Officers

Aliza Rothenberg, President
Having grown up at Beth Israel in the 1960s and 1970s, and then rejoining the congregation with her own family after moving back to Baltimore from Philadelphia in the mid-1990s, Aliza Rothenberg considers Beth Israel her second home. As a child, Aliza's home life centered around Beth Israel with her father having risen to the role of President and her mother teaching in the religious school and then becoming its principal. Aliza's own active involvement in the congregation dates back to her teenage years when she was the first female to have an aliyah and read Torah as the shul embraced egalitarianism in the early 1970s. In the mid-2000s, Aliza led Beth Israel's V'Zot HaTorah congregation-wide Torah-writing project which included a fundraising component that created the shul's largest endowment. In addition to her Board position, most recently, Aliza chaired Beth Israel's strategic planning process to create and implement a plan that would enable the congregation to continue to thrive well into the next decade. Aliza is also actively involved in the congregation's religious life as a frequent Torah and Haftorah reader, gabbai, and weekday minyan leader.

Professionally, Aliza's expertise is in strategy development, business planning, marketplace/competitive analysis, and market research. She retired in 2019 as Vice President of Strategy and Planning for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield  where she led the development of the $12B company’s corporate and division-level long-term strategies and annual operating plans, and served as the "right hand" to its CEO. 

Aliza's husband, David, served as Beth Israel's executive director for 18 years (1997-2015) and two of their three sons celebrated their b'nai mitzvah at Beth Israel. With two young granddaughters, one of Aliza's favorite activities is "grandparenting."  Aliza also enjoys travel, gardening, reading, and exercising.

TJ Casser, Executive Vice President

Melissa  Adler, Co-Vice President
Melissa Baylin Adler has been a member of Beth Israel for her entire life. Melissa has attended Preschool and religious school, gotten married and celebrated her children’s brit milot and now b’nai mitzvah at Beth Israel. Melissa’s lifelong involvement in our congregation has motivated her to join the Executive Board of the synagogue as Corresponding Secretary, and serve as head of the School Board for our Community Learning Lab.

Melissa graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in Elementary Education and Jewish Studies. She earned her master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from Goucher College. Melissa is currently Assistant Principal of Honeygo Elementary School, and was formerly the professional development teacher for an elementary school in Baltimore County. She lives in Reisterstown with her husband, Brian, and her three boys.

Saundra Madoff, Co-Vice President

Toni Greenberg, Recording Secretary
Toni grew up in New York and moved to Baltimore to attend the University of Maryland School of Social Work.  She worked for over 30 years as a social worker and supervisor for Baltimore County Department of Social Services in child protective services, foster care and adoption.  Now retired, she teaches a social work ethics course and works for an accounting firm during tax season.  Toni was a board member and officer of the JCC and the Jewish Women’s Giving Foundation.  She is a Governing Member of the BSO and involved with Hillel at the University of Michigan.  Toni sews clothing, embroiders and crochets; is a big sports fan (Ravens, Duke basketball and Michigan football); and is too fond of milk chocolate.  She has two wonderful children:  Jake who is the Hazzan at Congregation B’nai Israel in Toms River, NJ; and Miriam who just graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.F.A. in art and design. A member for 23 years, Toni chaired the Cantors’ Concerts in 2017 and 2019, and lives in Reisterstown.

Phil Rogofsky, Treasurer
Diane Gensler, 

Jeff Blum, Financial Secretary
Jeff is a new business account executive for Johnson Controls, where he helps customers find the right fit for their commercial security needs. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Jeff has lived in the Baltimore area for the past 25-plus years and has extensive experience in sales and account management. Jeff also serves on the boards of The Hearing and Speech Agency as well as the Baltimore County Police Assistance Relief Fund. Jeff and his wife Karen have two children and live in Owings Mills. 

Scott Gensler,  Immediate Past President
Scott identifies and evaluates new business opportunities for Erickson Living, the nation’s leading developer and manager of Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Throughout Scott’s 18-year tenure with Erickson Living, he has served in many leadership positions. He has an impressive knowledge of key aspects of the senior living business, including Development, Acquisitions, Finance, Sales and Marketing, and Operations.

Scott earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Sellinger School of Business at Loyola College, and a bachelor’s degree from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Scott has participated in many leadership programs, such as Baltimore County Leadership, Sulam for Emerging Leaders, and L'Atid. Scott also serves as the Vice Chair of the Fund for Education Excellence, a local education fund working to improve student achievement in Baltimore City Schools.

Scott and his wife Diane were married at Beth Israel. Their three children have grown up at Beth Israel, having graduated from Beth Israel’s Preschool and been students in our Community Learning Lab.