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 Shira Nafshi grew up in Miami, Fl as a very active member of her home congregation, Temple Judea in Coral Gables. Inspired by the late Cantor Stuart Pittle (z"l), she decided during high school that the cantorate was the right place for her. As a teenager, she attended the Kutz Camp leadership training academy several times, gaining proficiency in her skills as a songleader.

Cantor Nafshi graduated with her B.A. from Brandeis University with a double major in music and creative writing, and went on to get her Master's in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. She served for two years as the cantorial soloist for Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim in Lancaster, PA, before attending the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion School of Sacred Music (HUC-JIR SSM). Her student pulpits included The Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, NJ, Scarsdale Synagogue-TremontTemple in Scarsdale, NY, and Temple Sholom in Scotch Plains, NJ.

Shira's cantorate is based around a love for Jewish music, and a strong desire to share that love with her congregation. She strives to maintain a balance in the music of worship between the traditional Jewish modes and chant (nusach and chazzanut) and more modern Jewish compositions, as well as focusing on music in which the congregation can participate.

The Cantor is excited and thrilled to have joined the TempleB'naiOr clergy team, and looks forward to the rewarding years ahead. CantorNafshi@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

Jennifer Rubin, Pre-School Director, served as Interim Director of the Pre-School from March of 2005 until July 1, 2005, when she was appointed as permanent Director. During these months, she has endeared herself to children, parents and teachers alike.

Mrs. Rubin has a long history at Temple B’nai Or. She has worked as a religious school teacher, a nursery school assistant, served as the Chairman of the Nursery School Committee, and has run Pre-School programs for the last 3 years, including the well received Torah Explorers program. She has ten years experience as an educator, eight of which were spent teaching children with a variety of learning challenges. Her combination of experiences and her familiarity with the school reinforced her qualification for this position.

Jennie served as a Consultant for the Office of Evaluation and Assessment for the New York City Board of Education and for many years she was a Learning Associate at New Directions in Learning, Brooklyn, NY. Through the years, she has held positions involving advertising, supervision and management.

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. 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