About Fern
Fern joined Shomrei in 2000, shortly after moving to Montclair and became an involved member almost immediately. When in town, she was a regular at Shabbat services and celebrated her adult bat mitzvah in 2004 with the guidance of Rabbi Monson. She traveled with Shomrei on its first congregational Israel trip at the end of 2006 led by Rabbi Shapiro, building lasting relationships and participating in Tikkun Olam (repair of the world) on the trip in a clean-up of a building that was hit by Katyusha rockets during the Lebanon war the previous summer.

Even though Fern’s job in the pharmaceutical industry had her living and working overseas, she was never far from the Shomrei community. Her vision and resourcefulness were immediately recognized and she joined the Board of Trustees and became President in 2016 where she dealt with a major flood and then had to find a temporary home for our preschool. Fern became the preschool’s Noah!

Fern’s impact on our Shomrei community is immeasurable. She co chaired the 2020 Committee along with Andy Silver in 2013 using her skills as a visionary and “out of the box” thinker to lead a group of 20 congregants to reimagine Shomrei’s future. The work of the 2020 committee resulted in the voluntary dues model known as “The Sustaining Share Financial Commitment” which has enabled us to be a more inclusive and accessible community. Fern worked with the Board, members of our community and Rabbi Greenstein to ensure its success.

Fern’s impact did not stop there. In addition to serving as President of the Board of Trustees, Fern gathered a group of teen volunteers and prepared meals for MESH pre-pandemic. She continues to show off her culinary skills with her much loved meals for MESH along with other work she does regarding food insecurity with Toni’s Kitchen as a dedicated volunteer.

And then she was called on again to serve on the Moving Forward Committee during the pandemic to help us navigate new ways to keep our community together during the “lock down”. If that was not enough, Fern was also a key member of the Rabbi Search Committee and helped us find Rabbi Julie. And then…most recently, you could hear her reading from the Torah for the first time just over a week ago.

Fern can often be seen chatting with our teens and she is a big supporter of their efforts. Her warm smile is felt by young and old and her presence fills a room with comfort. Fern is an avid reader and tennis player and founded the Shomrei Book Club. She also participates in the Shomrei pickleball group.

Fern sets an example for others in our community, as a volunteer and a leader. I am so honored to be her colleague and could not imagine a more deserving honoree.

Please join me in honoring Fern by purchasing an ad thanking her for service and attending the event on Thursday April 20. We are all so excited to toast her, her service to Shomrei, and her incredible warmth as one of our key lay-leaders!

Warmly,
Michael Sag
President

Editor’s note: This message was originally emailed to the congregation on Feb 16th.

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Michael Sag

Michael Sag is the president of Shomrei Emunah. He moved to Montclair in 2009 with wife Lindsay and kids, Jordan, Noah and Elliott. He has been a member at Shomrei Emunah since 2014 and previously served on the Education Committee and the Board of Trustees. Michael is in his 6th year as the Managing Director of WP Theater, a small not-for-profit theater company focused on plays and musicals written and directed by women.

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