Our Honorees
Roz and Jonathan Engel
Roz and Jonathan Engel have been CBI members since 1995 except for a two-year hiatus when they lived in New York City while Roz pursued her PhD, and a one-year stint living in Washington, D.C. due to Roz’s employment. CBI kept calling them back. In fact, they returned from New York after Rochelle Baron made them realize that the preschool was the right fit for the Engel family.CBI has been the focus of their philanthropic activities, serving on many permanent and ad hoc committees. Among other roles, Roz has served on the Board of Trustees, nursery school board, and governance committee. She has also served as the synagogue treasurer and Sisterhood treasurer, chaired the enrichment committee, and co-chaired the first gala committee. Inter alia, Jonathan has served as synagogue president and vice-president, and chaired or co-chaired the adult education, religious affairs and rabbinic search committees. He plays in the CBI band and periodically leads the journeyers minyan.
Roz received a B.A. in economics from Smith College, an M.S. in economic history from the London School of Economics, and a PhD in economics from Columbia University. She is a Professor of the Practice at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, and the founder and president of the World Affairs Council of New Jersey, a non-profit organization that focuses on delivering thought-provoking programs on global affairs in New Jersey. Jonathan received his B.A. from Harvard in the history of science, his MBA from the Yale School of Management, and his Ph.D. in the history of medicine and science from Yale Graduate School. He is currently a professor in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College. They have four children: Ezra, who is serving in the United States Army; Ruth, a senior at Ramapo College; Miriam, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin; and Judah, a freshman at the College of William & Mary. All of their children attended preschool and religious school at CBI.
Little known facts about our honorees: Roz is an expert knitter, though she failed her Master Knitting Certification (must have been something extremely “knit picky”). Jonathan lifts weights in dress clothes.
Miriam Linver And Matt Askin
Matt Askin originally hails from Brick, New Jersey. He graduated from Brandeis University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Miriam Linver was raised primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She also received her bachelor’s degree from Brandeis, and earned master’s and doctorate degrees in Family Studies & Human Development from the University of Arizona. Matt is a gastroenterologist at Affiliates in Gastroenterology, as well as the chief of Gastroenterology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. He has been named a “Top Doc” by New Jersey Monthly Magazine for the past 13 years. Miriam is a tenured full professor in the Department of Family Science & Human Development and is co-director of the Institute for Research on Youth Thriving & Evaluation at Montclair State University. Their children, Eve (16) and Joey (13), attend Golda Och Academy.Miriam and Matt joined CBI in 2002 when they moved to Maplewood from Manhattan. While shul shopping, they attended a Friday night service and learned about a Progressive Dinner scheduled for the next night. They crashed the appetizer course hosted by Carol and Bob Marcus (Matt was friends with Alex in USY). Once there, Brenda Eisenberg (z”l) “ordered” them to join a small group of congregants for dinner, thus sealing their shul selection. Miriam and Matt appreciate their friendships in the CBI community, and think fondly of the many Shabbat kiddushes and meals they have shared with clergy and congregants. A standout memory is when Lainie Cogan gave Eve her first bagel!
Miriam and Matt are active members of the congregation, attending services regularly—including evening minyans, often on a moment’s notice. Miriam has served on the Board of Trustees, Legacy Circle Committee, Torah Cover Campaign Committee, and prior Gala Committees, and routinely volunteers with Sisterhood. Matt is active in Men’s Club, including playing with Joey on the basketball team, and has served on the Religious Affairs and Rabbinic Search Committees. Matt has been spotted after hours, tool box in hand, making minor CBI building repairs. Miriam and Matt have opened their home to Rabbi Resnick each week for Shabbat. Outside of CBI, both are active in the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest. Miriam serves on the Golda Och Academy Board of Trustees; Matt is involved with the Health Professionals Division of Israel Bonds, and was honored by Israel Bonds in 2012.
Little known facts about our honorees: Miriam earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and recorded an album of Jewish children’s music. Matt plays guitar and once performed “Summertime Blues” with The Who’s Roger Daltrey.
Lori and Adam Katzman
Lori Katzman grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey and Adam Katzman grew up in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The two met as teenagers while they attended Lehigh University during Lori’s sophomore year and Adam’s freshman year. After Lehigh, Lori went on to pursue her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Widener University while Adam began his relatively brief career as a CPA in Philadelphia. The two were married while Lori was still getting her PsyD and while Adam was getting his MBA from Villanova University. Shortly after they were married, they relocated to Summit, New Jersey in 2000 and were blessed with their twin daughters Rayna and Hallie. Lori volunteered for several years within the public school system, the synagogue and the Girl Scout organization for over a decade. She returned to work in 2015 joining Integrative Psychology Services and has been working as the psychologist at Fellowship Village in Basking Ridge ever since. Lori specializes in working with older adults. Adam is an Associate General Agent and Certified Financial Planner at Certified Financial Services in Paramus. Rayna and Hallie are recent graduates of Millburn High School and are currently in their freshman year at Union College in Schenectady, New York. They are student-athletes participating on the women’s tennis team.In 2006 when their daughters were about to start kindergarten, Adam and Lori looked to move to a town with a conservative synagogue to call home. They joined CBI at that time and have called Short Hills home ever since. Upon joining CBI, Lori vividly remembers Linda Sotnick inviting her to participate with the Social Action Committee. Lori quickly became involved with some of the community service activities of the synagogue and eventually chaired the Hearts and Hands Committee for several years. She worked to help make CBI’s Mitzvah Day a large community wide event and is participating in this year’s roundtable discussion on inclusion on MLK Day. Adam has served as the Treasurer and Financial Secretary, on the Board of Trustees and has been part of the CBI finance committee. He also was a regular participant in the Men’s Club basketball team before tearing his ACL and is currently a plodding first basemen or designated hitter on the Men’s Club Softball team.
Lori and Adam have enjoyed being part of the CBI community for many years. While they’ve participated in countless social action activities in the community, their fondest memory is that CBI provided the opportunity for the women in the family to all read torah for the first time. Growing up in an extremely conservative synagogue, the Akawie women had not had this opportunity before. At their nephew Ryan’s Bar Mitzvah, Lori, her mother Hannah and her sister Heather all chanted a torah portion, and of course Hallie and Rayna did as well a few years later at their own B’not Mitzvah. They both remember these moments and the warmth expressed by Cantor Wallach with great fondness.
Little known facts about our honorees: Lori coauthored a book with her daughters called “Everyone’s Got Something: My First Year with Celiac Disease” and is a celiac disease advocate. Adam has become an expert food shopper that can hit 3 super markets in under 2 hours while getting laundry done in the process.