OUR HONOREES
SUSANNE FRUCHTER
My husband Ben (of blessed memory) and I came to Riverdale in 1968 a newlyweds. He was raised in the Bronx and I was raised in Washington Heights where I attend public schools and went on to City and Lehman Colleges for undergraduate and graduate degrees. I was fortunate to have a rewarding career with the New York City Department of Education.
My parents, Marian and Kurt Herz (of blessed memory) along with my sister Jane moved to Riverdale and my folks joined CSAIR while Ben and I shopped around to find a synagogue that met our spiritual and social needs. CSAIR fit the bill.
Our son Michael attended Hebrew School and became a bar mitzvah here. There were plenty of opportunities to volunteer. One of my memorable activities was making a vat of charoses for the Passover Seder. Once Michael moved on, it was time for me to volunteer elsewhere in the building and Milli Silfen and Marj Tolub welcomed me warmly into the Sisterhood Judaica Gift Shop where I can still be found today.
Ben passed away during covid and it was a lonely time because Nora and Michael were awaiting the the birth of their second child and we simply could not be together. Shiva was by phone and I came to appreciate the caring community CSAIR really was. When invited to join Dianne Meranus in making Shabbat calls for the Bikor Cholim Committee, there was no hesitancy on my part. I made contact with very special folks, some who have passed away, and in the past year have paid in person visits. I get a good chuckle when a call comes to check on me because I missed making a Friday call. My week ends on a high note.
Family is very important and I love being with my granddaughters who always have something new to share and teach. Michael and Nora keep an eye on me and I can't wait to see Jane within the next few weeks. Of course, there are more interests but to list them would take too long.
A sincere thank you to Rabbi Katz, Rabbi Greenberg and the Gala Committee for nominating me as an honoree.
RABBI ETHAN TUCKER & ARIELA MIGDAL
Ethan Tucker
Ethan was born in New York City, growing up between Riverdale/Kingsbridge and New Haven. One half of his multi-city bar mitzvah was at CSAIR, which he has attended for periods stretching over 40 years. Though Ethan has been blessed to live in many interesting places, including Israel, Riverdale holds a special place in his heart and it has been a gift to raise children in this community. Ethan serves as President and Rosh Yeshiva of Hadar. Ethan has organized the Kivinu minyan for over a decade, which meets at CSAIR, draws daveners from across the Riverdale Jewish Community, and features strong teen and child participation. When the pandemic shut down indoor services, Ethan organized the parking lot minyan on Shabbat mornings, which continued to meet as a parallel option during the pandemic in a range of weather conditions. Ethan's most beloved CSAIR program, though, is his Matzah Baking, where you can make your own, kosher-for-Pesah matzah right here at CSAIR. He teaches a weekly Talmud class in Riverdale open to the whole community.
Ariela Migdal
Ariela was born in Tel Aviv, grew up in Seattle where her family was active in Congregation Beth Shalom, and has been part of CSAIR since her family moved to Riverdale in 2007. She is a lawyer who has worked on women's rights and health law issues and enjoys walking and running in Van Cortlandt Park, attending the CSAIR evening minyan, and visiting the coffee shops and shuls of Riverdale. Our family motto is "Someone's Always Layning" (i.e., practicing their Torah reading). Ariela is a regular at evening minyan, leads davening and reads Torah on Shabbat and holidays, has organized programs like the Tu Bishvat dinner, and has helped organize the davening rotation slots, including when Rabbi Katz was on sabbatical and for holidays. She loves spending time with both old and new members of the community.
Thu, January 30 2025 1 Shevat 5785