Linda Dayan

To say that designing a home is not an easy process would be to state the obvious. In the beginning every room feels like a hurdle to cross, and every corner requires deep thought. After designating what room serves which purpose it is important to think of design. What feelings are you aiming for the house to give off? Would you like it to feel more modern or traditional? More clean or warm? Would you like for the entire home to share a color scheme or would you prefer that each room has its own character? Are you looking more at deep blues or faint yellows? It’s fun to map out but easy to be overwhelmed by everything. And this is without mentioning the hardware! Gold, silver, or copper? Marble or metal? Every choice is carefully thought out. Every choice impacts the future of your home. This is especially true when considering a newly built foundation, and deciding what fixtures would not just look best, but would work best for the home. A lot goes into transforming an empty structure into a livable home, and Home and Stone has been aiding all who need this since 1984. 

Expertise Coupled with Honesty

Home and Stone provides luxury products for one’s bathroom, kitchen, and hardware needs. The store also offers a wide array of cabinet and tile options. Almost everything the store provides is available to be seen and felt at their showroom in Brooklyn. When collaborating with Home and Stone a visit to the show room is a must. It is one thing to view a product in a catalogue and another to touch it. However, what is special about the Home and Stone showroom is the expertise of the team. The store has been open since 1984, and in those years the team has been carefully curated to include staff with the insight and experience to discern what product best fits a client’s needs and vision. Highly trusted brands may not always put out highly reliable items, and it is Home and Stones’ specialty to recognize which products these may be. 

Along with expertise, the showroom offers honesty. It is made clear that you are not purchasing a fixture from a seller but are working with an expert to find exactly what it is that you need. If a part was lost on an old piece, someone will be there to help find what works best as a replacement. And if something new is needed someone will be available to help decide what is right for your home. The team at the showroom is dedicated to finding pieces that are both beautiful and reliable. We believe that aesthetics should not be sacrificed for durability, and durability should not be sacrificed for aesthetics and so Home and Stone will only recommend products that accommodate both your artistic vision and practical functionality.  

First Class Experience

The Home and Stone team members are experts in their field; experts focused on providing the best service possible to all. The store’s promise is simple: “From concept to completion, we’re dedicated to providing a seamless, first-class experience.” This experience begins the second you walk into the room but does not end once you walk out. The store prides itself on being with clients from start to finish of the journey. Whether it is buying a hardware set or a singular door knob, Home and Stone will be with you all the way. But what does this mean? How can a luxury experience extend outside of the purchase and  installation? It’s simple, it means being with the customer all through the delivery process. For example, if someone was building a new home for the summer they would need to order a lot of items, and with big orders comes the fear that not everything will make it. In a new home every detail counts.

It is not easy to live in a home that has everything but the kitchen sink. Tiles, tubs, handles, mirrors, hinges, and knobs are equally as important to the home as beds, couches, carpets, and curtains. One thing slipping through the cracks is not always easy to remedy, and oftentimes it is a struggle to track and acquire that item. But not through Home and Stone. Home and Stone has been working with advanced digital tracking systems when many others were still relying on paper. The shipping system is airtight. When something leaves the warehouse it is logged when it has left and where it is enroute to. Every detail of the shipping process is documented. Once an item leaves the warehouse to be shipped it is easily accounted for up until the moment it reaches your doorstep. Should a client want to track a package the entire way it would be very easy, as its location is constantly available. This is because Home and Stone believes in a seamless experience from start to finish. The diligent shipping process is done with utmost care and speaks of the company’s dedication to its clients and its word. 

Accommodating Glitches

In the case of building a home, often things do not go perfectly according to schedule. Completion of a house can sometimes be put on hold by weather, or injuries, or a whole list of other things you would never imagine until it happens. For example, if a house was meant to be ready by May and completion had to be pushed off to July due to delays, and your delivery was scheduled for May, what then? Home and Stone offers a solution. Any package may be held for as long is needed. If it’s two, three, four months it makes no difference. Until the house is ready for installation nothing will be delivered. Clients have no need to stress that their fixtures will be left on a doorstep with no door. There is also the absence of financial stress. We hold orders at no extra cost to our clients. Part of the luxury experience promised is the knowledge that once the items are purchased Home and Stone will do everything possible to get you your items on time and intact, whether that delivery is at the time or later than expected. To add extra fees would contradict the promise of a first-class experience. For us, it is important for the client to feel taken care of. We would hate to add to the many stresses of creating and finishing a new home. 

Making A House A Home

Home and Stone is well versed in what it takes to make a house a home. It is a long and challenging process but the team understands it is also a journey of joy and wonder. Many who walk in are either creating a home for the first time or have been anticipating renovations for a while. The experience is exciting. At Home and Stone, there is experience threaded into every recommendation made, there is care woven in the way those on the floor understand the person’s vision, and there is diligence in the meticulous process in which everything is finally completed. The service provided by the Home and Stone team is one that tells clients that their excitement is shared. That this is not just a job, but is an experience shared by both client and expert. The team understands that for many, walking through the doors of the showroom is a crucial step in a monumental part of their lives, so the team strives to match the importance of the moment with excellence. 

Pnina Souid

The Mitzvah Man relayed a story recently that is just one example of the special siyata d’Shmaya he and his hundreds of volunteers experience on a regular basis.

The Mitzvah Man picked up the hotline one day to find a nearly hysterical woman named Annie at the other end of the line. She was crying so hard it was difficult to understand her.

He patiently helped her to calm down and reassured her that, with Hashem’s help, he would be able to help her.

A Wedding in Danger

After a few long moments Annie told her story. Her daughter’s wedding date was only two weeks away. Annie and her husband have done everything they could to save up for a modest affair, but they were hit very hard financially by the pandemic. The caterer is demanding $5,000 right away or he will cancel. He will not accept late payment. Annie was terrified that this dreamed-of wedding may be cancelled.

“First, don’t worry,” the Mitzvah Man said. “Hashem protects the hatan and kallah. The wedding will not be cancelled. How much you need to reach $5,000?”

Annie burst into tears again. “We had so many other expenses. We don’t even have anything left to pay the caterer $5,000.I think he means it when he says he will cancel the wedding.” ”

The Mitzvah told Annie not to worry. Although $5,000 was not a small sum, he would do his best. He went on to ask what else they needed.

Annie hesitated. She hated to ask for more, but they were in desperate need of a disc jockey. They were not asking for a band or even one musician. But the kalla had dreamed of a lively wedding since she was a little girl, and even a DJ was beyond their means.

The Mitzvah Man assured Annie that he and his team would do their best, so her daughter could have the lively wedding she was hoping for and deserved.

As the Mitzvah Man hung up the phone he put in a prayer, and asked Hashem to help him to get Annie to get everything she needed. He has learned from years of hesed work that one always needs Divine Providence, and the more emunah and bitachon he has, the more Hashem provides.

Side by Side Miracles

The day after Annie called, one of the Mitzvah Man’s business clients called. “I just made a fantastic real estate deal. The ma’aser from the deal is $5,000. I want to give it to help make a wedding for a needy bride.”

The Mitzvah Man was stunned. He told Jerry about Annie’s call. She needed exactly $5,000 for the caterer.

Jerry, repeated that this money must go only to help make a wedding for a needy bride.

“Jerry,” the Mitzvah Man said, “I just got the call yesterday. You will be doing a phenomenal mitzvah. You are not just giving tzedaka. You are fulfilling the mitzvah of being m’samayach hatan v’ kallah! This brings you tremendous merit. And, honestly, I am in awe of Hashem, because He responded to the tears of the kallah’s mother and pulled all the strings.”

Jerry gave the Mitzvah Man the address of his office in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and told him to come the next day for the check.

After speaking with Jerry, the Mitzvah Man called Annie to tell her that the $5,000 was on its way. She was speechless. Then, she thanked the Mitzvah Man profusely. She was embarrassed to ask for more, but in a quiet voice she enquired about the DJ. He told her that was not yet arranged, but he had not forgotten.

The next day the Mitzvah Man went to Jerry’s office, which was located on the second floor. After collecting the check from Jerry, the Mitzvah Man noticed an entertainment center on the first floor. He didn’t pay much attention to it, and left the building. On his way to the car he heard someone calling him. “Are you Mike Cohen from Mitzvah Man?” the fellow asked. The Mitzvah Man responded affirmatively.

The man told him that he recognized him and wanted to offer his DJ services free of charge for any needy bride’s wedding.

The Mitzvah Man stopped in his tracks. What a beautiful exhibit of Divine Intervention – “two for one!” Annie was overwhelmed with gratitude, to the Mitzvah Man, the donors, and especially to Hashem.

QUESTION: 

Dear Rabbi Ali,

I hear so much about communication, and how it’s the key to a successful marriage. I completely understand that and I try to communicate with my husband. The problem is that most of the time he either shuts down or gets defensive. It seems like he is not capable of having a conversation. Does this mean that I have lost that tool of communication and have to accept it?

R’ Ali’s Response: 

I mention this often, but it’s worth repeating. It’s wonderful when people reach out for help. Most people will try to wing it or accept something that should not or does not need to be accepted. I commend you for reaching out.

I’d like to elaborate on the topic of communication before I give you some practical advice. You mention that a lot of marriage talk is focused on communication. There are many reasons for this. Number one, talking to your spouse is a way to connect. Whether it is expressing how you feel about them or is about a situation, or apologizing for hurtful words (please take this one seriously), communication is crucial for connecting to your spouse. Second, there are many things that need to be discussed.

Topics might concern your children, schools, parents, in-laws, finances, vacations, tuition – the list goes on and on. These things need to be discussed. In addition to the issues being important, many times the husband and wife have differing opinions. Interestingly, many people feel that they will just do things the way they like and their spouse should just go along. This is a mistake. There is so much to talk about, and dismissing addressing issues with, “I’m not good at communication,” is unhealthy and unproductive. 

Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that many people have a hard time communicating. However, I also understand that many people have anger issues. Often anger issues are addressed while lack of communication is not. Obviously, the comparison is a bit extreme. However, both issues can be harmful to a relationship and need to be addressed.

Many people tell me that they do not communicate well, and they would like some advice on how to communicate better. I have a few ideas that work most of the time.

Number one, if you have a more shy, reserved nature, let your spouse know that. Tell them that you realize you are not so great at communicating but you are trying. If there is anything that can make communicating easier for you, let your spouse know. Some people talk better while on a walk, on the phone, or through texting. I know couples who communicate through email!

Whatever it takes to get the ball rolling, try it.

Number two, it is very likely that you do know how to communicate, however, you are very sensitive (or just human). And when your spouse approaches you with emotions, you become fearful of how they will react (due to the many past reactions). Let them know this: “I want to communicate more. But I need to be able to speak freely.”

Lastly, try to set times for important discussions. Many people are very easygoing and abhor serious conversations. If you have time for serious conversations, it can feel like just another chore that you need to do for the relationship and or for the family.

Getting back to your original question, what can you do with a spouse who has a hard time communicating? You can speak to a third party who will be honest with you and try to detect if the problem is rooted in the way you approach your spouse. Maybe you’re too aggressive (unintentionally). There are so many ways to gently approach a topic. Also, as I’ve mentioned, you can set times to speak about important topics. 

And one more thing – many people shut down because conversations go in circles. If this is what’s happening, it makes sense that your spouse has a hard time communicating. My advice would be to think about all of these variables, try to detect if any apply to you, and talk it over with a third party for clarity. 

Since President Trump’s January 2025 inauguration to a second term, the president’s policies have been met with both applause and criticism. His intention is to recalibrate American power abroad and security at home, in ways that many argue are directly relevant to Jewish safety, U.S.-Israel ties, and the fight against anti-Semitic violence and terror.

American Jews are not the only ones watching this second Trump term with a wary eye and a running tally. In Israel, the conversations regarding Trump’s actions are strikingly similar.

Tal Rabina Weighs In

“Trump is the one who brought the hostages [home] alive, and for that he has a place of honor in Israeli history,” noted Tal Rabina, who has a reputation as one of Israel’s most reliable media professionals. Rabina is the Strategic Director for the American Middle East Press Association and is the Strategic Director and head of the Israel office of EJA, the European Jewish Association.

“In Israel, of course, they cherish his [Trump’s] determined fight against pro-Palestinian incitement on campuses, but beyond that, and only after that, do they wonder who he really is, what his motivations are, and especially what he will demand from Bibi in exchange for his personal support. Why does he embrace (Turkey’s) Erdogan so much, and to what extent will his business interests in Qatar – the instigator of institutionalized incitement against Israel in the world – demand prices from Israel that will be difficult for us to pay? I assume that, as in any other place in the world, when it comes to Trump, there are many more questions than answers.”

Focus on Results

Those questions about motives and high price tags for Trump’s programs sit alongside a debate over the president’s performance. Putting aside questions about Trump’s character and his intentions some choose to focus on whether the president has made good on his promises.

“If twenty years in the business sector have taught me anything, it’s that what separates the winners and the losers is execution,” Hillel Fuld told Community. Fuld is a former New Yorker, in Israel many years. He is a strategic business consultant and is an online political advocate. “Trump’s first year brought with it an unprecedented number of accomplishments and, unlike previous presidents, Trump doesn’t just talk, he puts his money where his mouth is and executes.”

Agricultural Trade with Israel

In December 2025, Trump signed a proclamation titled “To Implement the United States-Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products and for Other Purposes,” implementing a bilateral arrangement to expand agricultural trade with Israel. The move deepens sectorspecific economic integration, giving Israeli producers preferential access to the vast U.S. market while offering American consumers and kosher food chains more Israeli products on American shelves.

For Jews and for Israel, this kind of trade policy is not just about chickpeas; it is a statement that the U.S.-Israel relationship is incorporated into everyday commercial ties.

Combatting Terror Groups

In November 2025, Trump issued an action designating certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The order directs U.S. authorities to treat specified Brotherhood entities as part of the global terror infrastructure, tightening sanctions, travel restrictions, and financial controls against them.

For Jews who have watched Brotherhoodlinked movements traffic in anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement against Israel, this step signals that ideological hostility crossing into operational support for violence will face real costs.

TikTok

In September 2025, the White House unveiled a policy framed as “Saving TikTok While Protecting National Security,” an attempt to keep the wildly popular platform operating in the United States while imposing new safeguards on data, ownership, and algorithmic control. The action pairs pressure on foreign owners and data flows with a message to young Americans that Washington is not seeking a blanket ban but rather seeks to promote a secure, Americancontrolled version of the app.

TikTok is known for virulent anti-Semitic content, tropes, and rhetoric. For Jewish users, particularly teens and campus activists who rely on TikTok for advocacy around anti-Semitism and Israel, the new policy raises a dual set of stakes. On the one hand, tightening foreign influence over the platform could reduce hostile information operations and disinformation campaigns that have fueled harassment and conspiracy theories about Jews. On the other hand, any restructuring of content moderation and recommendation systems will shape how Jewish stories, from October 7 to synagogue life, are surfaced or buried in the digital square.

Focus on Threats on U.S. Soil and UN Organizations

By June 2025, Trump followed his January immigration security moves with a proclamation titled “Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” issued June 3, 2025. Building on an earlier executive order, this action narrows visa eligibility and travel for categories of foreign nationals deemed highrisk, instructing agencies to reassess visa programs, screening, and derogatory information sharing.

Jewish organizations have long walked a fine line on such policies: keenly aware that many jihadist plotters and extremist preachers arrive via legal travel channels, but also mindful of the Jewish experience as refugees and migrants. For some, these orders represent overdue rigor in keeping out those who preach anti-Semitic hatred or glorify attacks on Jews. For others, they require tight oversight to ensure that lifesaving asylum and family reunification are not collateral damage.​

In February 2025, Trump signed an action titled, “Withdrawing the United States from and Ending Funding to Certain United Nations Organizations and Reviewing United States Support to All International Organizations.” The measure directs the administration to pull out of and defund the UNHRC (UN Human Rights Council), UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) and UNWRA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East). These organizations have been recognized as structurally biased against the United States and its allies, including Israel. After decades of onesided resolutions against Israel at the UN Human Rights Council and other bodies, this measure is longawaited.

White House Faith Office

In February 2025, the president announced appointments to a renewed White House Faith Office, designed to systematize engagement with religious communities, including Jewish organizations. The appointments signal an intent to consult faith leaders on issues from anti-Semitism policy to school safety and international religious freedom, embedding religious perspectives inside the policymaking process.

Jewish groups often struggle to have their concerns about hate crimes, campus harassment, or threats to synagogues translated into federal action. So, for many the renewed Faith Office was welcome, and those in favor believe that the new office can be a crucial conduit. It also sends a broader cultural signal that Judaism is recognized within the American tapestry not only as an ethnic or national identity, but as a religious voice that deserves a seat at the table when Washington debates morality, security, and freedom.​

Houthis Labeled as Terrorists

On January 22, 2025, Trump issued Executive Order 14175, “Designation of Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” initiating a process that led the State Department to redesignate the Houthis as an FTO and sanction key leaders. The order cites Houthi attacks that threaten American personnel and international shipping, as well as the group’s ties to Iran and their targeting of civilians.

Houthi missiles and drones have been fired toward Israel, and the group explicitly calls for death to Jews. By restoring terror designations Trump framed the move as aligning U.S. law with the reality of a group whose ideology and actions directly menace Israel and Jewish lives.

Restricting Entry to the US

Two related documents in January 2025 – an executive order “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” dated January 20, 2025, and the subsequent June 3rd entryrestriction proclamation define an overarching security doctrine at the border. The January order instructs agencies to reassess grounds of inadmissibility, toughen refugee and visa vetting, reviews deficient countries, and led to travel bans on nationals from a number of specific countries including Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen.

For many Jews, whose synagogues and community centers have increasingly become targets, the focus on keeping out foreign extremists is welcome.

One Big Beautiful Bill Act

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law July 4^th, 2025, contains an enormous defense and national security package, including roughly $150 billion in new defense spending including billions for shipbuilding, munitions, a proposed Golden Dome missile defense system, nuclear deterrence, IndoPacific operations, and military innovation in drones and artificial intelligence. For the Jewish community many were concerned by the bill’s massive cuts to Medicare ($1 trillion), projected to remove health coverage from 78 million Americans, and make millions more uninsured. But the bill also includes defense expenditures that can prove important for us including missile defense research, the deterrence of Iran and its proxies, and keeping vital sea lanes open whose closure might otherwise threaten Israeli security.

At the border, the law injects roughly $170 billion into security: wall construction, detention capacity, technology, and a dramatic expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, aimed at deporting up to one million people each year and making ICE the single most heavily funded law enforcement agency. For voters who prioritize strong borders as a defense against terrorists and transnational terrorist networks, these are welcome commitments.​ Others find the measures draconian.

Israel-Iran War

The brief Iran-Israel war of June 2025 began when Israel launched a large, coordinated air operation against key Iranian nuclear and missile facilities that posed an imminent existential threat. Iran responded with more than 500 ballistic missiles and approximately 1,000 attack drones directed at Israeli cities, energy infrastructure, and military bases. Tehran’s strikes also threatened U.S. assets and wider regional stability, raising fears in Washington, Gulf capitals, and European governments of a wider regional war.

The United States intervened directly, using stealth bombers and cruise missiles to hit deeply buried Iranian nuclear sites at Natanz, Fordow, and around Isfahan. U.S. forces also helped intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones, effectively backstopping Israel’s defenses and signaling that Washington would not allow Iran to reset the strategic balance in its favor through missile terror or nuclear brinkmanship. The combined IsraeliU.S. strikes badly damaged parts of Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure and triggered retaliatory fire on a U.S. base in Qatar before a U.S.brokered ceasefire halted the war after twelve days.

Defense and Security

For Jews, one of the most striking elements is the embrace of advanced missile defense concepts like a Golden Dome, echoing Israel’s Iron Dome and signaling that lessons from Israel’s layered defense are feeding back into U.S. doctrine. The strategy’s emphasis on deterring Iran, hardening alliances, and rejecting “fruitless ‘nationbuilding’ wars” reflects a worldview in which American power is meant to be sharp, targeted, and overwhelming – an approach that many proIsrael advocates see as essential to containing regimes and militias openly dedicated to Israel’s destruction.

Taken together, these actions and doctrines describe a presidency that has invested heavily in a particular version of security: tougher borders, louder deterrence, deeper skepticism of hostile international bodies, and more explicit alignment with Israel’s security concerns. For American Jews, the stakes are immediate – from terror designations that constrain groups firing missiles at Israel, to UN funding cuts that challenge institutions long accused of antiIsrael bias, to trade deals and faithoffice appointments that pull Jewish life and Israeli partnership closer into the American mainstream.

Harley Lippman

Long Island-raised Harley Lippman is the founder and CEO of Genesis 10, a consulting firm. He serves on the boards of many businesses, educational, and cultural organizations and is an Executive Committee Member of AIPAC. Lippman believes that President Trump has brought a blanket of security and assistance to Israel.

“I would give President Trump very high marks in the first-year presidency,” Lippman said, citing tangible real results, including the hostage deal and brokering a ceasefire with Hamas, and secondly, Iran. “Not only did the United States give Israel the green light to attack Iran,” Lippman said, “but more importantly, America jumped in with Israel, to bomb the nuclear reactors. That’s extremely important.” Lippman also noted Iranians were able to stage a new revolution of late partly because they were emboldened by the U.S. and Israel’s actions.

Look to the Future

“What to watch out for?” Lippman asked. “Trump has to stay in the game. He has to make sure he continues to execute and to guarantee that his initiatives are ultimately successful. He needs to stay focused and disciplined… But Trump is feared. Trump is respected,” Lippman said.

Since his swearingin last January, Trump’s secondterm record reflects an effort to craft policies that include defending Israel’s security, confronting anti-Semitism, confronting terror, and building a military and border posture intended to keep Jews – and Americans – safer at home and abroad. Whatever one’s politics, the Jewish community will need to study, understand, and be aware of how these policies affect them, because the president’s policies will influence Jewish security, sovereignty, and moral debates in the years to come.

Ellen Geller Kamaras

“What lights me up? As a nurse, helping people especially in their hardest moments.  Personally, staying grounded and supporting friends and family, raising a family that can add to our amazing community, and supporting my husband, a rabbi, in his awesome work.  It’s a kiddush Hashem, being a successful hard-working Jewish mom in a mostly non-Jewish environment.”  –  Renee

Please meet Renee Tawil, nurse, wife, mother, and a dedicated community member.  Renee is also the sister-in-law of Rachel Tawil Abraham who was featured in this column in July 2021.   

Roots 

Born to Rozie Shamah and David Steinberg, Renee grew up in Brooklyn as the third of four children. The siblings are still very close. 

The Steinberg family followed Sephardic traditions as Rozie is Syrian-Sephardic and David is one half-Ashkenaz but grew up in the Syrian community.  

A very social and creative child, Renee studied at Magen David Yeshiva from elementary through high school.  She became a serious student in 11^th grade when she set her sights on becoming a nurse.   

Although she wasn’t interested in academics in her early years, Renee loved being in the spotlight and overseeing science and dance projects.  As a sixth grader, she won the National Young Inventors Competition.   Renee would get tired carrying luggage on family vacations and she created a suitcase with a chair that folds back.  

As teenagers, Renee and her friends ran dance classes and plays for younger children.   This experience, organizing children’s programming for pay, demonstrated Renee’s early business acumen. 

Intro to Medicine

During eleventh grade, Renee loved training for her EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification.  “I was always interested in medicine and thought: how can I turn the EMT into a career?”  Renee researched nursing and decided that being a nurse would fulfill her interest in medicine and would satisfy her desire to help the community and positively impact society. 

“I also love being different and creating my own path and nursing was a great way to do this.”  And, this career path would make her parents proud.  Once Renee chose nursing, she buckled down with her studies. She was very driven, focused, and determined to achieve her goal. 

Staying close to home, Renee enrolled in the Kingsborough College nursing program and received her Associate Degree in Applied Science and her Registered Nurse (RN) license.  She obtained her bachelor’s degree online from Chamberlain College and her master’s in nursing from the University of Phoenix. 

Then Came Marriage 

Renee met her naseeb at an MDY Shabbaton. David Tawil, three years older, was an alumni, and Renee was a senior advisor at the event.  David was also friends with Renee’s brother.  

On their first date, David told Renee that he remembered that she had won the Young Inventors Competition. He was at the contest as his younger brother was Renee’s age. “David was enamored by the idea of my becoming a nurse and called me ‘Renee RN.’” 

The two were married the following year after Renee completed her freshman year of college.  Their first child was born during her second year at Kingsborough during winter break. David, her parents, and in-laws were very supportive of Renee’s nursing career. This gave her hizuk, keeping her motivated. 

Inspired by Hacham Ovadia Yosef, zt”l.  David became a rabbi. He serves as the Head Rabbi of Bet Rachel Synagogue (Larchwood Avenue Shul) and teaches Humash, Navi, and Gemara at Hillel Yeshiva High School.

The Tawils live in West Long Branch and have six children, ranging from two to fourteen.  

Renee’s Essence 

Renee is both a take-charge and hard-working person. She is positive, organized, passionate, and is a team player.  Personality-wise Renee is outgoing, friendly, creative, bright, and super energetic. In her current role as Cath Lab nurse manager, her leadership and team building skills shine through. 

Role Models 

Renee credits her parents for modeling good middot and helping her grow into the woman she is today. 

“My father is hard working, driven, always helping others, thoughtful, and has strong emunah.  My mother is hospitable, caring, loving, and warm, always helping others, and she is dedicated to tradition.” 

Linda Kacher was Renee’s first boss in nursing. Linda, a working mom at NYU Brooklyn Endoscopy, provided Renee with nursing and life lessons, amazing guidance, and inspiration.  Linda encouraged Renee to go for her master’s degree and to invest in herself. Linda believed that Renee had a bright professional future ahead of her.  

Career Trajectory 

Renee’s nursing career was launched at NYU Langone Brooklyn Endoscopy and Ambulatory Surgery Center. She spent seven years there, learned a tremendous amount, and loved her job. Renee’s work-life balance was just right at NYU.  “I thought I would be there forever.”    

Renee’s life changed dramatically when the Tawil family moved from Brooklyn to NJ eight years ago.  David took a founding rabbi position at Bet Rachel Synagogue.  The shul was initially open on weekends only and then a year later it had daily minyamin.  A new building was erected, and last March a mikvah was built. 

Both Renee and David took a leap of faith when they moved to Deal.  David jumped in as Head Rabbi of a new shul in a new town and state and Renee now served as a nurse in a medical center where most of the staff knew nothing about Yiddishkeit and Shabbat.   

Renee emphasized how her faith guided her career decisions, including a move to a new hospital where she had to educate her colleagues about her religious observance and work-life balance. 

Renee started out doing endoscopy work at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, JSUMC,  and within four years had earned the trust of the hospital administration.   

Despite having a limited cardiac background, Renee took on the interim leadership of a cath (catheterization) lab after a previous nurse manager’s departure.  Notwithstanding initial doubts about balancing this new role with her responsibilities as a mother of five, Renee trusted her boss and embraced the challenge. Over the past four years, she led the construction and opening of a state-of-the-art $45 million cardiac unit with 11 procedure rooms, which has since seen a 40 percent increase in volume and become a leading heart care facility in NJ. 

Renee oversees a team of 150 staff members including nurses, technologists, and nurse practitioners. She appreciates the flexibility of her managerial position, but at the same time she has constant responsibilities and occasionally emergencies require her attention even when she is not physically at work. 

“Eric Coyle, my current manager, urged me to take on this new role even though I would never have predicted I would be here today.”  

Thorns and Roses  

 Renee’s roses are watching the amazing talent of her staff, literally saving lives every day, creating a good name for Jews, and debunking some stigmas. “Making a difference one patient at a time.” 

Her challenges include work life balance, juggling Shabbat and holidays, and ensuring that everyone on her staff feels seen and heard.  

Accomplishments 

Personally, Renee is so proud of her amazing children, running an organized home, teaching kallah classes, hosting bnot sherut for Hillel Yeshiva, and modeling good middot for her kids. Renee and David have two teenage girls living with them.   

On a professional level, Renee values her nursing certification and her position as Cardiac Cath Lab Nurse Manager at JSUMC.  

Rebbetzin and Community Leader 

Renee is passionately dedicated to her community, especially Hillel Yeshiva and Bet Rachel. As a rebbetzin, she thrives on teaching kallah classes from both a halachic and medical viewpoint.   

Her key to success?  She is super organized and believes in the “Let Them” philosophy of Mel Robbins.  The “Let Them Theory” is a guide on how to stop letting other people’s opinions, drama, and judgment impact your life.  

Renee believes in talking to the people [connected to certain issues], not about the people, taking a positive spin on everything, keeping everything in perspective, and maintaining religion/Hashem at the center of everything.  

Parenting and Balance 

“We are a great team! Our parenting style is to lead by example and foster independence.” 

Renee and David parent as a team and support each other. Renee can usually break away from work for her children’s special school events.  Renee is grateful for her husband, her leadership team at work, and her parents’ and in-laws’ support. 

Her work-life balance tools include cooking on Sundays for Monday through Thursday’s meals, taking Thursdays off for Shabbat preparation, using a written planner, asking for help when needed, and being nice to herself. 

 “I couldn’t be luckier, even with leaving at 6am and late nights, David and the children always cheer me on.”  

 To unwind, Renee takes a day off, has date night with her husband on Thursdays, schedules “me time,” does meditation, reads, and spends time with friends. 

Connect with Renee at ReneeTawil@gmail.com.

  ​

Ellen Geller Kamaras, CPA/MBA, is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach.  Her coaching specialties include life, career, and dating coaching.  Ellen can be contacted at ellen@lifecoachellen.com.