About us

Rabbi David K. Holtz

rabbi@tba-ny.org / 914-631-1770 x 104

Rabbi David Holtz was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1987. After serving six years as the Associate Rabbi at Har Sinai Congregation in Baltimore, he was called to the pulpit of Temple Beth Abraham in 1993, where he continues to serves as its spiritual leader.

In addition to his many congregational responsibilities, Rabbi Holtz is very involved in the local community. He is a past president of the Westchester Board of Rabbis, comprised of rabbis of every denomination. He has chaired the Rivertowns Clergy Association, which works to improve interfaith relations and serves as an important moral voice in the community. He has twice served as president of the Rotary Club of the Tarrytowns, a service organization that helps fund local and international non-profits. He also teaches community-wide Adult Education courses, and is a guest speaker on a variety of subjects. Rabbi Holtz lives in White Plains with his wife, Renée, and their three children, Holly, Avi, and Shira.

Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman

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Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman is thrilled to join the Temple Beth Abraham community. Temple Beth Abraham’s values as an inclusive and pluralistic community align perfectly with Cantor Fogelman’s desire to help congregants of all ages imbue their lives with Jewish meaning. She is particularly passionate about crafting worship, creating dynamic young family programs, and teaching congregants of all ages both on and off the bima – especially young adults preparing to become B-Mitzvah.

Cantor Fogelman, known familiarly as Cantor Lauren, was ordained from the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2013. She also holds degrees from Tufts University and The Boston Conservatory. She spent five years serving as Cantor at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester in addition to positions at Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, CT, Congregation Sinai in Milwaukee, WI, and Union Temple in Brooklyn, NY. Cantor Lauren holds dual membership in the Reform Movement’s American Conference of Cantors and the Conservative Movement’s Cantors Assembly. Career highlights include performing and teaching at the North American Jewish Choral Festival; founding the award-winning Sinai in the City program for young professionals (winner of a Union for Reform Judaism Belin Outreach and Membership Award); and singing the National Anthem at a Milwaukee Brewers Game.

Cantor Lauren lives in Croton with her husband Dan and two children.

Erica Newman

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From the moment she entered Temple Beth Abraham, Erica and her husband Rob knew they belonged, so it was easy for them to relate to the tagline, “Join us, You already belong.” Today, Erica is thrilled to serve as Director of Operations and Engagement.

Erica is totally committed to her role in building the future of the Temple Beth Abraham community. She is also a pro-Israel activist who supports a strong US-Israel relationship in our Congressional landscape.

When not at Temple Beth Abraham, Erica can be found in the kitchen or in the garden harvesting herbs, fruits and vegetables. She is a wife of 25 years to Rob and mother to two adult daughters, Samantha and Nicole; two adopted dogs, Lucy and Rascal; and 11 chickens.

Erica welcomes visitors to chat about Temple Beth Abraham initiatives or the latest pro-Israel candidate for Congress. She is also happy to share the bounty from her garden.

Stessa Peers

speers@tba-ny.org / 914-631-1770 x 108

Stessa loves working with youth and teens and helping them cultivate a lifelong passion for Judaism, leadership, and Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.

Stessa has always had a passion for Jewish history. At Binghamton University, she earned a double degree in History and Judaic Studies focusing on marginalized groups within Judaism.

As a lifelong member of Temple Beth Abraham, Stessa is proud to give back to the community where she forged her own Jewish identity. She has led programs for Adult Education, Women’s Circle, and Movie Mavens. She has also played an integral role in the LGBT+ inclusion project with Keshet and URJ’s Community of Belonging. Stessa is committed to creating a space that is safe and inclusive for all.

Stessa lives with her partner, Michael, and their family dogs in the woods. She is the daughter of congregants Marla and Jerry Peers. She is a cook and baker, and is her family’s official matzo ball maker. Stessa loves to swim and teaching others to do so. She is filled with pop culture fun facts, loves to sing, is a movie buff, and a speed reader.

Melissa Baer

tbaoffice@tba-ny.org / (914) 631-1770 x100

Melissa Baer has been a member of Temple Beth Abraham since 2004 and has served on the Board of Trustees in various roles including Nursery School Chair, Adult Education Chair, Tikkun Olam Chair and on the Executive Committee. Melissa has also served as an interim staff professional over the years and is happy to have found a permanent role as the Administrative Assistant.

Melissa’s prior professional career was in financial services, but she retired in 2000 and now dedicates her career to volunteerism. Melissa worked for the UJA-Federation of New York’s EngAGE Jewish Service Corps as Site Coordinator at the JCC on the Hudson from 2015 to 2018. In this capacity, she coordinated group and individual volunteer activities, often serving as a volunteer herself. Melissa joined the Board of Directors of the Westchester Jewish Council in 2020. She was the co-chair of their Gala Programming Committee.

Melissa and her husband Herb live in Chappaqua with their 2 adult children.

Irene Metz

Clergyassistant@tba-ny.org / 914-631-1770 x 106

Irene Metz has been the Clergy Coordinator at Temple Beth Abraham since 2014. She is a long-standing member at Community Synagogue of Rye where her personal volunteer involvement has grown over the years. She has served on several committees, participated on search committees, was on the Board of Trustees, and most recently served as Congregational President.

Irene’s professional career of 35 years was in supply chain management at Scholastic, Inc. (publisher of children’s books, including Harry Potter and Hunger Games). When that concluded, the logical step for the next phase of her career was to combine her prior work experience with her commitment to the Jewish community – Temple Beth Abraham is that perfect workplace. She feels particularly lucky to have two synagogues to call home!

She and her husband Jonathan live in Rye Brook. They have 2 adult children, a son and a daughter-in-law scattered across the country – and a grandson. Irene enjoys attending theater, reading, gardening, learning in Torah classes, and spending time with family and friends.

Jamie Valencia

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Jaime Valencia has been working with Temple Beth Abraham since July 2010. He began as the Assistant Facilities Manager and is currently our Facilities Manager

He is originally from Columbia, but has made Tarrytown his home and is a vital member of the Tarrytown community. When not at work you may find him serving as a volunteer firefighter or at the Ambulance Corps in Tarrytown.

Jaime lives with his wife, cuz and his younger son Mateo. His older son Michael lives nearby and has been known to assist Jaime on occasion

Jaime’s favorite role is as a Papa for his granddaughter Penelope — you may see him beaming as he carries her around on an occasional visit.