Page 32 - issue
P. 32
BFAromIS
YAAKOV
EMRBOtAoWSSY
W ay back in the 1940s, when the founders of Bais
Yaakov established the mission of the new
school for girls – creating the Jewish “mothers of
tomorrow” – they most likely didn’t envision one
of its graduates doing her mothering in the heart
of diplomatic Washington! But then again,
maybe they did. Because being a Jewish woman
and mother encompasses all the circumstances
in which she might find one day herself. Rhoda Dermer (nee
Pagano), wife of the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron
Dermer, and mother of five, is an outstanding example of
such a woman, who represents the Bais Yaakov ideal among
the leaders of the world.
Born and raised in the heart of our Baltimore community,
Rhoda took a roundabout route to D.C. diplomatic circles. A
Bais Yaakov graduate, she attended Stern College for Women
and Columbia University in New York. Later, she graduated
from Yale Law School. Although the trajectory of her life may
not be exactly what she and her friends envisioned all those
years ago, she is filling her current roles – mothering and
more – with aplomb, all the while remaining loyal to the val-
ues her parents and teachers instilled in her.
Rhoda stays in contact with many of her BY and childhood
friends. One of them, Aliza L, remains close to Rhoda to this
day. “I’m actually not surprised about Rhoda’s position and
28 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
YAAKOV
EMRBOtAoWSSY
W ay back in the 1940s, when the founders of Bais
Yaakov established the mission of the new
school for girls – creating the Jewish “mothers of
tomorrow” – they most likely didn’t envision one
of its graduates doing her mothering in the heart
of diplomatic Washington! But then again,
maybe they did. Because being a Jewish woman
and mother encompasses all the circumstances
in which she might find one day herself. Rhoda Dermer (nee
Pagano), wife of the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron
Dermer, and mother of five, is an outstanding example of
such a woman, who represents the Bais Yaakov ideal among
the leaders of the world.
Born and raised in the heart of our Baltimore community,
Rhoda took a roundabout route to D.C. diplomatic circles. A
Bais Yaakov graduate, she attended Stern College for Women
and Columbia University in New York. Later, she graduated
from Yale Law School. Although the trajectory of her life may
not be exactly what she and her friends envisioned all those
years ago, she is filling her current roles – mothering and
more – with aplomb, all the while remaining loyal to the val-
ues her parents and teachers instilled in her.
Rhoda stays in contact with many of her BY and childhood
friends. One of them, Aliza L, remains close to Rhoda to this
day. “I’m actually not surprised about Rhoda’s position and
28 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
