Debra and David Magerman
Guests of Honor
Debra and David Magerman first arrived in Lower Merion in 2006 when they were searching for community. They initially lived in Gladwyne, then later settled in Merion Station in 2014. Debra graduated from Smith College and worked in public relations, including serving as the media relations coordinator at the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale (NY), before taking time off to start a family. David received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and earned a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University. After many years at Renaissance Technologies, where he helped found the equities trading group and played a lead role in designing and building the hedge fund management company’s trading, simulation, and estimation software, David founded Differential Ventures, a venture capital firm, three years ago.
The proud parents of Elijah (KY ’18), Zachary (KY ’20), Sydney (KY ’24), and Lexie (KY ’28), Debra and David were public school parents who ultimately became Jewish day school parents and they have not looked back since. In 2010, the Magermans formed the Kohelet Foundation, which focused on supporting and improving Jewish day school education.
The Magermans have been big supporters of not only Kohelet Yeshiva, but of all our local Jewish day schools, including Abrams Hebrew Academy, Caskey Torah Academy, Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, Kosloff Torah Academy High School for Girls, Perelman Jewish Day School, Politz Day School of Cherry Hill, Politz Hebrew Academy, and The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia.
As part of his ongoing effort to help further enhance the Lower Merion Jewish community’s status as a “full-service community,” David opened several restaurants, including Citron and Rose and The Dairy Café, as well as a catering company, with the intention of attracting new people to the area.
Debra and David volunteer their time and help support an array of Jewish community institutions, including Partners in Torah, Momentum, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Abramson Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Relief Agency, Yeshiva University, Jewish National Fund, and In His Image, which is a charity in Israel that supports orphans, widows, and families in need.
Furthermore, David is intimately involved in several projects with Koren Publishers which provide better resources for Jewish education, including the Koren Ani Tefilla Siddur series, the Koren Tanach in conjunction with Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt”l, and the Koren Magerman Youth Haggada.
The Magermans’ support of, and involvement with Kohelet Yeshiva is extraordinary. They bought the building in Lower Merion that became Stern Hebrew High School’s home. As he grew in his religious observance, David began thinking about a mission-driven Modern Orthodox school where he could see his youngest daughter attending and where he and Debra would feel comfortable. The Kohelet Foundation established the Yeshiva Lab School, with the hope that it would eventually become a full K-8 institution. They invested in the Lower Merion campus and developed the property to create a modern, thoughtfully designed school building that would be conducive to offering a progressive, cost-effective education.
As part of Debra and David’s investment in Kohelet Yeshiva’s development, they made technology a focal point of their involvement. Because of the Magermans’ technology-related vision, the school was well-positioned to pivot to distance learning on Zoom when the pandemic hit and was able to do so while still maintaining a sense of the students and teachers being together, despite having to be physically apart.
Debra and David are extremely thankful that they ended up being part of the Kohelet community. Their desire that every parent should have a school that is appropriate for their children and that they want their children to attend is paramount, and while they believe that all our local schools are integral components to making this a “full-service community,” to them, Kohelet Yeshiva is the crowned jewel. They feel gratified that Kohelet families are proud of where their children go to school in an educational sense, in a physical plant sense, and in a community sense.
In their free time, Debra and David enjoy watching TV and movies, reading voraciously, and doing all types of puzzles. Debra also spends a lot of time on the internet, while David loves building Lego sets with his children.
The proud parents of Elijah (KY ’18), Zachary (KY ’20), Sydney (KY ’24), and Lexie (KY ’28), Debra and David were public school parents who ultimately became Jewish day school parents and they have not looked back since. In 2010, the Magermans formed the Kohelet Foundation, which focused on supporting and improving Jewish day school education.
The Magermans have been big supporters of not only Kohelet Yeshiva, but of all our local Jewish day schools, including Abrams Hebrew Academy, Caskey Torah Academy, Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, Kosloff Torah Academy High School for Girls, Perelman Jewish Day School, Politz Day School of Cherry Hill, Politz Hebrew Academy, and The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia.
As part of his ongoing effort to help further enhance the Lower Merion Jewish community’s status as a “full-service community,” David opened several restaurants, including Citron and Rose and The Dairy Café, as well as a catering company, with the intention of attracting new people to the area.
Debra and David volunteer their time and help support an array of Jewish community institutions, including Partners in Torah, Momentum, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Abramson Center for Jewish Life, Jewish Relief Agency, Yeshiva University, Jewish National Fund, and In His Image, which is a charity in Israel that supports orphans, widows, and families in need.
Furthermore, David is intimately involved in several projects with Koren Publishers which provide better resources for Jewish education, including the Koren Ani Tefilla Siddur series, the Koren Tanach in conjunction with Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt”l, and the Koren Magerman Youth Haggada.
The Magermans’ support of, and involvement with Kohelet Yeshiva is extraordinary. They bought the building in Lower Merion that became Stern Hebrew High School’s home. As he grew in his religious observance, David began thinking about a mission-driven Modern Orthodox school where he could see his youngest daughter attending and where he and Debra would feel comfortable. The Kohelet Foundation established the Yeshiva Lab School, with the hope that it would eventually become a full K-8 institution. They invested in the Lower Merion campus and developed the property to create a modern, thoughtfully designed school building that would be conducive to offering a progressive, cost-effective education.
As part of Debra and David’s investment in Kohelet Yeshiva’s development, they made technology a focal point of their involvement. Because of the Magermans’ technology-related vision, the school was well-positioned to pivot to distance learning on Zoom when the pandemic hit and was able to do so while still maintaining a sense of the students and teachers being together, despite having to be physically apart.
Debra and David are extremely thankful that they ended up being part of the Kohelet community. Their desire that every parent should have a school that is appropriate for their children and that they want their children to attend is paramount, and while they believe that all our local schools are integral components to making this a “full-service community,” to them, Kohelet Yeshiva is the crowned jewel. They feel gratified that Kohelet families are proud of where their children go to school in an educational sense, in a physical plant sense, and in a community sense.
In their free time, Debra and David enjoy watching TV and movies, reading voraciously, and doing all types of puzzles. Debra also spends a lot of time on the internet, while David loves building Lego sets with his children.