Ronni Pressman originally came to Temple Ner Tamid as the B’nai Mitzvah Coordinator in 2005-2007, returned to us as the Cantorial Assistant in 2012 and changed her position and responsibilities in 2020 – fully on board as our Clergy Associate. 2022 was Ronni’s 13th year at TNT – her “Bat Mitzvah” year.
Ronni’s time as part of our Clergy Team is filled with her love of journeying with B’nai Mitzvah students and their families, working with adults craving the opportunity to learn to read Hebrew, chant Torah, chant Haftarah, and co-leading/leading prayer as well part of our Pastoral Care Team (PACT). Ronni’s vision of creativity within Judaism has led to our ongoing Creatives’ Beit Midrash – a safe place to study Judaic texts and respond via visual arts, writing and music. The URJ Regional Shabbaton (a prayer/study/community building full day experience) that Ronni ran for many years before coming to TNT, has become our annual program with guest Darshans and regional Rabbis/Cantors/Educators as teachers bringing folks together from all over New Jersey and across the United States for the day of “Food for the Body, Mind and Soul”. She loves bringing people together to celebrate community whether it be for eating, studying, davening, or seeing the beauty/creations in our world.
Before coming to TNT, Ronni taught Special Education for 27 years in New York State, taught Hebrew School (grades 7-12) and trained B’nai Mitzvah students, taught graduate computer classes, was on both the North American Board of the URJ and the Regional Board plus was a Para Rabbinic in Monroe, NY. She holds 2 Master’s Degrees, one in Special Education and the other in Computers and Tech in Education.
Ronni’s life is quite full with 2 art studios in her home for glass fusing and pottery. You can check out her work on her website http://ronnipressmanstudios.com. Her love for her husband Fred Pressman ז״ל (his memory will always be for a blessing) and the love that the TNT community has shared with Fred has produced “Fred’s Beds-a Hineini Community Garden” (spearheaded by Eileen Opatut) where Fred’s hands tended the earth as merely one of his passions for tikkun olam. Ronni is extremely proud of her two adult sons Ryan and Randy that both work in the arts as well as you can always catch her sharing pictures and stories of her two amazing grandsons, Spencer and Jacob.
You can reach Ronni Pressman at RPressman@nertamid.org.