From the honorees

“We moved to Sharon in the summer of 2019. After living on the Upper East Side for three years, we chose to relocate to Sharon for Marti's fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. After bumping into our close friends, Moshe and Rachel Klausner, on Simchat Torah on the UES, we learned about SHAS and the amazing Sharon community. Landing in SHAS and Sharon was a true beshert.

We immediately fell in love with SHAS and Sharon. Other than being hit by a car and a global pandemic, the first year was a great success. The school began to grow, and the stroller parking lot at shul began to fill up. As Marti finished her 3-year fellowship, we knew we wanted to stay in Sharon, and we were thrilled for Jordan to sign his second contract to remain at the school. We navigated all of the stages of COVID, and the school continued to grow and expand. We transformed The Yaakov Spellman Early Learning Center, increased informal programming, and focused on community building and engagement. 

Now in year 7, we have nothing but love for our Sharon family. We love the intergenerational friendships that we have. Not only do we cross age lines, we defy any barriers in this community. Jordan has been involved in everything from Mishmar to basketball to Tot Shabbat. Marti has been a scholar in residence for Young Israel, has helped volunteer for PTO, and has been SHAS's biggest cheerleader throughout. 

Our greatest joy is that three of our children have gotten to share in the SHAS magic. We adore the teachers at SHAS. We have been blessed to work with supportive boards, and we cannot say enough about what this community means to us! 

This year, SHAS is the biggest tzedakah that we will be giving to, and we hope that you will join us!”

From the SHAS community

We feel so blessed to have had the pleasure of having the Soffers join our SHAS family, and the honor of having Rabbi Soffer as our Head of School. The face of SHAS, Rabbi Soffer embodies true “Shassyness.” Not your average Head of School, he is a friend - both to students, to staff and to members of the greater community. He is someone people feel comfortable opening up to about anything, as he always responds with kindness and insightful feedback, and he never judges; he creates a culture of “yes.” 

We are so proud of Rabbi Soffer for everything he has done during his 6 and a half years at SHAS. From revamping the The Yaakov Spellman Early Learning Center, (now Shorashim: Yaakov Spellman Early Learning Center, a program that SHAS parents are deeply grateful for), to writing his weekly Shavua b’SHAS letters from the heart, to approaching his job as a passion and a calling, Rabbi Soffer has consistently shown up as a mensch, a leader and a friend.

We will miss you, Soffers! We will always consider you family. We treasure the time we shared, and we wish you the best of luck in your new adventures ahead. Don’t be strangers!