BETH SHOLOM HONOREES - January 11, 2025 / 11 Tevet 5785
PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY:
SARA & PAUL GLASHOFER
Paul and Sara Glashofer have been members of Beth Sholom for almost thirty years, though each of them has long roots to the shul, as Sara attended the pre-school, and Paul’s mother’s family joined the shul soon after arriving in Washington D.C. from Europe. Rabbi Tessler was the mesader kiddushin for their wedding and all three of their children had their brises and bar mitzvahs at Beth Sholom, as well as attended the ECC.
Between the two of them Paul and Sara have been active on many of the shul committees throughout the span of their time at Beth Sholom. Their services have included hands-on assistance such as being Gabbais, layners, CSS member and Kiddush preparers, as well as serving on the less “fun” committees such as, budget, nominating, admin opps, and executive. They have also served on the boards of Beth Sholom, Berman Hebrew Academy, CESJDS, Bikur Cholim and Sulam. They both currently serve on the Chevra Kadisha.
Their proudest accomplishment is raising three young men- Akiva (26), Raanan (24) and Natan (20). They attribute much of their children’s success to their growing up at Beth Sholom and feeling part of this warm and loving community. The Rabbis have always been very approachable, and the kids have received advice (both solicited and unsolicited) from members of Beth Sholom of all ages. The boys also learned a lot at shabbat groups- but what happened at groups stays at groups.
Professionally, Paul owns his own money management and financial planning firm and Sara, who is likely retired, spent her career working in cancer research, primarily genetic epidemiology.
RAMI LOYA
Rami's earliest memory of Beth Sholom is attending the Bar Mitzvah of one of the sons of Phil and Toby Berman in the early eighties at the Eastern Ave location in DC. His next experience was in the mid-eighties attending services at the old house on the grounds of Beth Sholom before the buildings were constructed. It was always full of Ruach and Shabbat melodies, heartwarming welcoming, and generous congregants. He officially joined Beth Sholom in 2007. At that time the Sephardic minyan was relatively small, and the services were held in the lower level of the building. Rami joined the Beth Sholom board and asked if the Sephardic minyan could be moved to the main level of the Shul. The board was very supportive and within a few weeks we were relocated to what is today the teacher’s lounge of ECC. After the pandemic, the Shul leadership supported the relocation of the minyan to the beautiful and spacious Bobrow chapel. Rabbi Ovadia brought a lot of energy, wisdom and momentum when he joined our minyan in 2018. The minyan doubled in membership during his time here and people loved listening to his beautiful melodies during Hazanut and the words of wisdom of his Dvar Torah.
During his time at Beth Sholom, Rami has served both on the Sephardic Minyan and the Building Committees. He was heavily involved in upgrading all the interior and exterior lighting at Beth Sholom to Energy Efficient LED and more recently replacing the entire HVAC system and controls. For these projects BSC was able to secure cash rebates and state grants to significantly subsidize the cost for the Shul. He is very happy to be a part of this thriving and amazing community and contribute to its continued growth and success.
YOUNG LEADERSHIP AWARD:
NICOLA BRODIE & EZRA FISHMAN
Nicola Brodie and Ezra Fishman joined the Beth Sholom community with their children in the spring of 2020. Nicki, a pediatrician, grew up in the Beth Sholom community, and her mother, Fay Ann Brodie, is a former president of the shul. Nicki supported the ECC in developing COVID-related procedures that enabled the ECC to be open full-time during the 2020-2021 school year. She also served on the search committee that led to our welcoming Rachel Lang as executive director. Nicki is active in the Chevra Kadisha of Greater Washington. Ezra co-led our shul's efforts to support two Afghan refugee families who have settled in the DMV. He has served on the shul board since 2022 and reads Torah frequently on Shabbat mornings. Ezra and Nicki can be found at most Beth Sholom youth activities with their children, Nadav (8), Eden (6), Selah (4), and Rena (2).