Temple Shalom Will Honor Seven Volunteers at November 6 Dinner

Members of Temple Shalom consider themselves family, and as such, they generously give of their time and resources to help make their “Kehillah Kedoshah,” their holy community, a very special place.

Each year the congregation presents volunteer awards to outstanding members who have given from their hearts to their mishpachah, their congregational family, and to the congregation. This year seven outstanding individuals will be honored and recognized for their efforts at Temple Shalom’s Annual Dinner to be held on November 6, 6:30 p.m. at the Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville. Soprano Christina Bouras will also perform.

The honorees are: Woman of the Year, Caroline Rosenthal; Man of the Year, Jack Satton (posthumously); Tikkun Olam Award, Kathy Karr and Janet and Sonny Meyer; Youth of the Year, Jamie Doctrow; and Past Presidents’ Lifetime Achievement Award, Shiela Steinman Wallace.

Shiela Steinman Wallace

Shiela Steinman Wallace will be honored with the Past Presidents’ Lifetime Achievement Award. Wallace has worn many different hats in the Louisville Jewish community, where she and her husband, David, a professor at St. Catherine College, have lived for 24 years. She has taught Sunday school classes at the temple during most of that time, been editor of the Jewish Community Louisville’s (JCL – formerly the Jewish Community Federation) Community newspaper for more than 20 years and also is the JCL director of communications and marketing.

An accomplished writer and lover of all things Jewish, Wallace owns close to 40 copyrights on music she has composed, and she has used her talents to literally shape the congregation’s prayer service. She also has served the temple as ritual chair, Shabbat morning song leader and long-time choir member (her efforts most recently spearheaded the choir’s resurgence). The Wallaces treasure time spent with their daughter Sarah, son Glenn and his wife, Carla, and their two grandchildren.

Dr. Rich Goldwin, a past president of the temple, remarked that “Shiela Steinman Wallace is the kind of person the temple’s past presidents had in mind when they considered an individual worthy of Life Achievement status. “This award,” he said, “is one she so richly deserves.”

Tikkun Olam Awards will be presented to Kathy Karr and Janet and Jack “Sonny” Meyer.

Kathy Karr

Karr, an exceptionally talented member of the Louisville Orchestra, has devoted much of her time to helping the Jewish community and Temple Shalom, which she has served as president, fundraising and membership vice president, board member and committed volunteer. She plays the flute during holidays and at programs and other functions, and it was her vision that inspired the very successful KlezmerFest fundraiser held at the temple last May.

As Louisville’s Partnership with Israel chairperson, Karr has represented our community at steering committee meetings in the United States and traveled to our Partnership region in the Western Galilee four times to play for kindergarten classes in Akko. Her friends describe her as loving, friendly, generous and thoughtful. She and her husband, Matthew, are parents to Laura and Daniel.

Janet and Sonny Meyer

The Meyers have made outstanding contributions to the Jewish Family & Career Services’ Food Pantry. In honor of Janet’s 65th birthday, Sonny had the old JFCS Food Pantry renovated and enlarged to better serve the many clients in need of food and emergency services. The Meyers also partnered with Dare to Care and visit there each week to stock the pantry with meat and frozen foods. They also formed a Food Pantry Committee to help get the word out to the Jewish community about the need for support and donations. They are generous and selfless community volunteers.

The Meyers own Herman Meyer and Son Funeral Home, which has been locally owned and operated for more than 120 years. They have a daughter, Eileen, son-in-law Harry Renco and granddaughter, Emily.

Caroline Rosenthal

Rosenthal, the Women of Temple Shalom (WOTS) Woman of the Year Award winner, is a Louisville native. In 2003, she retired from a 27-year career as a speech therapist with school systems in Lexington, Mayfield and Louisville. She served on various school system committees and taught at religious schools both in Lexington and Louisville and. Now she keeps busy as a precinct election officer and volunteers as a client facilitator for AARP’s Tax Aide program.

A tireless volunteer for Temple Shalom, she is there whenever help is sought. She has taught Sunday school, helped out in the office on numerous occasions, worked with the membership committee, assists with “Hanukkah Helpers,” is organizing the library, helps Rabbi Miles attain mid-week minyans when needed and is a Torah lunch participant and a Temple Shalom Ambassador.

In her spare time, she plays bridge and mahjong and loves to travel. In fact, she will be out of town on a cruise on the evening of the annual dinner! Rosenthal and her husband, A.W., have been married for 35 years and have two children, Eric and Debbie, and seven grandchildren.

Jack Satton

The Men’s Club Man of the Year goes to Jack Satton (of blessed memory)

The congregation and the community lost a great friend when Satton, a fulltime, professional firefighter and fully-certified Emergency Medical Technician, passed away 10 months ago at the age of 52. He loved spending time outdoors and retained his youthful enthusiasm throughout his life. Those he loved became family and many said he loved children so much because he was a kid at heart – his goal was always to be happy.

A volunteer firefighter from age 16 until he joined the professional ranks in 1991, he achieved the rank of major, but chose to remain a captain so he could work with a crew of firefighters in the field. According to his wife, Shelly, whom he met one year at Kol Nidre services at Congregation Anshei Sfard, people would often recognize and stop him on the street to thank him for his efforts to save their life or the life of a loved one.

He displayed a cheerful willingness to help as he embraced various roles at Temple Shalom. Competent and skillful, he often brought his sons, Mark, Adam and Matthew, with him to repair things and they followed his lead by contributing their time and energy as well. He touched almost every part of the building from the electrical boxes to air conditioning units, from replacing exit signs to repairing exterior lights. He even brought some of his fire crew to the temple to help with projects like delivering the new refrigerator and freezer and connecting the new gas stove.

Dearly loved and amazingly giving, he is most deserving of the ‘Man of the Year Award,’ says Men’s Club President Matt Karr. He is missed by all who knew him.”

Jamie Doctrow

As youth group president, Doctrow’s leadership has been crucial to this very successful year, earning her the SHoRTY Youth of the Year Award. Over the past few months, the group hosted a pool party, lock-in, scavenger hunt, participated in the Hunger Walk and hosted a Kallah/conclave that attracted teen youth groups from within and outside of our community.

A team player who maintains her calm while keeping a very busy schedule, the Manual High School junior is treasurer of the school’s Key Club and a member of the National Honor Society. She takes dance classes, participates in BBYO and sits on the citywide youth council, which brings all Jewish high school students together for social, religious and community service events.

SHoRTY advisor Ally Baer calls Doctrow “a role model and inspiration we all look forward to watching develop in the years to come.”

Christina Bouras

Guests at the annual dinner will be entertained by Soprano Christina Bouras, who has received numerous awards for her performances in operas throughout the United States. She entertained at a Temple Shalom event this past spring and is being brought back by popular demand. Her repertoire includes many genres of music, both classical and popular.

The cost of the dinner is $36. To reserve your place, please contact the office at Temple Shalom (502) 458-4739 or email information@templeshalomky.org by October 28.

Information for this article was contributed by Carol Savkovitch, Susan Glazer, Rich Goldwin, Tami Penner, Heddy Teitel, Matt Karr and Ally Baer and edited by Phyllis Shaikun.

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