• OUR HONOREES •

DEBRA & SETH FINKEL

Longtime residents of Tenafly, Debra and Seth, along with their sons Jonathan, 29, and Jared, 26, have been congregants of Temple Emanu-El for 25 years. Jonathan and Jared had their Bar mitzvahs at Temple Emanu-El and are graduates of the religious school program. Debra and Seth have instilled in their children the importance of Tikkun Olam. In addition to supporting philanthropy as a family, Debra, Seth, Jonathan and Jared were hands-on volunteers rebuilding homes in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. They have also made a family tradition of preparing and serving Thanksgiving meals at Fountain House in the Bronx for those impacted by mental health challenges, and their families.

Seth is a nationally ranked Senior Wealth Advisor at Neuberger Berman, and a member of the Board of Directors of Neuberger Berman Trust Company. He has been serving on Temple Emanu-El’s Budget and Finance Committee for many years. Additionally, he is the Chair of the Advisory Council for Lehigh University’s Center for Financial Services, and the Vice Chair of the Board of the Reach Institute (an organization focusing on providing mental health assistance for children and adolescents). Debra is a retired attorney whose experience included insurance defense, corporate litigation, and commercial leasing law.

Debra and Seth are active in community philanthropy focusing on Jewish organizations, healthcare research, mental health support, financial literacy, funding sports programs in underserved communities, and Holocaust education, including establishing the Edith and Abraham Paris Holocaust Education Fund at Temple Emanu-El in memory of Debra’s parents, both of whom survived the Holocaust.

Consistent with their passion for travel, Debra and Seth have, individually and together, joined 9 Temple Emanu-El trips, including the most recent solidarity mission to Israel following the massacres of October 7. Their commitment to Judaism and Jewish values has been significantly enhanced and strengthened as a result of all they have seen and learned on these missions, and by Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner’s superb leadership and friendship. They are profoundly grateful for the sense of community provided by Temple Emanu-El and for the opportunity to be part of something greater than themselves.

AMELIA GOLD & BRIAN BENSON

Amelia Gold hails from Englewood, NJ. She received a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Juilliard School. Amelia is currently the Associate Head of School and Director for the Arts at The Elisabeth Morrow School where she has taught and led for the past 31 years. She follows the great examples set by her parents, Dr. Arnold, and Dr. Sandra Gold. Her mother was the President of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, the Founder of the JCC Thurnauer School of Music, the President of the Jewish Home at Rockleigh and helped lead more Jewish organizations than can be listed! Together, her parents founded the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

Amelia is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bergen Performing Arts Center and is the co-chair of the education committee and was appointed by the Governor as a trustee of The NJ Cultural Trust. She co-founded with her husband Brian, the Associates Committee of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and has been honored for her work with children by the Anti-Defamation League, Bergen Family Center, The Women’s Rights and Information Center, the Urban Children’s Music Project, and the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey.

Dr. Brian Benson is Amelia Gold’s husband of 28 years. They have four children – Joshua, Mikayla, Noah, and Rebecca. Originally, Brian trained as a classical trumpet player at The Julliard School of Music. Subsequently he performed as the Principal Trumpet of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel. He then transitioned from music to medicine. Brian is currently an Ear, Nose, & Throat Surgeon who serves as the Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and is the Founding Chair of Otolaryngology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

Amelia and Brian celebrated their Aufruf at Temple Emanu-El in Englewood in 1995. All four Benson children were named in the Temple, attended the Religious School, and celebrated their B’nai Mitzvahs at Temple Emanu-El. In addition, the children have all studied string instruments since the age of three and now perform together with Amelia and Brian as The Benson6.

AUDREY & ANDREW KENT

Audrey and Andrew Kent have been members of Temple Emanu-El for nine years and live in Tenafly with their three children Eli, 14, Maya, 12, and Noah, 8.

Audrey and Andrew have been actively involved in our community focusing their attention on various Jewish organizations including Temple Emanu-El, Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, JFCS, AIPAC and JNF. They also have a passion for supporting public health and food security in supporting Englewood Health, Center for Food Action and Community Food Bank of NJ.

Their involvement with and commitment to the Temple Emanu-El congregation ranges from providing food for our Mishloach Manot Purim baskets, giving the High Holiday appeal in 2020, helping in the search for a new Rabbi, traveling to Israel with 100 members of our congregation, actively engaging with the board and helping to oversee the strategic planning committee for our future development. They help raise awareness about important causes and hope to teach their children about ways to engage, volunteer and lead within the Jewish community.

Professionally, Audrey is a certified Speech Language Pathologist in New York and New Jersey and the Director of Play To Achieve, a multidisciplinary therapy group. She supports preschool and school-aged children in the areas of speech and language development and executive functioning.

Andrew is an Executive Vice President of Glass Gardens Inc. representing the third generation of ownership of an Essential Retail family business. Andrew also serves as Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Food Council, membership officer of YPO Garden State Chapter and holds various leadership roles at Wakefern Food Corp. including Chairman of the Government Relations committee.

Audrey and Andrew, along with their children, are grateful for the many ways Temple Emanu-El has supported their family. Not only has it been a place for their family to celebrate, learn about, and engage in Jewish traditions, but it has provided comfort, adventure, and friendship. The Kents are proud to serve the congregation and humbled by this honor.

• JOURNAL •