Jewish National Fund Wisconsin Region will honor five couples for their community activism at the organization’s annual banquet, to be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6 p.m., at Congregation Beth Israel.
Honorees are: Drs. Sharon and Bradley Fedderly, Cynthia and Rabbi Jacob Herber, Kathy Wheatley and Keith Lindenbaum, Jill and Jay Plavnick and Gayle and Richard Rakita.
Event co-chairs are Audrey Brooks and Narda Forman.
A Chicago native, Sharon Fedderly is a clinical psychologist with Health Psychology Associates. She is a member of various professional associations.
A vocalist and guitarist, Sharon has been the music specialist at Congregation Beth Israel’s School of Jewish Studies since 1997. She has sung with Milwaukee’s Jewish Community Chorale since 1994 and served as its president for four years.
Sharon served on the advisory committee for the Jewish Chaplaincy Program for eight years.
A family physician, Bradley J. Fedderly is currently employed by Lakeshore Medical Clinic. He has been selected as one of Milwaukee’s best family doctors by Milwaukee Magazine.
In 2008 he completed a three-year term on the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians. In 1996-97, he served as president of its Wisconsin chapter.
Longtime members of Beth Israel, Bradley has served on its board of directors from 2005-2008 and Sharon is a member of the congregation’s Sisterhood. They are members of American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Fox Point residents, they have two daughters, Galya, 16, and Rachel, 15.
An attorney, Cynthia Herber is a certified Spanish interpreter in Milwaukee’s circuit courts.
Born and raised in Mexico City, she served as the assistant general counsel for international negotiations for the Mexican Department of Commerce and worked on the North American Free Trade Agreement.
She has served on the faculty of the Milwaukee Area Technical College and was a speaker at the State Public Defender’s annual conference last fall. In February, she was confirmed by the Wisconsin Senate to serve on the Wisconsin Judicial Commission.
She has served on the federation’s Agency Relations Committee, on the board of directors of the federation’s Women’s Division and the American Jewish Committee-Milwaukee Chapter.
Rabbi Jacob Herber is the spiritual leader of Beth Israel. Immediate past president of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, he serves on the nominations committee of the Rabbinical Assembly and on the boards of the National Rabbinic Cabinet of the State of Israel Bonds, Masorti Olami and the federation.
He recently chaired the Israel Bonds Rabbinic Cabinet Conference in Jerusalem and is a contributing author to the new book, “Walking with Life.”
Kathy Wheatley and Keith Lindenbaum moved to Milwaukee from New Jersey in 1994.
A Spanish professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kathy has served on the boards of Jewish Beginnings Lubavitch Preschool and the Milwaukee Jewish Day School. She co-chaired MJDS’ fruit and nut fundraiser for two years.
She is currently a member of the board of directors of the federation’s Women’s Division and of Congregation Beth Israel.
An attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP, Keith is chair of the firm’s Israel committee. He has served as president of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations and is now an officer of the federation and chair of its Israel and Overseas Committee.
He also serves on the board of North American Friends of Oranim.
Members of Congregation Beth Israel, they have three children — Elan, Jacob and Leora.
A graduate of Whitefish Bay High School, Jill Plavnick earned a degree in business from Indiana University. She has been a senior programmer analyst at Fiserv for 20 years.
With her daughter, Lauren, she volunteers at Ozaukee Humane Society.
Jill is on the board of directors of Temple Menorah and a member of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization Adult Commission. A vice president of the federation’s Women’s Division, she recently became a federation board member.
A Milwaukee native, Jay graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1984 as a pharmacist. He is a pharmacy manager with Roundy’s and is the co-owner of VaxPro, a local immunization and wellness company.
Jay is a member of Temple Menorah’s Men’s Club and is on the Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken JCC camp committee.
Jill and Jay have two children, David, 16, and Lauren, 14.
Gayle Weber Rakita is program coordinator with the Arthritis Foundation and, since 2005, has been program coordinator with the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning.
She has volunteered extensively throughout the Jewish community. After serving in many capacities at Beth Israel, she just began her second term as the synagogue’s president.
She has volunteered with the Jewish Home and Care Center and has served on the budget and finance committee of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
A Milwaukee native, Richard Rakita is head of the real estate group at Weiss Berzowski Brady LLP. He has twice served as chair of the Milwaukee Bar Association’s judicial polling committee.
He has been deeply involved with the Jewish Home and Care Center, having served on its board for many years, including a four-year term as the home’s president. He is now completing a four-year term as chairman of the board of the Jewish Home and Care Center Foundation.
He has also been programming chair of the American Jewish Committee-Milwaukee Chapter; a trustee at Beth Israel; an officer for the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations; and a two-time chair of the federation’s Attorney’s Division.
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