The Jewish Community of Louisville Annual Meeting is a time for the community to come together to celebrate the volunteers who represent the very best in our community, to recognize the JCL’s accomplishments and to elect JCL Board members for the coming year. This year’s event will be Sunday, June 14, at 9:30 a.m. at the JCC.
The highlight of the program is the presentation of the Blanche B. Ottenheimer Award to an individual who, through a lifetime of work, has made Louisville, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and even the nation, a better place. This year’s honoree, Christina (Christy) Lee Brown certainly fills the bill.
Her lifelong commitment to social responsibility and community service includes activities in the realms of interfaith relations, ecology, sustainability and human health. She founded the Center for Interfaith Relations and launched the Festival of Faiths.
“It is such a humbling and inspiring honor to be selected as the 2015 Ottenheimer Award recipient,” Brown said. “It fills my heart with joy to think of carrying the torch from such a distinguished list of loving civic leaders whom I greatly admired and many of whom mentored me such as Mayor Charles Farnsley, Mrs. Dan Byck, Mr. Barry Bingham, and Dr. Herbert Waller. Together we will pass the torch through understanding and cooperation with all segments for the benefit of the health of our community.”
A full profile of Brown will run in the June 26 edition of Community. The Ronald and Marie Abrams Volunteer of the Year Award will go to two stalwart Jewish Family & Career Services Food Pantry volunteers, Carole Goldberg and Linda Goodman.
Three young adults will be recognized for the leadership they provide throughout the community. Ross Cohen will receive the Lewis W. Cole Memorial Young Leadership Award and Scott Weinberg will receive the Joseph J. Kaplan Young Leadership Award. See story. The Julie E. Linker Community Relations Young Leadership Award will go to Jessica Goldstein for her efforts to make the world a better place. Her story ran in the April 24 edition of Community and can be found at www.jewishlouisville.org. For her volunteering with the senior adults, Rosita Kaplan will receive the Elsie P. Judah Award. Her story also ran on April 24.
The Arthur S. Kling Award this year goes to CenterStage Development and Outreach Manager Lenae McKee Price, whose dedication as a staff member is an example to all.
For Louisville’s Jewish high school students, BBYO offers opportunity for developing leadership skills, making lifelong friends, engaging in the practice of Jewish values and having fun along the way. This year, the Joseph Fink Community Service Scholarship goes to Elana Wagner, the Ellen Faye Garmon Award to Laina Meyerowitz and the Stacy Marks Nisenbaum Award to Bradley Schwartz. They were profiled in the April 24 edition of Community.
In this paper, check out graduating seniors who will receive Stuart Pressma Student Leadership Awards for participating in BBYO throughout their high school careers – Daniela Reuter, Michael Schwartz, Katie Segal and Emily Wolff. Also, new this year, Tony Levitan Awards for high school athletes will go to Peyton Greenberg and Josh Rudy.
Join the community in honoring these individuals and in electing JCL Board members and officers on Sunday, June 14, at 9:30 a.m. at the JCC.
