Having grown up with parents who were super involved in their shuls, communities and Jewish education, Aaron and Shira came to Cherry Hill looking for a Jewish community where they could get involved. In their words, they wanted a shul that was “large enough that you could go away for Shabbos and not worry about them not not having a minyan, but small enough that they’ll notice you’re gone.” Arriving in Cherry Hill on Labor Day weekend of 2014, they immediately felt they’d found their place. It didn’t take long for them to jump into Young Israel life.
Shira grew up in Jamaica Estates, Queens. Her father, Jesse Rosenbaum, served as president of Young Israel of Jamaica Estates multiple time and led that shul through multiple expansions. Shira's mother, Lydia, served terms as Young Israel of Jamaica Estate's youth director and, together with her father, founded Yeshiva Education for Special Students (YESS). Shira attended Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central), Orot Israel Seminary and received undergraduate degrees from NYU (a BFA in film and television production) and Pace University (a BS in nursing). Growing up, she was heavily involved in Bnei Akiva and the Bronfman Center Hillel at NYU. In 2013, Shira earned an MSN in Midwifery from SUNY Downstate. Upon arriving in Cherry Hill, she quickly found a position at Advocare: The Women’s Group for OB/GYN. To date, she has delivered almost 300 babies (including a few of Young Israel’s youngest members). She served as a Young Israel Board Member from 2015-2016 and currently volunteers for the Chevre Kadisha and the YICH Youth Committee.
Aaron grew up in Brooklyn, where his father was gabbai of the Flatbush Minyan and his mother serves as a board member of the Talmud Torah of Flatbush. Aaron went to Rambam Mesivta for high school, learned at Sha’alvim and Derech Etz Chaim in Israel before college, earned his undergraduate degree in English from YU and a Masters in Urban Planning from Harvard. A lifelong advocate for the arts in Jewish life, Aaron served on the board of the Jewish arts journal Mima’amakim before co-founding the Yeshiva Poetry Society, which runs a competitive poetry slam league for yeshiva high school students. Shortly after coming to Cherry Hill, Aaron followed in the footsteps of his father by becoming a gabbai, and his father-in-law by becoming the Chair of the Young Israel Building Committee. He also serves on the Politz Board. Aaron works as School Operations Manager at the Thomas H. Dudley Family School in Camden, where he is working to fulfill the Camden Commitment to ensure that all Camden students are enrolled in excellent schools that address their unique needs.
Aaron and Shira appreciate Young Israel of Cherry Hill as a home to those who like to “pray hard and play hard”; a place that attracts people to its quiet davening, vibrant social Kiddush, and strong family atmosphere. It is also a supportive network of people who care for one another and help each other out when in need. It is their hope to pass their passion for building Jewish community to their three spirited children, Avichai, Kayla, and Betzalel.
