By Betsy Broder
No, not Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder scheming a Broadway flop, but those who labor behind the scenes at Temple Micah and make things happen. During this year of celebrating Rabbi Zemel, Louise and the entire Zemel family, the producers of our marquee events have delivered hit after hit, and will continue to roll out engaging, imaginative and joyful blockbuster events to honor and celebrate our beloved Rabbi Zemel and his GOAT cast.
When the credits roll, look for these magic makers. Lead producer and chair of the Celebration Committee, Martha Adler, with co-producers Susannah Nadler and Valerie Strauss are the creative team par excellence. Susannah, the mother of two Machon students, has made certain that Micah members of every age will feel involved and have the opportunity to celebrate Rabbi Zemel through storytelling, ice cream parties and other joyful, age-appropriate gatherings. Valerie, formerly a Washington Post journalist, is the creative force behind the panels exploring our lives as American Jews, including our relationship with Israel. Working closely with Rabbi Zemel, she recruited the extraordinary discussants, helped frame the programs, and managed every detail in these deeply engaging and provocative events, with assistance from David Adler and Debra Berke.
No production would be complete without a red-carpet celebration, and for that we have Martha Adler in the director’s chair. She has overseen earlier Micah celebrations – who can forget the DC Fire Department on hand when we burned our mortgage? Maybe it doesn’t have a black-tie dress code, but the May 4th gala will be an occasion for us to dress up and make a toast to our retiring leader. Working with our multitalented and indefatigable Beth Werlin, the team of Sarah Brown, Mark and Sam Freedman, and Aurie Hall has worked every angle to make sure our May the 4th will surpass the buzz of Star Wars with music, tributes, humor and plenty of delicious food.
And the award goes to . . . Our gift committee, chaired by former Board President and longtime member Mary Beth Schiffman, is keeping things under wraps, but it is understood that her group – with Jodi Enda, Aurie, Ed Wendel, Larry Cooley, and Rich Harwood – has come up with gifts that will capture the spirit, legacy and forward-looking wisdom of Rabbi Zemel. We are a roll-up-your-sleeves congregation where our reward is often simply our own sense of joy in supporting our community. But we want these volunteers who are giving so much to Temple Micah in this momentous year to know how deeply we appreciate all that they do to strengthen our bonds and, as Rabbi Zemel might say, thicken our connections.
Let’s have a big round of applause for our exceptional crew.
This article originally appeared in the March/April/May 2025 issue of the Vine.