The Young Adult Division (YAD) 2013 Federation Campaign Event, to be held Saturday, February 2, at 7 p.m. at The Pointe, promises to be a gala event. The headliner with be homegrown comedian Raanan Hershberg, and chairs Keren Benabou and Faina Kronenberg are planning an evening of fun.
This is YAD’s annual Campaign event, and that means that those in attendance will have the opportunity to make their pledges to the 2013 Federation Campaign, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a fantastic night out, the co-chairs explained.
“Raanan Hershberg has glowing recommendations,” Kronenberg said. “He’s wonderful and we’re very excited to have local talent to headline our event.
“He’s extremely funny and very intelligent,” Benabou added, “and when it comes to a Jewish crowd, he knows how to work it. … The point of the whole community and YAD is to help Jewish people and places – to support the community.”
But Benabou and Kronenberg are committed to making this year’s YAD Campaign event lots of fun. In addition to Hershberg’s show, “we’re going to have a DJ to play music,” Benabou said. “There will be dancing and a photo booth and we’re just going to have fun.”
Kronenberg explained that she has been taking her daughter to bat mitzvah parties this year and felt a bit envious when she saw how much fun the young teens had. “I wanted something equally fun for adults,” she said, “and that’s what we’re trying to arrange.”
Benabou moved to Louisville from Israel about five years ago. “I was never involved in the Jewish community,” she said, “although I always wanted to be.” Now, with two daughters in the Early Childhood Education program at the Jewish Community Center, she made it one of her goals “to be part of the Jewish community and to get involved.”
She and her husband, Yariv, are friends with Faina and Ariel Kronenberg, and since he’s chair of YAD and she’s involved in many activities, getting involved was easy. She loved the YAD Campaign event last year, so she decided “to jump into the deep water and chair the event. It’s a great way to get started.”
She’s looking forward to making it a party that celebrates the community and YAD and expects the fun approach to attract more people and encourage them to donate to the Campaign.
Benabou is a real estate agent. She served in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) for six years, and earned the rank of captain in the intelligence force. She has taken some courses at the University of Louisville, studying economics.
The Benabous have two daughters, Lia and Shylee.
Kronenberg was born in Leningrad, Russia, and in 1974 was able to make aliyah to Israel with her family. At the time, there weren’t enough opportunities for olim in Israel, so her family moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, then to Heidelberg, Germany, and later they settled in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
She returned to Heidelberg for college, and on a spring break trip to Israel, met Ariel Kronenberg. After he visited her in Germany a year later, she decided to make aliyah. They married in 1997, and came to New York so Faina could finish her studies.
In New York, they met Lior Yaron, and Ariel went to work for Yaron’s company, LSY Industries, which brought the couple to Louisville where both quickly became involved in the Federation Campaign.
The Kronenbergs have two daughters, Emma and Gabby.
A vaad approved option is available upon advance request. Campaign Director Tzivia Levin Kalmes is the professional coordinating this event. She can be reached at 238-2715 or tlevinkalmes@jewishlouisville.org.
[by Shiela Steinman Wallace]
