ALUMNI
Your Rashi kehillah (community) is always here for you. We hope you will stay connected through our events and updates. We’re here to help alumni stay in touch with classmates, build and maintain connections, provide updates on the latest news and get involved. We hope that the core values you learned at Rashi will continue to guide and inspire you.
If you have any stories or milestones you’d like to share, updates in your life, or would simply like to check in with Rashi, please feel free to contact Shelby McKeon, Development Manager – Alumni Relations and Events at smckeon@rashi.org.
Rashi Connect – The Official Alumni E-Newsletter
Our first alumni newsletter launched back in February 2021. Since then we’ve continued to revise and revamp what is now known as Rashi Connect. We love sending these out on an (almost) quarterly basis and are so proud of our alumni and sharing all things Rashi with you. Click below to read our most current issue and also view past issues.
Rashi Connect Spring/Summer 2022
Rashi Connect Spring 2021*
*Please note that we used a different platform for our Spring 2021 newsletter. Because of this we do not have the ability to link it above. If you would like to read the Spring 2021 newsletter please email Shelby and she will forward it to you.
If you’d like to share news for our upcoming issue of Rashi Connect or would like to be our next featured alumni spotlight, please email Shelby.
Upcoming Alumni Events
Theater Performances at Rashi
Thursday, May 18, 2023 | 7:00 PM
Sunday, May 21, 2023 | 1:30 PM (ITS Induction Ceremony to follow)
On behalf of the 2022-2023 ITS Theater Offices, alumni are invited to attend the Spring 2023 showing of “Once Upon A Mattress”. Alumni will have two chances to catch this show and connect with former Rashi classmates. For more information, please email Bonny.
Class of 2018 and 2019 Reunions
Thursday, June 1, 2023 | 5:00-7:00PM | The Rashi School back Patio
On behalf of The Rashi School, we invite the classes of 2018 and 2019 to join their classmates along with facutly, staff, and alumni parents for a fun-filled reunion outside on the back patio with snacks, drinks, and sweet treats!
All alumni from the class of 2018 and 2019 are welcome! You did not need to graduate Rashi in order to attend. Even if you were only here for a year you are still considered an alum of Rashi and we hope you can join us!
Kindly RSVP by Monday, May 22 through the Paperless Post invitation that was sent to you or email Shelby.
If you’d like to host an event or know someone who may be interested, please contact Shelby.
Past Alumni Events
Rashi Alumni Shabbat | Friday, January 13, 2023 | 2:00- 3:00 PM
Rashi welcomed alumni for a special Kabbalat Shabbat celebration! Our alumni, whether they departed a year or many years ago, came together to experience the joy of Shabbat at Rashi again as a community. They toured the building, caught up with faculty, and saw current students deliver a meaningful D’var Torah. We love seeing our alumni, and the strong bonds Rashi helps cultivate that reach well beyond our classrooms.
Commercial Real Estate Professional Networking Event: Thursday, December 8, 2022 | 8:15-9:30 AM
Rashi alumni, alumni parents, current parents, and grandparents heard from current Rashi parent Benjamin Caplan, MD (P’28, P’30) as he discussed the topic of “Overcoming the Odds: The Truth About the Cannabis Industry and Business Opportunities Today”. Attendees learned about the newly gigantic size of the cannabis industry, share insight into the unique challenges and business opportunities, and discussed why Big Pharma, Big Industry, and even Big Government are already eyeing a return to a greener America.
Commercial Real Estate Professional Networking Event: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Rashi alumni, alumni parents, and current parents joined us for our first in-person networking event of the year! We heard from current Rashi parent and General Partner and Co-Founder of Gemini Ventures, Adam Pase (P’29).
STEM Professional Networking Event: Tuesday, December 14, 2021 | 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Rashi alumni, alumni parents, and current parents joined us for our first STEM Professional Networking event with current parents Luba Greenwood (P’22, P’24) and David Dkyeman (P’23) as they discussed “The Hunt for the Next Billion Dollar Biotech.”
Commercial Real Estate Professional Networking Event: Monday, October 25, 2021 | 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Rashi alumni, alumni parents, and current parents joined David Grossman and Sam Glasgow for a curated discussion with Eric Smookler, CFO and Co-CIO of WS Development on the current retail environment, WS’s approach to placemaking, and Boston’s Seaport. Thank you to all that attended!
Commercial Real Estate Professional Networking Event: Wednesday, April 7, 2021 | 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Rashi alumni, alumni parents, and current parents joined us for an online discussion with Gabi Starfield, Rashi Class of 2005. Gabi, is a real estate private equity investor at The Blackstone Group, where she is currently focused on retail acquisitions in the wake of COVID-19. Gabi was recently named to Forbes’ 2021 30 Under 30 for Finance list and has played a key role in some of Blackstone’s most notable real estate deals in recent years. This includes its recent $14.6bn recapitalization of life sciences operator BioMed Realty in 2020, and the $1.3bn acquisition of the Space Center industrial portfolio in 2019.
Pathways to Healthcare Professional Networking Event: Sunday, January 10, 2021 | 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Rashi alumni, alumni parents, and current parents joined us for our first online networking event focusing on the healthcare industry. They heard from several Rashi alums in diverse sectors as they discussed their path to their current role in healthcare. Thank you to our alumni panelists Dr. Maxine Kantor, Psy. D, Rashi Class of 1999, Mariana Zalvsky, Rashi Class of 2000, and Sam Doernberg, Rashi Class of 2006.
We’d Love to Hear From You
Amy Klotz
Director of Development – Operations and Stewardship
781-355-7309
aklotz@rashi.org
Kim Stone
Director of Development
781-355-7311
kstone@rashi.org
Shelby McKeon
Development Manager – Alumni Relations and Events
781-355-7316
smckeon@rashi.org
Alumni News
Alumni Spotlight: Ali Janower ’18
What have you been up to since graduating Rashi? I attended Noble and Greenough School for high school and adored it. I loved applying what I learned from Mike Finke at Rashi about building elaborate sets in technical theater, running cross country, participating in a...
Alumni Spotlight – Alyssa Gondelman Class of 2022
What have you been up to since graduating Rashi? Since graduation I have started to attend Needham High. I have come back to Rashi to volunteer in the Drama program, where I have helped produce the play “A Wrinkle in Time”. What was your favorite class at...
Alumni Spotlight – Leah Koritz ‘18
What have you been up to since graduating Rashi? After graduating from Rashi, I attended Gann Academy. I just graduated in June. Currently, I’m in Massachusetts recovering from a concussion. As soon as my head is better, I will be leaving for Israel, where I will be...
Faculty Spotlight – Keith Civin, Middle School Social Studies Teacher
In your 20 years of working here, what are some things that are new and what are some things that are the same? I guess I will start my answer to this question with thinking about things that are the same, which believe it or not, are many. The first thing that has...
Alumni Spotlight – Ben Scharfstein ’08
So Ben, tell us more about yourself... What have you been up to since graduating Rashi? About a year ago I quit my job at Google to start a company -- we're building a social video chat to help bring people together and have fun. I've connected with many of my Rashi...
Keith Civin: Building Connections, Building Trust with Students
When did you start at Rashi? I started in 2002. Over the years I have taught all grades from 5th to 8th. I originally taught 5th and 8th grade. I probably taught 5th grade for 3 or 4 years, along with one of the Middle School grades, and I've been in the Middle School...
Faculty Spotlight – Bonny Parlee Goldberg, Theater Director
In your 23 years of working here, what are some things that are new and what are some things that are the same? I first started working at Rashi in the Fall of 1999. I was hired as an “Artist in Residence” to come in and teach some basic theater and run drama games as...
Faculty Spotlight – Joni Fishman, Middle School Dean of Students
In your 24 years of working here, what are some things that are new at Rashi and what are some things that are the same? How blessed and honored that I have been to work at Rashi since 1997 when my son joined the class of 1999. It was not long before our family felt...
Rashi Alumni Leading the Way in the Midst of COVID-19
The Spring of 2020 has been an unprecedented time, with social distancing, school and business closures, and sadly many losses as a result of coronavirus and COVID-19. In this time of upheaval and suffering, it would be understandable to turn inwards. But that's not...