Chatan Torah and Kallah B'raisheet

Chatan Torah Robert Linkoff

I was born and lived in the Bronx until I was 8 years old. Then My parents moved to  Rochdale Village in Queens. I had good memories of sitting next to my grandfather in the orthodox shul always asking him where we were on the page. I became a Bar Mitzvah in that shul under Rabbi Meir Kahane, who then went on to form the JDL. Due to change in demographics. My parents moved to Stony Brook Long Island while I was in high school. We were members of a conservative shul but after my sister wanted to become more religious, my parents joined a small orthodox congregation held in Stony brook university. In addition our family kept a kosher home. When I met and married the lovely Laura I wanted to keep that tradition and she was totally onboard with that. 

When my job relocated from Manhattan to Westchester, my bride and I and our two children moved from Queens to Rockland county.

We joined NCJC in 2000 and have been members ever since. It wasn’t until NCJC that we really felt connected to Judaism - attending Shabbat services weekly, doing haftorah, completing Bat Torah class,  reading Torah to blowing shofar.  Our two children became bat and bar mitzvot here, attended both Hebrew school and Hebrew high school and went on school trips to Israel. This past year, Our two precious granddaughters had their baby naming here. 

Laura was leading the evening minyan but she had a higher calling to babysit one of our granddaughters in Long Island during the week. Subsequently, I stepped in to  fill Laura’s shoes. 

I find it humbling to be honored for leading evening services M-Th when I feel im only doing the right thing.  I want to enable those who need to say Kaddish to have a minyan. I send jokey texts in an effort to cajole, beg and plead members to help us make a minyan. This is my higher calling.

Thank you for this honor.

Kallah B'raisheet Carol Silberfarb

Carol grew up in the Inwood section of Upper Manhattan, the daughter of German Jewish refugees who arrived separately, settled in NY in 1938 and met and married years later.
Carol’s maternal and paternal grandparents as well as an aunt with her two young sons perished in Auschwitz. Two of her father’s brothers lived for many years as ‘stateless’ in the Shanghai Ghetto before receiving approved sponsorship (previously denied) to immigrate to the US. Carol and her husband Barry moved to Rockland County from the Bronx in 1979 where they raised their two children, Daniel and Sharon. The family joined NCJC approximately 40 years ago with Daniel and Sharon each having their Bar/Bat Mitzvah there. Daniel (Anna) and Sharon (Will) together have 5 children. Very recently, grandson Caleb Greenhut became a Bar Mitzvah at NCJC as did grandson Brayden Greenhut in April of 2024.
Carol worked at NCJC as a toddler teacher in the early 80’s. Subsequently, she substitute taught in the county for a number of years until she found her ‘perfect job.'
Carol worked for Head Start of Rockland for 25 years as a speech therapist, preschool evaluator and later as special education manager overseeing services at HSOR in collaboration with most all the various CPSE (Committee on Preschool Special Education) districts in Rockland County. Carol truly enjoyed and took great pride in this work.
Carol has been a member of Hadassah for over 50 years and became a Life Member long, long ago. She is also a life member of ORT. Carol and Barry enjoy spending time with family, kayaking together with their two dogs Icy and Katie, riding Mr. Toad (pedal car that husband Barry built), going to the gym, taking walks and eating out. Carol enjoys her new found skill of playing canasta with friends.