WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS!

Please join us in welcoming our newest members, Sandy and Larry Brody. (What a great way to start 2022!)
Sandy wrote these lovely words when asked to give us something to introduce them to the community…

Larry and I decided to join Shoreshim because our middle son, Eric, his wife Kate, and their five-year-old twins, Sylvie and Isla, are members. We are also members of Congregation Beth Emeth, and have been members there for 34 years. 

 Larry and I are the proud parents of five lovely children and five wonderful grandchildren. Our eldest son, Mike, his wife, Ashley, and their children, Sophia and Isaac are members at Congregation Beth Emeth, where Sophia became a Bat Mitzvah last August. Isaac is ten, and attends religious school. Our youngest son, Scott, his wife Julie, and their one-year-old son, Meyer, live in California. We try to visit as often as we can. Our twin daughters, the babies in our family, Allison and Melissa, live here in Northern Virginia. Allison is married to Tommy, and Melissa is dating Jon. 

 I am a retired elementary school teacher, and was fortunate to be able to help the four local grandchildren with their schooling during the Covid lockdown last year. I am a past president of Beth Emeth Sisterhood and I remain on the Sisterhood board. I am also on the Caring Committee, and I make and send greeting cards to congregants for special occasions. Larry is a broadcast engineer and is looking forward to retirement in the not-too-distant future. He is a devoted father and grandfather and is incredibly talented at fixing anything that involves technology. 

We are pleased to be able to join the Shoreshim family and hope that we will be able to support our children and grandchildren through our membership. 

Previous Notes from Members Who Joined in Past Years:

Hi, my name is Vickie Nitschke and I have been hanging around Shoreshim for a few years and finally decided to join. I am a Jew by choice and converted when I was 42. I am from Rhode Island and have lived in Virginia for almost 20 years. I am divorced no children. I am an avid pet lover and foster cats and dogs. I sponsor 4 horses. I work at the VA in Washington, DC. I am an INFP who has dabbled in stand up comedy. I plan on being highly involved.

My name is Stephanie Mardon. I grew up in Albany, NY and enjoyed it except for the very cold weather. I have been in the DC area since 2004 and enjoy the many activities it has to offer. I moved to Reston two years ago and I am continuing to find fun things to do in the community. I work in the Federal Government for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Finance. I enjoy going to the movies, walking, hiking and volunteering. I look forward to meeting members of Shoreshim.

Sharon Price Singer – I live in South Reston with my husband Dan Singer and our three dogs Rosie, Shlomo, and Babka. I grew up in Manhattan where my parents still live (they don’t quite get the whole Reston thing). My brother and his family are nearby in Bethesda. Dan grew up in Reston and his mom Linda lives here as well. According to family lore, the Singers were members of Shoreshim for a year or two back in the ’70s. I went to Bowdoin College and University of Michigan for graduate work (MSW, MPP). I moved to DC in 2001, and have worked on affordable housing and homelessness policy in a range of settings since then (HUD, OMB, USICH, and some other non-federal soup organizations). I currently work for the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness in Fairfax County overseeing all the family programs. Dan and I got married in June 2014 at his mom’s house (by the Rabbi who married my parents, named me, Bat mitzvah’ed me, etc), and we moved to Reston in December 2016. I have been coming to Shoreshim events/services on and off since we moved here, and I decided it was time to join and build some roots. I look forward to getting to know many of you soon!

Ella Barnes – I am very excited to join Shoreshim. My husband (Gene) and I live in Herndon. We are a mixed-marriage family with two adult mixed-marriage sons. We are both retired from the US government. We try to stay active — we love to visit family and friends, take nature walks, enjoy classical music, art, reading and discussing books, and, of course, travel. Lots of travel. I am looking forward to engaging with Shoreshim and meeting you all.