MEET OUR HONOREES
ZAC & RACHAEL MILLER
Zac and Rachel Miller, originally from the Philadelphia suburbs and Chicago respectively, have made Bala Cynwyd their home since 2015. Zac, who discovered his Jewish roots and passion for learning while at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spent several years studying in Eretz Yisroel at Machon Yaakov and Shapell’s Darchei Noam. After meeting in Eretz Yisroel, Zac and Rachel spent their first months of marriage learning in Kollel in Yerushalayim. They then settled in Bala Cynwyd, where Zac joined his family's insurance and financial planning firm as the fourth generation. He now serves as Vice President, working alongside his father, Bob Miller. Rachel, a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, currently works as the Marketing Manager for the OU Women's Initiative. The Millers dove right in to communal life in Lower Merion, and they have become a key part of so much Torah life here. Zac has served on the boards of Politz Hebrew Academy, Young Israel of the Main Line, and First Seder, and is actively involved in First Seder and Kol Torah. He is also the gabbai of the Daf HaShavua program. Rachel serves on the Lower Merion Community Mikvah Board and the Kol Torah Neshei Committee, and she is a frequent participant in Kollel womens programs including Kesher, parsha classes, and vaadim. Together, Zac and Rachel are the proud parents of four children, Masmid and Kesher devotees, who are learning from their parents' example of what it means to be part of a Torah community. |
DAVIDI & SHPRINTZA BRONER
Davidi grew up in Netanya before his family moved to Chicago. He studied in Toras Moshe in Eretz Yisrael for two years, spending many Shabbosim in Bnei Brak with his grandparents, and then returned to the US to learn in Ner Yisrael. Shprintza grew up in Lakewood. She attended Machon Raaya after high school. Davidi and Shprintza spent their first years as a couple in Yerushalayim. They returned to the States when Shprintza began her doctoral training in psychology at a Pennsylvania university. The home they found in the Philadelphia Community Kollel, as members of this stronghold of Torah, inside a diverse and colorful frum neighborhood, has become integral to the development of their adult selves and the evolution of their family. To feel hashkafically moored by the Kollel, while building relationships across a spectrum of shuls, schools, and social settings, has been formative. Their Stoneway Lane townhome has grown cozier, with Shmuel and Ayala joining their eldest, Mariam, who was born in Yerushalayim. The Broners love the charm of the hundred-year-old houses on Bala streets, especially in cherry tree season. Davidi has also become more familiar with the real estate through his work in mortgages; Shprintza is now a clinical psychologist. Their children attend three different schools- CTA, Yeshiva Ketana, and Gan Chabad - and with growing connections to each shul in town, they are lucky to continue building new friendships. Their years here have been an ever-evolving commotion, but Davidi’s mornings have remained the same: you will find him in the Kollel’s Bais Medrash, learning b’chavrusa. |
ELI & ESTHER PRESS
Eli and Esther Press moved to Bala Cynwyd from New York in 2018. For Eli, this was a return to his roots, having grown up in Northeast Philly, while for Esther, a Far Rockaway native, it was a chance to make a difference in a growing Torah community. Eli, who learned at Darchei Torah and Ner Yisrael, is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice. He blends his professional life with service to the community by also serving as the CTA middle school boys guidance counselor. Esther, a graduate of TAG and Pninim Seminary, works as a dental hygienist, but she is definitely better known to the girls and women of Lower Merion and beyond as a dynamic and talented voice teacher and bas mitzvah "motivator." Both Press's share their talents and enthusiasm for Torah causes through volunteering for and participating in a wide range of community institutions and events. Eli is a gabbai in YIML, a Chaverim member, and an important member of the Kollel's Oraysa chabura. He is also an avid hockey player for the local league and in the RCCS tournament, and a Bike4Chai rider. Esther is involved in the YIML Sisterhood and Welcoming Committee and a regular participant at Kollel events. Even though with 3 sons, Esther doesn't have a regular spot at Kesher, she has been a special guest performer several times there, bringing her talent, ruach and positivity to the Kesher stage |
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION OF OUR HONOREES!