Our Dedicated Torah Fund Region Vice Presidents 

Welcome again to Chadashot and another spotlight on two dedicated 2024–2026 Torah Fund region vice presidents: Margie Schneider, Intracontinental Region and Fern Cohen, North Atlantic Region. The Torah Fund team (Marilyn Berkowitz, Shelley Szwalbenest and me) continues to work with our energetic group of Torah Fund region vice presidents. What a pleasure to see all these women grow in their roles, exceed our goal in the Am Yisrael Chai campaign, and help complete the Spaces campaign—again, over goal! 

Here is how Margie and Fern answered the following three questions:

• What do you enjoy most about your Torah Fund position? 
• What past professional or personal experience helped you with your position? 
• Describe something about yourself that would surprise us or that makes you special to those who love you. 

Margie: I enjoy speaking with each Torah Fund Chair and finding out about their Torah Fund programs. Each affiliate/sisterhood is so unique! The Intracontinental Region offers definite challenges as it covers six states (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and part of Texas) plus the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We work to develop programs to meet the needs of our affiliates in the different parts of the U.S. and Canada. 

I have held almost every position in my own sisterhood except Torah Fund chair and yet here I am as region Torah Fund vice president!  So, I really needed to familiarize myself with every aspect of Torah Fund. Prior to that, I was region conference chair for three years. Having this position also helped me get to know some of the region members before starting my Torah Fund responsibilities. 

In my previous life, I taught young children – so I am used to adapting to different learning styles and shifting gears when new ideas are introduced.  I am comfortable educating new people about Torah Fund, and my listening skills also help me learn from the Torah Fund team. 

I love to sing and hum all day long – in my house and everywhere I go! As a teenager, I took voice lessons and sang in choirs, in school and USY musicals. Now my husband and I enjoy listening and singing along to old songs on YouTube. I also passed my love of music to my two daughters. At night when going to sleep, I think of an appropriate song and sing it in my head. It helps tune out all outside thoughts and makes me relax. 

Fern: I enjoy supporting Jewish education and encouraging everyone to support the Conservative/Masorti Movement’s legacy for future generations. Sharing the importance of Torah Fund fills me with pride and I find joy in giving and inspiring others to give. The icing on the cake is building meaningful connections with Women’s League members. 

As a retired music teacher, I felt well prepared for this leadership role. Teaching and performing skills developed over the years – such as organization and planning, inspiring others, patience and creativity, and a strong sense of teamwork – help me every day. My background makes me confident to share the Torah Fund mission. 

I am proud to tell you that over the past ten years, I have lost 143 pounds. As you can imagine, it took a great deal of determination and commitment. But I knew I did not want to carry the extra weight any longer. This journey taught me perseverance, strength, and the power of setting goals – and those qualities now guide me in all areas of my life. 

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The best volunteers believe in their mission, and Margie and Fern are prime examples! 

You have now read the latest installment of our TF VP series, and I hope you enjoyed it. Torah Fund would not be able to support our five Conservative/Masorti institutes of higher education without our thirteen region vice presidents.