The Torat Emet website is sponsored in memory of Marcie Gilbert through the generosity of Larry Gilbert
Jenna Greenberg and Rabbi Josh Ginsberg
08/12/2021 10:35:15 AM
Interviewed by Rebecca Mayerhoff
Torat Emet: tell us about yourself- your job, where you’re from and your child(ren) (and pets!)
Greenberg/Ginsbergs: We recently completed a 2 year gradual move from Dayton to Columbus this summer. Jenna grew up in Philadelphia and Josh is from Skokie. They met in the early 2000's while studying at the Jewish Theological Seminary in NYC. Their cantorial and rabbinic careers have taken them to Washington, DC (where Ranon and Elior were both born), Chicago and Dayton (where Matan was born). We took a leap of faith and partially moved our family to Eastmoor in August 2019 so that our 3 sons could continue their day school education at CTA. As of this summer, our entire family now lives here full time. Jenna will begin teaching 3rd grade Judaics at CJDS this year. Josh is enjoying learning lishma and family time, as he begins networking and getting to know the Columbus Jewish community.
TE: What attracted you to the Main Street synagogue? What do you love about this community?
Greenberg/Ginsbergs: Torat Emet and many of its members welcomed us with open arms when we first arrived in Columbus. It is a warm and heimish kehila where every member of our family is comfortable and happy to be in shul with friends, whether we are davening, socializing...or enjoying kiddush ;)
TE: What are your interests and hobbies? You can also tell us your favorite books, movies or music.
Greenberg/Ginsbergs: As a family, we are prone to playing a wide variety of board games and card games. If you live in or near Central Eastmoor, we apologize for any noise, but our family games can get a wee bit competitive...
TE: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know
Greenberg/Ginsbergs: Jenna and Elior both share the recessive gene for making our tongues into a clover shape! We've enjoyed some Zooms recently with other members of the family around the country who share this unique trait.
TE: Your favorite Graeter's ice cream flavor :)
Greenberg/Ginsbergs: Jenna's favorite Graeter's flavor is Buckeye Blitz; Josh will most likely just have a little bite of Jenna's; Elior and Matan love Cotton Candy; and back to strange genes, Ranon does not have the ice cream gene and prefers an empty chocolate dipped cone with sprinkles!
Michelle and steve lessnick
12/13/2019 10:40:44 AM
Interviewed by Rebecca Mayerhoff
Torat Emet: Tell us about yourself- your job, where you’re from and your child(ren) (and pets!)
The Lessnicks: We moved here from Salt Lake 4 1/2 years ago. We moved here for Steve to take a position at Nationwide Children's Hospital, where he is currently the Director of the Center for Childhood Cancers and Blood Disorders. His own lab focuses on Ewing's Sarcoma, which he has studied for almost 30 years.
We have three kids: Jaden (21) who is studying Political Science at Emory, Micah (19) who is studying Computer Science and Marine Biology at Eckerd College, and Kira (14) who is a freshman in high school.
TE: What attracted you to the Main Street synagogue? What do you love about this community?
The Lessnicks: Honestly, what attracted us to Main Street was that it was the closest Orthodox shul to our new house. Once we spent a few Saturday mornings in service, we knew we had found our "religious home," a place that was warm, welcoming, and most importantly, a great place to learn and grow in our observance.
TE: What are your interests and hobbies? You can also tell us your favorite books, movies or music.
The Lessnicks: Our family learned to ski while in Utah (it's a way of life there) and although, the kids are the best in ability, we all love to do it at our own pace. Steve, Micah, and Jaden enjoy mountain biking, while Kira and Michelle prefer to explore the mountains only on foot (or skiis). Steve likes to brew beer, a hobby that got started when Steve came home with too many cuts and bruises from the mountain biking! Michelle loves to run (and run and run). Jaden loves his sports, especially if it is the Patriots playing. Micah would prefer to be underwater scuba diving. His school runs a "Scubi Jew Program," run by Hillel. They try to repair the reefs in the area. Kira spends a lot of time with friends, painting, baking, and theater. She also discovered a passion for softball during middle school.
TE: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know
The Lessnicks:
Steve had long hair and was in a rock band in college.
Michelle spent many summers travelling around the country competing in hula hoop contests, and even made it to the national competition one year (although came in last place).
Jaden can speak faster than most people (maybe not David Schottenstein) from his years of debate.
Micah still appreciates a good lego set.
Kira's artwork got approved to be sold in a store in Atlanta.
TE: Your favorite Graeter's ice cream flavor :)
The Lessnicks' Favorite flavors:
Steve butter pecan
Michelle anything with toffee pieces or peanut butter
Jaden vanilla
Micah vanilla or cookie dough
Kira Black cherry
Lisa and David Eckmann
08/23/2019 09:50:43 AM
Interviewed by Rebecca Mayerhoff
Torat Emet: tell us about yourself- your job, where you’re from and your child(ren) (and pets!)
The Eckmanns: We just moved here after living in Wynnewood, PA, a Philadelphia suburb for the last 23 years. We’re both originally from Riverside, CA. We lived in Chicago, where our 3 sons were born, before moving to Wynnewood. The boys are all married. Josh and his family live in Brooklyn. Uri and his family live in Bergenfield, NJ. Many people here know our middle son Yoni and his wife Michal. Yoni is rather tall and enjoys basketball, even coaching the CTA boy’s team. As empty nesters we look forward to having our 4 grandchildren visit us from the East Coast. Our 20 year old cat and our Great Dane keep the household active. We’re both engineers by training, but Lisa left engineering long ago to run a charity in Philadelphia. David was recruited to OSU to be the director of its new Center for Medical and Engineering Innovation. He’s an anesthesiologist and a biomedical engineer.
TE: what attracted you to the Main Street synagogue? What do you love about this community?
The Eckmanns: We had been here before for Shabbos and Rosh Hashanah. We found the community to be warm and engaging. The Synagogue is a beautiful place for davening and we felt like we were at home right away.
TE: what are your interests and hobbies? You can also tell us your favorite books, movies or music.
The Eckmanns: Lisa enjoys reading, learning Chumash with her Philly chevrusas of 20 years, cooking, and Zumba. David is a vocalist and cellist who enjoys almost all types of music, especially nusach and chazzanus. He also is an amateur photographer, an aging softball enthusiast and a single malt Scotch aficionado. We both like doing jigsaw puzzles, travel, grandkids and a good wine.
TE: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know
The Eckmanns: Lisa is an expert organizer. David is an Eagle Scout (so are all three of our sons).
TE: Your favorite Graeter's ice cream flavor :)
The Eckmanns: Lisa loves the Raspberry Chocolate Chip. David is secretly planning to get locked in Graeter’s overnight to figure it out.
TE: If you have a favorite quote you would like to express or thoughts to share with the community, please include that here.
The Eckmanns: David: "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years."--Mark Twain.
Lara and gary blumberg
08/08/2019 03:34:34 PM
Interviewed by Rebecca Mayerhoff
Torat Emet: Tell us about yourself- your job, where you’re from and your child(ren) (and pets!)
The Blumbergs: I am a family practice physician and my husband is a qualified Sports Attorney, business advisor and consultant. Our kids are Saul (age 15), Ruthie (age 14) and Noah (age 10). We also have Zeke a sweet high energy black lab. Gary and I are originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. Our kids were all born in Ohio.
TE: What attracted you to the Main Street synagogue? What do you love about this community?
The Blumbergs: For us Main Street shul is most similar to what we grew up with in the Jewish community in South Africa. We were attracted to that familiarity when joining. We especially like the warm welcoming community, the Midwest values, the love of Israel and how our shul continues to grow.
TE: What are your interests and hobbies? You can also tell us your favorite books, movies or music.
The Blumbergs: As a family we are sporty and so our hobbies are mainly sports related. We each have our special sport including golf, tennis, soccer, softball, baseball, volleyball. We have a couple of avid readers among us, some favorite books are “the long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela. As for family friendly movies we enjoy the silly humor of Adam Sandler and Jim Carey movies. 2 of us play piano and have played together in recitals.
TE: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know
The Blumbergs: What you may not know is that Gary has lived in 4 countries, I in 3. We've known each other since childhood. We have lived in 3 cities in Ohio. Of the 5 of us, three of us wear contact lenses. Saul works at the JCC, Ruthie has a talent for accents, and the 2 are close enough in age to have shared a B’nai mitzvah. Noah has a double crown and is an all-rounder.
TE: Your favorite Graeter's ice cream flavor :)
The Blumbergs: favorite Graeter’s flavors:
Gary - is there such a thing as bad ice cream?
Lara- sorbet
Saul- chocolate
Ruthie- cookie dough
Noah- maple cinnamon crunch.