Live life with an attitude of gratitude.  This message resonated through the hallways when our children were students of Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy.  It’s true that they also learned math, language, history, Chumash, Navi, etc, all subjects of great importance.  But to us, the messages of the year imbued the school with character, middot, and life skills that are often missing in education.  

 

Douglas joined the board of JKHA in 1994 before our oldest daughter, Dalya, even began kindergarten. We watched the herculean efforts of the volunteers who preceded us to enable the school’s move from West Caldwell to Livingston.  We were invited to preview the mini model of the school and hear the vision for the future.  And then, the day arrived for Dalya to go to kindergarten in the new school building, the year the doors first opened in Livingston.  All these years later, Douglas continues to serve on the Board of Trustees, at this point as an Honorary Trustee, working closely with Rabbi Rubin and the school leadership.

 

Lori was invited to sit on the JKHA Board of Education as the school grew and added educational initiatives.  She served with an extraordinary group of parents and educators, pushing the school to achieve educational excellence.  A short 15 years after the school moved to Livingston, we were privileged to participate in the initiative led by the administration, teachers, and parent body to achieve the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence designation.  Today, it takes but a moment to look at the school logo and see that “inspiring excellence” remains an important tenet.

 

One of Lori’s favorite connections to JKHA were the years she coached the middle school’s 7th and 8th grade girls’ basketball team, together with her friend Debby Klein.  Building relationships with the students, introducing them to inter-school competitions and teaching them to become proud JKHA ambassadors was truly a highlight.

 

While maintaining active involvement with our growing school, Douglas served on the board and ultimately as President of Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center. Lori served several terms on the synagogue board of directors and was the chairperson of the synagogue’s nursery school for 10 years.  These were busy yet happy years watching the school, the synagogue and our family grow.

 

We once calculated that across all the years that our children, Dalya, Ari, Daniel, Rachel and Jesse attended JKHA and RKYHS, we paid over 50 years of yeshiva tuition.  Looking at our children today, experiencing the reality of the world in 2024, it was money well spent.

 

In our professional capacities, Douglas is a partner at Weiner Law Group, representing employers in labor and employment law, small businesses in business law issues, and representing public libraries throughout New Jersey.  Lori is a physical therapist, yoga teacher, and medical cannabis educator.  Lori lectures nationally and internationally, teaching on the topics of yoga anatomy and integrating yoga into healthcare practice. 

We are the proud parents of 5 (+3) and grandparents of 5.

 

We are very grateful to all those at JKHA and RKYHS who nurtured and educated our children, answered their questions, encouraged them to learn about chesed, leadership, and responsibility.  May we all go from strength to strength.