Amy Siegel
President
Amy Siegel brings many years of temple leadership experience to her role as President of B’nai Torah MetroWest. Amy served as co-president of Congregation B’nai Torah with her husband Matt, Co-Chair of the Membership Committee, and President of the Sisterhood for ten years. Amy received the prestigious Louisa Munzer Humanitarian Award in recognition of her efforts to build community in her numerous roles, including coordination of the Children’s High Holiday Services, the temple’s annual Chanukah celebration, the temple’s annual Adult Social, numerous Social Action initiatives, and weekly Mah Jongg and Canasta games which engaged numerous temple members for many years. Amy is passionate about building community and looks forward to nurturing and supporting B’nai Torah MetroWest in its inaugural years.
Robin Berman
Treasurer
Robin was an active member of Congregation B’nai Torah for over 20 years and looks forward to following a similar path at BTM. Robin was CBT’s Executive Director and Administrator for seven years and a member of the congregation for approximately 25 years. As the Temple’s Executive Director, Robin wore many hats—overseeing all of CBT’s daily operations, Member Services, Facilities and Maintenance, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting, and Events and Operations. She plans to use the knowledge and experience gained from her tenure as Executive Director to help BTM become an established and vibrant community.
When she isn’t working on temple-related matters, Robin works as the Business Office Director at the Carriage House at Lee’s Farm in Wayland.
Stephanie Strachman
Secretary
Stephanie and her husband, Jeff, live in Sudbury along with their two teenage children, Alex and Elana, and dog, Brody. During the school year, she teaches Pre-K at the Gan Elohim Early Learning Center in Wellesley. Stephanie and her family were members of Congregation B’nai Torah for 12 years, and she served on the Board for 11 of those years, first as the VP of Education and then as the Secretary. She also taught Kindergarten and first grade at the CBT religious school for several years. Stephanie looks forward to serving on the Board of the newly formed B’nai Torah Metrowest.
Jan Binus
Member-at-large
Jan and her family were members of Congregation B’nai Torah for twenty-five years. During that time she served on the Board of Directors for several years as chair of the School Committee for the Hebrew School. She also served as Interim Education Director for the two years prior to the tenure of the most recent rabbi. Jan enjoyed a forty-year career in public education serving as a teacher, Elementary School Principal, and Director of Special Education. She also taught at the university level preparing graduate students for a career in education. Jan and her husband live in Sudbury and have an adult daughter who lives in the Boston area. She looks forward to working with the other Board members of B’nai Torah MetroWest as the new congregation grows and develops.
John Ehrmann
Member-at-large
Jon Ehrmann is a life-long New Englander and longtime member of the B’nai Torah community having previously served as a Board member and Chair of the Ritual Committee for many years. Professionally, Jon is an optical system design specialist for medical and commercial laser-based systems. An avid photographer, Jon’s nature and wildlife work provides the opportunity for mindful reflection and appreciation of our world.
Elissa Nystedt
Member-at-large
Elissa is a 20-year continuing member of B’nai Torah. Her daughter attended Hebrew School and celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in 2009. At the temple, Elissa served on the Rabbi Selection Committee and has participated in the Sisterhood and other adult education activities. Professionally Elissa is a Corporate Recruiter, currently working for a $1B high-tech company in Waltham. Elissa lives in Wayland, MA, with her husband, Barry. You can often find them enjoying weekends at their condo in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Terri Smith
Member-at-large
Terri and her husband Jay live in Natick and were members of Congregation B’nai Torah for over 25 years. Terri is retired after working more than 40 years as a Human Resources professional. In her spare time, Terri enjoys taking care of her grandson, traveling, reading, and playing golf, and she is learning how to play pickleball! Terri is known to her friends and co-workers as “the organizer” and is always planning something fun to do! Terri participated in and helped organize many Sisterhood activities with CBT and looks forward to planning events and leading the BTM Women’s Network in the years to come.
Orna Sonnenschein
Member-at-large
Orna is director of the Jewish Learning Collaborative of Metrowest (JLCMW), a community Hebrew School composed of students from B’nai Torah MetroWest, Congregation Or Atid of Wayland, and Temple Beth Sholom of Framingham. She began teaching Hebrew school in 1992 after returning home from a year in Israel, and she has been involved in Jewish education ever since. After receiving her master’s in NEJS at Brandeis University she worked as an assistant principal with Rabbi Cheri Koller-Fox in Cambridge. She then became the Education Director at Temple Beth Am in Framingham where she worked for 10 years. Since then, Orna has worked as the director of education at a Reconstructionist congregation in West Roxbury and as the Director of Elementary Education at Temple Israel in Boston. She also served as Congregation B’nai Torah’s Bmitzvah tutor for many years.