam works in software development at AT&T. In her spare time, she likes to play tennis, go biking, sit by the beach, listen to live music, and making jewelry and hang with her friends. What would people be surprised to know about you? “I was on an episode of ‘What Would You Do’ filmed at McCloone’s in Long Branch.
After a long career in Commercial Real Estate my wife Nancy and I retired and moved to Long Branch from Bergen County in 2013 and joined MRT shortly thereafter. We were drawn to this caring and inclusive temple shortly after our friend from our sailing club invited Nancy to a Book Group. This was our introduction to MRT and our commitment continues to deepen. Now 6 years later I am a vice-president of the board and Nancy is co-president of the sisterhood.
I believe that some version of this story is not an unusual motivation for members of our temple community. After having disappointing and unrewarding experiences at more conservative temples, I was reluctant. However, when I came to know the caring, engaging and compassionate members and leaders at our temple, I was hooked. The opportunities available to engage in meaningful social action and community development inspires my days and warms my heart. This is the meaning of Monmouth Reform Temple for me.
What a pleasure it is for me to tell you about myself and how important MRT has become in my life.
My husband Peter and I live in Long Branch, we have owned our townhouse since 2004 and moved down permanently from Bergen County to Monmouth County in 2013 when we retired. I was a salesperson and manager for Weichert, Realtors since 1987.
We are blessed to have three Adult Daughter and 3 Adult Son in laws, 8 grandchildren and 1 great grand child, but we joined our Temple just for us!
I have never been involved in a Temple where I have meet so many caring and giving congregants. The out pouring of love and support I feel from this group has help me and our family through tough times in the past few years.
As co- President of our Sisterhood with Ellen Goldberg we strive to make sure that the people we meet and join us feel as included as I did. We have different activities for all the women in our congregation, from a weekly Mahjong group, to our monthly Book Group, to our Out and Abouts, to Movie nights, to Bowling, Tennis and Pickle Ball Parties, we walk for Breast Cancer research with ACS Making Strides in Pt Pleasant and our MRT Sisterhood Team place 22 in fundraising in 2019 out of 500 Teams! Yay
Our Sisterhood sponsors the Sisterhood in the Sukkah Dinner, the Hanukkah Party Dinner, the Women’s Passover Seder Dinner, any chance we have to share a meal together we’re on it!
The out reach that MRT has in our community is second to none and I have found that helping others has made me a better person.
My wife Beverly and I have been members of MRT since the early 90’s, having joined when our sons Paul and Lee reached school age. We have lived in the same house in Tinton Falls for almost 35 years, within
theoretical walking distance to MRT (although we never have actually walked). My professional background is an electrical engineer, designing and managing the design of telecommunications equipment for AT&T Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies. I then had a 12 year stint leading the technical aspects of a small custom software company before re-joining AT&T as a software project manager five years ago.
I was completely uninvolved in MRT activities until around 1999 when Beverly and I attended the monthly B’Nai Mitzvah classes that Rabbi Priesand ran. These were intended for both the students and the parents, and occurred on Saturdays and often included attending a service, having lunch together, then followed family-fun exercises. One of the byproducts is that Bev and I made some lasting friends during that year, which ended up being a gateway to our further participation in temple events. (It didn’t hurt that Bev was an MRT Religious School teacher at that time so she already knew quite a few people.) I then took the next step of attending a couple of Brotherhood functions(yes, Men’s Club was called Brotherhood at that time). After one of them, a long-standing Brotherhood leader Don Leeds invited me to immediately become Brotherhood President! After wondering what circumstances would lead Don to ask someone he didn’t really know, I said yes – at which point I became fully engaged in temple activities. I served two years as Brotherhood President, several years as MRT Treasurer, a couple of years as Vice President, and then four years as MRT President. After taking a break, I returned to the Board as Recording Secretary, my current position. While each of these roles was challenging in their own way, they also were rewarding; I made many friends and and will always have a feeling of accomplishment with my little piece of MRT history.
Scott grew up in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Long Island at about the age of 24. He became involved in a program called Volunteers for Israel. He and two other friends volunteered on an army base in Israel, helping to maintain the functionality and readiness of Army Tanks. Scott met his future wife Rebecca, who was also there with her sisters doing the same work. The two continued their romance when they got back to the US. Rebecca grew up in Manhattan and was starting College only 15 minutes away from where Scott lived.
They were married in July of 1990, and continued to live in NY for six years. They then lived in Indiana for a year and a half due to an employment opportunity for Scott. When they moved back to the east coast in 1998, the two settled in Tinton Falls.
After a few more years, their twins Hope and Dylan were born in 2004. Scott and Rebecca decided their children needed to have a Jewish education. In 2011, they discovered MRT and chose to join. The children began their Jewish education in second grade and still continue to this day. They are both extremely active in the youth group and will become confirmed in the Spring. They are also very volunteer oriented within the Temple.
Scott and Rebecca participated in a leadership course through MRT. Rebecca is active in the Religious Education Committee, being class mom and maintains the Facebook Education Page. Scott became Men’s Club President in 2017. Before he stepped up and accepted the role as president, the group had dissolved and been inactive for several months. When Scott had been a member, he truly enjoyed his experience, so he felt compelled to bring the Men’s Club back.
The Men’s Club is involved in many activities including Poker nights, Blue Claws baseball games, beer crawls, softball and other activities. Scott has led many events including Jewish Heritage Discussion with our Rabbi, organizing ushers for HHD services, meetings, Beer Fest and other social events for MRT. The Sisterhood and Men’s Club have several joint events, including the Chanukah party, Sisterhood/Men’s Club Shabbat service, game night, bowling, theme parties, and tennis parties.
Scott is in Product / Marketing / Project Management in the IT world. He started in this field over 25 years ago. He obtained his MBA from NY Institute of Technology. Spending time with his family, having fun, listening to classic rock, and swimming are things he likes to do in his spare time. He was a huge collector of audio equipment and built an extensive sound system and record collection. He and the family enjoys traveling and recently went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Scott really likes home improvement projects and has been heard to say, “For a Jewish guy, I’m pretty handy”.
Ellen has a lifetime of experience with her involvement in the Jewish religion and the synagogues she has been involved with. It began at the age of 10 when she asked her parents if she could go to religious school. Growing up in NJ, the family belonged to Temple Emanu’El in Edison. Her parents did not feel it was necessary for her to go to religious school prior to that, but when she asked to attend, they were happy to enroll her. She quickly caught up to her peers because of her motivation to learn about Judaism. Although she wanted to have a Bat Mitzvah, her grandfather passed away suddenly just before she would begin her lessons and her mother told her that there would be no “big party” if she were to have the religious ceremony. At the age of 12, the “party” was really what mattered most. She decided not to study for her Bat Mitzvah. However, she still enjoyed her Jewish education. In 8th grade, she discovered the temple’s Youth Group and became very active. She took on several leadership roles including President in both her junior and senior year of high school. She also went on to Confirmation in 10th grade.
When Ellen graduated from the University of Maryland in 1985, she came home from college and learned that the Youth Group was no longer operating. She volunteered to start the group from scratch. Within five years, she built the Youth Group to almost 70 members and most of them were very active. Several years later after getting married and starting a family, she became the Junior Youth Group advisor at Monmouth Reform Temple and continued in that position for ten years. She also had a very active group with many members throughout those years.
Ellen and Jay were married in 1989 and moved to Tinton Falls. Before their one year anniversary, their first son, Joshua, was born. The family continued to be involved at the temple in Edison. In 1993, Jeremy came along and it was time to start going to a Temple closer to home. Ellen began to take her children to a program at MRT for preschoolers once a month in the evening. It was run by a wonderful woman named, Adaya, who brought such joy to the children teaching them about Judaism through song and projects. Josh and Jeremy had the good fortune of being a part of this wonderful program. The family became members of the temple and the children went through religious school and then the boys went on to confirmation. Throughout all the years Ellen still wanted her B’nai Mitzvah. With a lot of hard work and determination she joined a class with other adults to study and ultimately achieve her goal. Thank you to Rabbi Roos and Cantor Clissold for helping to make it happen. In addition to all that, both Josh and Jeremy chose Monmouth Reform Temple as the recipient of their Eagle Scout projects.
A retired school teacher after 30 years of educating in the public school system she took on two roles at MRT. Ellen is the co-president of the Sisterhood working alongside the fabulous Nancy Zaslowe. In addition to that, she took on the position as the Mitzvah Academy teacher in the religious school in the 8th and 9th grade. Ellen regularly attends most of the special services at MRT. She plays Mah Jongg with the Sisterhood just about every week, helps with Gan Mazon whenever she can and volunteers with Family Promise. She enjoys being a Greeter at the High Holy Day services. This past year was special, because she had a wonderful experience helping her MRT students create a video for the 60th Anniversary of MRT. She is ALWAYS ready with a Smile and a great hug. She has been enjoying her experience as co president of Sisterhood and looks forward to continuing for a few more years.
Co written by Jay and Ellen Goldberg
Monica Schneider Brewer is a Jewish Free Spirit, who, along with her wonderful family, alit at Monmouth Reform Temple in 2008. Her husband James Brewer is an active volunteer at MRT. Their two sons, Jonah, in 10th grade, and Lev, in 8th grade, have shown that volunteerism is hereditary in their family and are active in the Youth Group and other projects around MRT.
Monica was born in New York City and grew up in New Jersey. She went to Clark University in Massachusetts and F.I.T. In NYC. Monica brings a great combination of suburban cool and urban heat to all she does. At one point, earlier in her adulthood, Monica owned a bagel restaurant with her family in Key West, Florida. She found magic while delivering hot bagels at 5am to guest houses and restaurants because she could enjoy the beautiful gardens and the tropical island in the quiet, early morning hours.
When Monica joined MRT, she was challenged by the then Membership Chair, Lisa Calderwood, “to participate fully and not just come on the High Holy Days”. She has taken this to heart and has served MRT as Sisterhood President, Religious Education Committee member and now Executive Board Vice President overseeing Youth Activities and Religious Education. Monica’s experiences allow her to bring added value to all her positions.
In closing, when asked for a quote, Monica said, “MRT has been an amazing gift to me and my family. The experience of being members here has enriched our lives in countless ways and will impact my sons lives forever(of this I am certain). I never have had a community such as this one elsewhere in my life.”
Monica and her family are true assets to MRT. And as she would also say, “peace out.”
Bonnie Klein
Faith is the Chair of our Finance Committee. She makes her home in Red Bank with her husband Brian and their two children, Evan and Amy. Faith is an Information Technology Project Manager working primarily on governmental systems.
Faith joined the Temple in 2005 and upon being asked to participate, became a key figure in composing and preparing the Ad Journal for our Arts Festival. She’s been building an ever widening circle of friends by being an active participant in our Temple life ever since. It great to see that Evan and Amy seem to be following in her footsteps. Faith joined the Board as co-Chair of the Religious Education committee in 2011 and became Finance Chair in 2014.
In addition to being a working mom, Faith grows some of her own veggies in her garden and admits to dabbling in the kitchen. Faith is an important part of our Shir Chadash musical ensemble where she plays guitar and sings. Look for her on the Bimah on First Fridays.
By Stu Tuchband