Our Wonderful Staff
Here you can read a little about some of Temple B'nai Or's staff members and contact them at their e-mail address...
Rabbi Donald B. Rossoff, RJE, has been spiritual leader of Temple B'naiOr since 1990. Since his arrival, the Temple has grown as a nurturing, innovative, inclusive and caring Temple Family. Long an advocate for Jewish education and camping, Rabbi Rossoff, has lectured at various congregations and Reform movement settings on Jewish theology and mysticism, Bible, Outreach to the Intermarried, and issues surrounding death and mourning. In Morristownand the surrounding area, he has been involved in interfaith and interracial activities, as well as in the MetroWest Jewish Federation, on whose Board he sits. Long active in Israel affairs within the Reform Movement, in 2005, he was awarded the “Ohev Yisrael – Lover of Israel Award” from the Rabbinic Counsel of the Association of Reform Zionists of America.
Rabbi Rossoff has published a children’s book on spirituality, The Perfect Prayer, Adonai Li, a musical setting of Psalm 118:6, and contributed chapters to The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History edited by Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz and Chosen Tales: Stories Told by Jewish Storytellers, edited by Peninnah Schram. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, Spertus College of Judaica, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the Rhea Hirsch School of Education.
“I feel privileged to be part of such a caring, unpretentious, principled and dynamic community as Temple B'naiOr. It has meant so very much to me to be there through the years with my TempleFamily, celebrating the joys of life and comforting in times of illness and loss. For me, all these - Torah teacher, storyteller, musician, writer, and activist; comforter, organizer, nudge, instigator, reconciler and friend - come together in one word: “Rabbi.” RabbiRossoff@templebnaior.org
Click here to view some of Rabbi Rossoff's sermons and speeches.
Cantor Galit Dadoun-Cohen is an Israeli
who attended high school in the United
States. After her service in the Israeli
Army, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the Reuben Academy of
University of Tel Aviv and a master’s degree in music from Brooklyn College
(CUNY). In 2009 she earned a Masters’ in Sacred Music from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish
Institute of Religion School of Sacred Music, our Reform seminary, and was
invested as a Cantor there this Spring. Through the years, she has acquired a
wealth of teaching experience as well as experience on the pulpit and on stage.
Commenting on Cantor
Dadoun-Cohen, Rabbi Shira Milgrom of Congregation Kol Ami where she had been
Cantoral Intern, said, “Galit is a fabulous person with an incredible soul. Her
beautiful voice is not the focus or object of prayer but a vehicle to prayer…
She has very high standards for herself and her students and enables her
students to reach them. Her students would follow her anywhere.”
Cantor Dadoun-Cohen is married to Joseph Cohen,
Assistant Professor of Sociology at
City University of New York, Queens College.
They have two daughters, Danielle who is turning 3 this July and Naomi who will
be turning 1. In the fall, Danielle will be in the 3’s class in the Temple’s Frances and Herbert BrodyPre-School. cantordadouncohen@templebnaior.org
Rabbi Mary L. Zamore was ordained from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1997. A graduate of Columbia College, New York, she has also studied at Yad Vashem and Machon Pardes (both in Jerusalem).
From 1996-2003, Rabbi Zamore served first as Student Intern, Assistant, then named Associate, for Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, NJ. There she shared fully in the widest range of rabbinic duties and involvement in the greater community. For the last two years, Rabbi Zamore has been the rabbi-educator of Temple Beth Am in Parsippany, NJ, where she was instrumental in restructuring the religious school.
Raised in the Reform Movement, Rabbi Zamore has been involved in the activities and committees of the URJ, HUC, and CCAR. She lectures and writes on a wide variety of topics including, kashrut, lifecycles, and education.
She says of her life's journey, "The decision to become a rabbi was a natural extension of my individual passion for Judaism. With time that passion has only deepened, becoming the cornerstone of my rabbinate. To me, being a rabbi is to help others discover their individual connections to Judaism. It is empowering others to ask questions and to seek out satisfying answers. Study, prayer and acts of kindness weave together to create strong synagogues and, therefore, strong individuals. I feel blessed to work with my community, doing God’s will and, I hope, improving this world." RabbiZamore@templebnaior.org
David Iskovitz, Director of Education, has served in this capacity here at Temple B'nai Or for the past ten years. Prior to this role, he was Principal at Temple Beth El in Spring Valleyfor fourteen years. David first became involved in Jewish education during his college years at City College of New York. He received a MA from City University of New York, a MA in Supervision and Administration from New YorkUniversity, and a Principal's Certificate from HebrewUnionCollege. In the twenty seven years that he worked for the New York City School System, David was a science teacher, Chairman of the Science Department, and an Administrative Assistant to the Principal for the New York City School System. He also served as a liaison between the school and the District Office in a multitude of capacities.
David has been involved with informal education since College. He is currently the Director of Westchester Summer Day, a Jewish summer program which he established to integrate camping and beachfront water-skiing and boating on the Long Islandsound with Jewish education and special programming.
For the past three years he served on the Board of Trustees for the Jewish Education Association of MetroWest which serves the almost thirty Principals and Educators in the region. He has acted as the chairperson of the Mitzvot of MetroWest program for the past five years.
Recently, his job description was expanded to include overseeing the Temple B'nai Or Pre-school which will merge the two schools, thus establishing a seamless educational program for our children and families. DavidIskovitz@templebnaior.org
Jennie Rubin, Director of Early Childhood Education, served as Interim Director of the Pre-School from February of 2005 until July 1, 2005, when she was appointed as permanent Director. During those months, she endeared herself to children, parents and teachers alike.
Mrs. Rubin has a long history at Temple B’nai Or. She has been on the religious school staff, the Pre-School staff, served as the Chairman of the Pre-School Committee, and ran successful Pre-School programs for the temple for many years. She helped create the Torah Explorers program and redesigned the Pre-School enrichment program into the award winning program that is offered today. She has over 15 years experience as an educator, eight of which were spent teaching children with a variety of learning challenges.
Mrs. Rubin is a graduate of Parsons School of Design, with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Design Marketing. She attended Fairleigh Dickinson University Graduate School of Education, and received certification in Elementary Education in 1995. She is a NJ State Certified Early Childhood Head Teacher, served as a consultant for the Office of Evaluation and Assessment for the NYC Board of Education, and worked as a learning consultant for New Directions in Learning. Throughout the years she has held numerous management positions in Operations and Marketing, and utilizes all of her skills to ensure that our pre-school offers the optimum learning experience for it's students. Preschool@templebnaior.org
William Ferstenfeld, FTA, Executive Director, joined the B’nai Or Senior Staff in January, 2006. Bill brings many years of experience and knowledge in the field of Temple administration, having served Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania for 25 years, Temple Israel, Temple Shaaray Tefila (both in Manhattan) and Union Temple of Brooklyn.
Bill is a certified Temple administrator, having earned a Fellow in Temple Administration (FTA) through the certification program administered by the National Association of Temple Administrators (NATA), Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). He is a past president of NATA and a current member of the NATA Board of Directors. Bill is a past member of the URJ Board and Executive Board as well as URJ’s Commission on Synagogue Management. Over the years, Bill has led workshops at URJ National and Regional Biennials, NATA Conferences and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s Senior Seminar Program. Bill has also written articles about Fund Raising and Development in the NATA Journal and the Jewish Reporter (Las Vegas) and has been quoted in the Jewish Exponent (Philadelphia) and the Philadelphia Inquirer on various issues relating to the synagogue and the Jewish community.
“While working in the Temple is a career, I truly look at Temple administration as my passion. Serving the Jewish Community is indeed an honor and a special privilege which I very much cherish”. BillFerstenfeld@templebnaior.org
