Our Voices

Every few years, my mom and I take a trip to Disneyland. Just the two of us, two grown adults, wandering through the park, eating spicy pickles, soaking in the nostalgia of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and basking in the childlike joy of spotting Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. This mother-daughter tradition began shortly after I left for college, 5,000 miles away. Wanting to stay connected, my mom suggested that we make time for something joyful, something just for us. That’s the kind of person she is—someone who always finds ways to bring joy into the serious business of life.

Many of you know my mom as the Chief Community Officer of PTS: the warm smile greeting congregants during the High Holy Days, the woman behind the countless spreadsheets, and someone who genuinely cares about this community and shows it in everything she does. She brings her whole self to her role, embracing her Jewish identity not just as a personal value, but as a professional compass. But this spirit of blending the meaningful with the joyful shows up in her personal life too. Once, when asked what we were doing for the second day of Rosh Hashanah, she gleefully replied, “We’re going to Disneyland!”

Her journey to this role has been full. Before I was born, she was an investment banker—a field in which, by all accounts, she thrived. But during my childhood, she was “mom,” whose focus was on family and community. She volunteered tirelessly: serving on the board when I was in elementary school, becoming PTS president during my middle school years, and later returning to the professional world through the Jewish Community Relations Council when I was in high school.

Watching her re-enter professional life in a way that aligned deeply with her Jewish values was incredibly powerful. Clearly, she had found something meaningful, a way to blend her personal identity with professional purpose. So, when the opportunity arose to become the Chief Community Officer at PTS, it just made sense. It felt like a natural step for someone who had already given so much to the community in every way she could.

My mom continues to inspire me. I’ve learned so much from her: how to lead with compassion, how to find meaning in community, how to bring laughter into everyday life, and yes, how to be (mostly) organized. I may never match her mastery of Excel, but I carry her lessons with me everywhere.

Our next trip to Disneyland is already in the works. And when we board Big Thunder Mountain again, I’ll be reminded, as I always am, that my mom has never stopped showing me how to lead a life full of purpose, community, and joy. ♦