The Jewish National Fund Wisconsin Region will honor 14 community activists at its annual banquet, to be held on Sunday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m., at Brynwood Country Club.
Honorees are: Dr. Deborah and Aaron Bernstein; Sandra and Rabbi David Brusin; Judy and Dr. Paul Levine; Cynthia and Mark Levy; Felicia and James Miller; Rhonda and Gary Schutkin; and Muriel and Nathan Taffel.
Event co-chairs are Robin Zaks and Linda Silberman.
A ophthalmologist with Medical Eye Associates, Deborah volunteers at Mequon Jewish Preschool and has been a member of the National Council of Jewish Women-Milwaukee Section since 2004. She also served as a board member of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Young Leadership Division from 2003-2005.
An attorney at the Law Offices of Jonathan V. Goodman, Aaron focuses primarily on real estate litigation and Chapter 11 insolvency cases.
He is a board member of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations (MJCCR) and the federation, where he is also past-chair of the Weinstein Fellowship Program. He is also involved with Jewish Museum Milwaukee, and was on the 2004 Programs committee.
Sandra directed the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center’s early childhood program and taught adult education at the JCC’s Florence Melton program. She has been involved in the Coalition for Jewish Learning, the education program of the federation, and its programs. Sandy also ran Congregation Shir Hadash’s family education program.
She is currently a senior lecturer and assistant director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s first year writing program.
David is the founding rabbi of Shir Hadash, Milwaukee’s first and only Reconstructionist synagogue. He was in the first graduating class of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and served as the first president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.
He served as assistant director of the Milwaukee Jewish Day School from 1986-1993. His volunteer involvement began with JNF and has included board and community positions at CJL, the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis and Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee.
He is now on the advisory board for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Jewish Studies and is vice president of the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning. He is adjunct professor in UWM’s Hebrew Studies Department; at Ripon College’s religion department; and at Cardinal Stritch University’s College of Business.
Milwaukee natives Judy and Dr. Paul Levine focus much of their Jewish activism on Temple Menorah.
Judy teaches at the congregation’s Sunday School and was previously a member-at-large of its Sisterhood and Youth of Menorah.
Now synagogue vice president, Paul previously held that position from 1992-1997 and was president from 1998-2001. He also was the synagogue chair for the Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds annual campaign.
A dentist, Paul is a member of several professional organizations and was selected in 2000 as one of the Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.”
The Levys are active members of Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha. Cynthia chairs the ritual committee and serves on the adult education committee. She previously served as Sisterhood president and on various committees.
Mark has held numerous board positions at the synagogue and is its immediate past president. He is involved with the Metropolitan Council of Reform Congregations and is 2008 co-chair of the Union of Reform Judaism’s Great Lakes Regional Biennial.
Cindy’s volunteer work includes being co-chair of the Coalition for Jewish Learning; a board member of the MJCCR; and a member of the federation’s Women’s Division’s board and its President’s Council.
She serves on various other committees and has been active with the Milwaukee Jewish Day School, the JCC and the Day of Discovery.
A health care systems engineer, Cindy is an independent consultant.
Mark is a board member at the Wisconsin Jewish Conference and the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning. Previous board positions include the federation and MJCCR.
A software engineer with Astronautics Corporation of America, Mark is also a musician and plays in “A Band of Hope,” a synagogue-associated band.
Partners in the law firm Miller and Miller and the business Senior Helpers of Greater Milwaukee, Felicia and James Miller are also partners in community volunteer work.
A lifelong member of Congregation Beth Israel, Felicia serves as one of the synagogue’s vice presidents and as a member of its art committee. She is also a member of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization Commission and of the Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken JCC camp committee. She has served on the board of the federation’s Women’s Division and of MJDS.
An active member of the JCC’s board of directors, James serves on its budget/finance committee and its health, recreation and fitness committee. He is also chair of CBI’s Youth Commission.
The Schutkins recently commissioned a Torah scroll to be written and donated to their Bayside congregation, The Shul.
Rhonda has served on its board and Gary has been involved with several committees and projects. Gary also writes and delivers weekly announcements for The Shul and administers the Donate-A-Dream car donation program for Lubavitch of Wisconsin.
Rhonda has held various positions at many community organizations, including Hadassah-Milwaukee chapter, Congregation Shalom and its Sisterhood, MJDS and Keshet of Wisconsin.
A registered nurse for 29 years, she has worked in mother/baby care, in women’s reproductive health, in a sexual assault treatment center, as a camp nurse and as a brit assistant.
Owner of Brown Deer Garage Auto Sales, Gary has served on the board of trustees on Congregation Shalom and volunteered at MJDS.
Arguably the most significant Jewish activism for the Taffels is informal Holocaust education.
A survivor from Poland, Nathan began talking about his World War II experiences about five years ago. As a pair, he and Muriel have spoken to thousands of school children, university students, teachers and others.
Now 80, Nathan spent four-and-a-half years being sent from ghetto to work camp to concentration camp. His parents and seven of his sisters had been murdered. One surviving brother died later in the United States from a disease contracted from burying victims of the genocide.
Muriel taught in Milwaukee Public Schools for 10 years. Her volunteer work also includes helping the Jewish Community Pantry.
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