Posted on March 5, 2017
March Mensch of the Month – Andrea Fish Bradley
Andrea Fish Bradley is our Mensch of the Month for March — and it’s easy to see why. Whether it’s her volunteer work at temple, in the community or just during downtime, Andrea’s many contributions are done with gusto and joy.
At TBE, Andrea has served three years on the Board/Executive Committee, as Recording Secretary and Financial Secretary. She also is a liaison to the Religious School Committee and Sisterhood, and has served approximately three years doing Brit Kehilah.
In addition to these activities, Andrea served as lead for TBE’s Strategic Plan Initiative and Union for Reform Judaism Congregational Assessment.
Besides lending her talents to various boards and committees, Andrea counts herself as a student, taking the opportunity to learn from Sarah Gluck. You can often find her ushering Shabbat services, and helping those in need through her service as a volunteer with the Interfaith Hospitality Network.
Andrea’s outside community work is extensive. She is a three-time chairperson of the Princeton Ballet School’s American Repertory Ballet Company and a 10-year member of the Montgomery Township Board of Education.
She volunteers 10 hours a week in the office of Special Olympics New Jersey, and also assists on the Volunteer Management Team for various Special Olympics events: the Summer Games, Shriver Cup Soccer, Shriver Cup Bowling and Golf Regionals.
And Andrea plays as hard as she works. Her favorite place when she’s not at TBE is Martha’s Vineyard, off the Massachusetts coast, where she can indulge her love of sailing, hiking and swimming.
Most of all, though, Andrea loves her family and spending time with them — her husband of 25 years, Patrick, and their three children: Nick, 24, and Nora and Connor, 21.
Mazel tov to Andrea for being March’s Mensch of the Month.
April Mensch of the Month – Mike Bloomstein
You probably already know our Mensch of the Month for April. His is the friendly face you see at Shabbat services, handing you a prayer book and guiding you to your seat. Or you may know Mike Bloomstein as a fellow student in your adult Hebrew class. Mike has deep roots in Temple Beth-El and has been part of the TBE family for 40 years. Mike, with his late wife Cheryl, has two sons, Daniel and Douglas, both of whom became b’nei mitzvah at TBE. In addition, Mike is a grandfather to Jacob, Jack and Madeline.
Mike was born and raised in New York City. He attended Cornell University and Northwestern University, where he received a Ph.D. in molecular biology. He spent over 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry in quality assurance and regulatory affairs, at Hoechst Roussel, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Aventis. He retired as senior director of biologics regulatory affairs at Sanofi Aventis.
Throughout his time at our temple, Mike has been active in many roles, including stints as treasurer and board member. Currently he is co-chair of the Ritual Committee and also coordinates ushering for Shabbat services. He also serves on the board of the JCC, as well as its Membership and Strategic Planning Committees.
Mike has a natural curiosity and deep interest in learning more about Judaism. An enthusiastic student at TBE’s Adult Hebrew classes, he also participates in the Hartman Institute’s Engaging Israel classes. And for the past three years, he has attended the JCC/Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning.
Thank you, Mike, for everything you do, and for inspiring us with your passion for lifelong learning!
Originally published in the March-April 2017 issue of the Shofar. For more issues of the Shofar, visit the Shofar archives.
