They are young and old, male and female; their interests are varied, from the next BBYO project to conversations with world leaders; but they all have one thing in common: They are all leaders who have helped make Louisville a better place.
This group of 12 will be recognized for their achievements at the Jewish Community of Louisville’s Annual Meeting, Sunday, June 24, at the Jewish Community Center. The community is invited to brunch at 9:30 a.m. and the awards program and meeting at 10.
The Blanche B. Ottenheimer Award goes to an individual who has devoted his/her life to the betterment of the community, and through effort and self-sacrifice has brought better understanding, worked to eliminate prejudice and misunderstanding and fostered cooperation in the general community. This year’s winner is retired Courier-Journal Associate Editor Mervin Aubespin.
The future of our Jewish community is in the hands of the young adults who are stepping up and assuming leadership responsibility. This year, the JCL’s Joseph J. Kaplan Young Leadership Award goes to Seth & Heather Gladstein; the Lewis W. Cole Memorial Young Leadership Award goes to Ariel Kronenberg; and the Julie E. Linker Community Relations Young Leadership Award goes to Bryan Mathews.
The Ronald and Marie Abrams Volunteer of the Year Award goes to an individual whose life is defined by dedication to tikkun olam – the repair of the world. This year’s award goes to Harry Geller.
Leadership spans the generations, and the Senior Adult Department is honoring Margot Kling with the Elsie P. Judah Award for her dedication and leadership.
The BBYO program encourages young teens to be actively involved in the Jewish community and assume leadership responsibilities in their chapters, regionally and beyond; and it recognizes those young people who step forward by providing them assistance to attend leadership training programs. This year, the Ellen Faye Garmon Award goes to Rachel Bass and the Stacy Marks Nisenbaum Award goes to Sophie Reskin.
BBYO also recognizes and thanks those teens who remain active in the program throughout their high school years, providing leadership to their chapters and mentoring younger members. This year’s Stuart Pressma Student Leadership Development Awards, which include a partial college scholarship, go to Rachel Klein, Ben Humphrey and Andrew Segal. Segal will also receive a second scholarship, the Joseph Fink Award.
The JCL leadership will also present highlights from the past year, plans for the coming year and a financial report for the organization, and officers and Board members will be elected.
Please reserve your place by Sunday, June 17, by contacting Frankye Gordon, 238-2735 or fgordon@jewishlouisville.org so there will be enough food for everyone. Babysitting is available upon advance request.
A profile of Ottenheimer Award recipient Mervin Aubespin can be found here. Profiles of the other award winners will be printed in the June 29 issue of Community.
[by Shiela Steinman Wallace]
