Valley Beth Shalom Annual Gala
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Celebrating 20 Years
Cantor Phil Baron
Honoring
Jacklyn & Michael Waterman and Family
GALA CO-CHAIRS
Michelle Baron • Judie Cotton • Janet and Steven Scharf • Dinah and Robert Titcher
GALA HONOREES
Cantor Phil Baron
After a successful career as a singer and songwriter for records, film and television (including nearly 200 songs for the Walt Disney Company), Cantor Phil Baron brought his love of music and Jewish spirituality to the synagogue world. In over 20 years at Valley Beth Shalom he has helped create such meaningful prayer experiences as Rimonim and ShabbosFest, delighted us with hilarious Purim shpiels, taken us to the heights of prayer on the High Holidays and Shabbat mornings, and taught our Day School children, as well as hundreds of B’nai Mitzvah students. In addition, Cantor Baron has written countless musical settings for the liturgy and is the founding director of the Helfman Institute, a composers' group dedicated to creating new synagogue music. His interest in Jewish spirituality led him to create Efshar, the spirituality center at VBS, and he is currently the director of Ancient Tempo, an on-going project to study and embody the mystical teachings of the Chassidic masters.
Jacklyn & Michael Waterman and Family
For 43 years, three generations of the Waterman family have run through the halls of Valley Beth Shalom, sometimes literally. They have been VBS students, teachers, parents, and lay leaders, contributing to nearly every initiative, committee, and board. They have led Shabbat services with Cantor Fox, delivered talks and mini-sermons, and initiated and led the Live a Jewish Life program for more than two decades. Along the way, they have celebrated milestones – weddings, B’nai Mitzvah, baby namings, and first trips to Israel – alongside our beloved clergy: Rabbis Schulweis, Vogel, Feinstein, Hoffman and Lebovitz, and Cantors Fox, Baron, and Rafii.
Jackie and Michael’s home has long been an open door to the VBS community, welcoming friends and families for Shabbat, Sukkot, and holiday celebrations; USY sleepovers and pool parties; committee meetings, school socials, Live a Jewish Life events; and countless other moments of connection.
For every ounce of energy the Watermans have devoted to VBS, they have received pounds of community, inspiration, education, friendship, and love in return.
Tickets, Sponsorships & Tributes
Honorary Committee
aHoward Ader and Gail Michelman
Debbie and Eric Alden
Cantor Judy Dubin Aranoff and Mel Aranoff
Rabbi Yael Aranoff
Debi and Moshe Arditi
Elana and Rabbi Bradley Artson
Cantor Roz Barak
Evelyn Baran
Dr. Bob Barnhard
Jess and Lill (z"l) Beim
Phyllis Beim
Nancy and Scott Beiser
Richard Bender
Donna and Ron Bender & Family
Ilene and Dennis Berman
Sandy Berman
Dean Bochner and April Armstrong
Tzipy and Buzzy Bookman
Nancy and John Bornstein
Aileen and Gil Borok
Ellen and David Braun
Lynn Gordon and Jon Braun
Irene and Richard Burstein
Carolyn and Rabbi Richard Camras
Dr. Melissa Randall and Mr. John Cefalu
Faith and Jonathan Cookler
Ely and Ronna Cooper
David Cooperman and Stacey Sass Cooperman
The de Toledo Family
Bonnie Smigel-Derin and Greg Derin
Glennie Dinin
Helen and Gary Dosik
Lisa Lainer-Fagan and Brian Fagan
Dr. David and Susan Farkas
Rabbi Nina Bieber Feinstein and Rabbi Ed Feinstein
Emily and Alan Feit
Francine and Howard Fisher
Cantors Judy and Herschel Fox
Cantor Michael And Karen Freed
Susan and Amos Freedy
Ricki Averbach and Bob Freinberg
Joyce and Dennis Fried
Lori Freson and Laurence Friedman
Susan and Jack Frydrych
Judith Katzburg and Stuart Gabriel
Talby and Robert Gelb
Karen and Mark Getelman
Eric and Joyce Goldman
Nancy and Marty Gorman
Karen and Jeff Goss
Jill and Michael Gotlieb
Alice Greenfield
Roslyn and David Grinberg
Beverly Colton Gruber
David and Fariba Hakkakzadeh
Jeanne and David Herman
Rabbis Becky and Joshua Hoffman
Marcie and Scott Howard
Helen and Andy Hyman
Judith Hyman, PhD
Inna and Robin Kashani
Malcolm Katz and Sally Weber
Thalia and Eric Kingsley
Rabbi Adam Kligfeld
Carol and Howard Knee
Lisa and Victor Kohn
Carol and Irwin Koransky
Kathryn and Rabbi Avi Kushlan
Matthew Lax and Kareen Akry
Blair and Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz
Linda and Jerry Lebovitz
Allyn and Jeff Levine
Lisa and Leonard Levine
Barbara Mack and Norman Levine
Ann Lieberman
Jill and Nat Linhardt
Shirley Ann Lowy
Claire and Don Marks
Abby and Jonny Mars
Myra's Knitting Mavens
Marcie and Steven Medof
Caroline and Robert Meer
Rabbi Joe Menashe
Debra and Moshe Meppen
Janet and Jeff Mintz
Stacey Abigail Morse
Reesa and Gerald Niznick
Jo-Anne and Avi Novik
Pam and Jerry Offsay
Sylvia and Sydney Orel
Linda and Bart Pachino
Shari and Mark Pollock
Debbi and Ashley Posner
Debby and Dr. Bruce Powell
Lola and Jerry Rabow
Cantor Jacqueline Rafii and Lev Gottlieb
Mala and Marc Reich
Kathy and Peter Reynolds
Ron and Miriam Reynolds
Nurit and Rich Robin
Peggy Robin
Tobie Rosenberg
Michelle and Mark Rosenblatt
Janet Rozner and Charles Rozner
Betsy Katz Sandler and Scott Sandler
Rabbi Charles Savenor
Kim and Darryl Schall
Janet and Steven Scharf
Charles and Ann Schnaid
Mark Schneider
Nancy and Jay Schulman
Amy Lorber Shamash
Annette and Dan Shapiro
Nancy Sher Cohen
Congressman Brad Sherman
Karen and Mitchell Shultz
Rene and Charles Siegel
Helene and Ira Smith
Thom and Iris Smotrich
Michelle and David Spiegel
Elysa Kahan and Danny Spiegel
Louise and Craig Taubman
Laurie and Doron Tisser
Marcy Frazen Toschi
Sylvia Bernstein-Tregub
Carly and David Vazana
Shira and Sean Wachtel
Hillel Wasserman
Rabbi Neal and Miri Weinberg-Judaism by Choice
Allen H and Judith (z"l) Weinstock
Claudia and Neil Wenger
Lori Winetrobe
Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot
Laurelle and Barry Wolfe
Judith Geller-Wollstein
Rabbi David and Beverly Woznica
Azita and Coby Yasha
Arlene Zicklin
Updated March 9, 2026
