Clergy & Staff
Office & Business Office Staff
Ana Marusich-Zanor, Assistant Director & Account Manager
Ana joined Temple Israel after many years in retail management and accounting. In addition to her work, she’s also a self-employed artist, specializing in portraits of people’s pets, and is passionate about dog rescue. You can often find her in her large organic vegetable garden. She lives in Stoughton with her husband, Walter of 30 years, 2 dogs, a cat, a flock of chickens and a snake.
Contact Ana Marusich-Zanor.
Ari Rogers, Communications & Marketing Manager
Ari joins Temple Israel with over fifteen years of experience in graphic design. When not working,
she can be found immersed in her two passions – fitness and family. As a current Sharon resident, you will often see her running around Lake Massapoag. Ari lives with her husband Ben, her children Emmett and Willow and two cats.
Contact Ari Rogers.
Adrea Gerber, Administrative Assistant
Contact Adrea Gerber
Ethel Goodrich, Bookkeeper
Ethel has her Bachelors in Accounting, Masters in business administration and is a licensed Enrolled Agent. She has been a full charge bookkeeper for the last twenty-five years and has worked with small companies doing payroll, bookkeeping and financial reporting. Ethel is excited to join the temple Israel team.
Contact Ethel Goodrich
Donald Beckford, Head Custodian
Clergy & Staff Emeriti
Hazzan Steven W. Dress (Cantor Emeritus) was attracted to religious life and hazzanut as a protégé of Hazzan Charles Lew, z”l, in Medford, MA. Commissioned as hazzan by the Cantors Assembly, Cantor Dress was awarded a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, MA and a Master’s Degree in Judaic Studies from Hebrew College, Brookline, MA. He also studied Judaica, Music, and Pastoral Counseling at a variety of universities and ulpanim in New England and Israel, including the Fuchsberg Center’s Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Cantor Dress studied voice while expanding musical repertoire for nearly 18 years under the guidance of Hazzan Gregor Shelkan, z”l, Newton, MA.
Cantor Dress began serving Temple Israel, Sharon, MA on August 1, 1991. For nine years he previously served Temple Am David, Warwick, RI. He is widely regarded for retaining teenagers in the synagogue setting. Temple Israel’s numerous Torah Reading Corps, and its Adult and Youth Choral groups developed under Cantor Dress’ direction. Cantor Dress prepared approximately 1,700 b’nei mitzvah during his career.
A lyrical tenor, Hazzan Dress is a baal-nusah in the Eastern European style. His CD recordings and educational cantata video production, contributed to United Synagogue Solomon Schechter Cultural Arts Awards presented to Temple Israel. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Mentor Award by the American Association of University Women, and the Kehillah Schechter Academy Partner Award. Cantor Dress was honored by Temple Israel upon completing his first decade of service, and in April, 2012 he was jointly honored by the synagogue and his New England Region Cantors Assembly colleagues marking his 30th year in the cantorate.
Cantor Dress organized and participated in many New England Region Cantors Assembly concerts. He has served multiple three-year terms on the Cantors Assembly National Executive Council, served as New England’s Cantors Assembly Chairman (Conservative Movement), and is a Past President of the New England Board of Cantors (Commissioned Conservative, Orthodox, Reform Cantors). He has lectured on aspects of Jewish liturgy and its potential influence on human behaviors and relationships. During winter 2008, he was the guest hazzan-scholar in residence during a sabbatical leave at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC. He has also volunteered annually as Cantor-in-Residence at NERUSY’s Summer Encampment since 1988. A former activist for Soviet Jewry, Cantor Dress advocates for the chronically mentally and physically disabled. Cantor Dress served on the international Board of Directors of the Masorti Foundation as its National Chairman of Israel’s B’nei Mitzvah preparatory program that serves profoundly special needs children. He voluntarily teaches Torah cantillation at the Kehillah Schechter Academy. Cantor and Myrna Dress periodically lead inspiring trips to Israel celebrating life cycle events and advancing worthy causes. Cantor Dress organized and facilitated nusah practicum sessions lecturing at USCJ and USY National Conventions. The USCJ Review, 2006 published excerpts of Cantor Dress’ Convention paper entitled: “K-Date: the Embrace of Keva and Kavannah in the Conservative Synagogue”. Cantor Dress is an American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) activist, and is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and The Phoenix Society.
In the spring following Cantor Dress’ 26th year of service at TI, the Jewish Theological Seminary conferred an honorary doctoral degree (honoris causa) during a NYC convocation. Since his transition to Boca Raton, FL, Cantor Dress has returned to TI for special services and functions, and has happily officiated at weddings of former students at venues around the country. Cantor & Myrna Dress are proud of their daughter, Melissa, a diabetes nurse educator in San Diego, and their son, Jonathan, a Chicago architect who lives with daughter-in-law Ilana and grandsons Isaac (“Yitzi”) & David.
Listen to Cantor Dress’s Prayer Melody and Religious School Recordings.
Harold Lew (Cantor Emeritus)
Deborah Astor (Executive Director Emerita)
Olavo Gomes (Senior Custodian Emeritus)