The Wisconsin Region of Jewish National Fund will host its Wisconsin Tribute Banquet at the River Club of Mequon, 12400 N. Ville du Parc Dr., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m.
The banquet will feature guest speaker Ariel Kotler, the development officer for JNF’s Israel Operations. An Israel native, Kotler will discuss how JNF’s work developing Timna National Park has brought Israel closer to realizing the dream of cultivating the Negev.
The event also will honor 11 members of the Milwaukee-area Jewish community for their devotion to Jewish causes and their support of JNF’s work in developing the land of Israel. They are:
• Geri Berg, a native of Shorewood, has been an active member of Congregation Shalom for more than 16 years, during which she has taught for the Hebrew and Religious School, has served as a board member for six years, and is currently the advisor to the high school youth group and fifth and sixth graders. She is currently a manager of Outpost Natural Foods.
Fourteen years ago, Geri was diagnosed with a cancerous melanoma. After treatment and remission, she started raising money and participating in marathons for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has been a part of the Team in Training for the last 11 years, and has done nine marathons for the society.
Geri is the mother of fellow honoree and Next Generation Leader, Marissa Steinhofer.
• Shannon Corallo and Andrew Komisar. Komisar has been a partner in the CPA firm of Komisar, Brady & Co., LLP, since 1988. Andrew currently serves on the boards of COA Youth and Family Centers and the Harry & Rose Samson Jewish Community Center, and is involved with several budget and finance committees of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
Corallo, a family law attorney, began a solo practice, Shannon Corallo, LLC, in May 2011. Previously, she practiced criminal defense law at the Office of the State Public Defender in Milwaukee from 1988-2011. Shannon has served on the boards of the Milwaukee Community Service Corps and National Organization for Women, as well as provided free legal services at several agencies.
• Nancy and Neal Plotkin, life-long Milwaukeeans, grew up on Milwaukee’s northwest side, and their families have been lifelong members of Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue.
Neal is a manufacturers’ sales representative, a field in which he has been active for over 30 years. He has served on the Beth El Ner Tamid board for more than four years and the executive board of the Men’s Club for more than 15 years.
Nancy has worked as a nurse for more than 30 years. She has worked in a number of different hospitals, including Lutheran, Mount Sinai, and Columbia, and in home health-care and direct patient-care nursing.
Nancy served as a Family Care RN at Jewish Family Services for eight years, and has been an Outpatient Behavior Health Clinic Nurse for Milwaukee Center For Independence since 2011.
• Reva Reitman Schlonsky was recently published in the January issue of the online magazine, The Jewish Magazine, and has had poems published in three Wisconsin Poets Calendars.
She has been involved in numerous organizations, including the Milwaukee Jewish Home, Congregation Beth Israel Sisterhood board, and Jewish National Fund. She was the 2005 Valued Volunteer for the Central Sisterhood Branch, a 2009 Torah Fund Honoree, and is a lifetime member of Hadassah.
• Rabbi Shari and Dr. Corey Shamah met at a JCC Jewish singles event 12 years ago.
Originally from Phoenix, Ariz., Corey is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology, and practices with Aurora Advanced Healthcare. He is on the breast care committee for Aurora and is an active supporter of the American Cancer Society. He is also a member of the MJF Maimonides Society and has volunteered for the MJF campaign.
Shari, a Chicagoan, joined the Milwaukee community in 2000, first as assistant and then associate rabbi of Congregation Shalom. She joined the staff of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in August 2007 and works as Jewish Family Specialist.
She is past president of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis and served on the board for 10 years. She spent more than 20 years as staff and faculty member at Olin-Sang Ruby Union Institute in Oconomowoc and the Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken in Eagle River.
• Mina and Jerry Tepper devote their personal and professional lives to community service. They were founding members of Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah synagogue, with Jerry serving as president during its first three years of operations and Mina as treasurer.
Jerry has also served as president of Hillel Academy twice. Jerry is currently serving his third term as Glendale’s mayor. As a health care professional, Mina has spent the last eight years involved in the delivery of housing and care services to Jewish elderly.
Mina and Jerry have supported many organizations and programs committed to enhancing educational, economic, and environmental life in Israel.
• Marissa Steinhofer, who will receive the Next Generation Leader award, will be a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she majors in Jewish studies and minors in communications.
Marissa is from Shorewood and has been active in the Jewish community since childhood. She grew up as a member of Congregation Shalom in Fox Point. She is currently the Hebrew specialist for K4-second grade. She has attended the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute since the third grade.
In high school, Marissa was an active member of both NFTY and SHFTY, and spent four months of her junior year in Israel. At UWM, she serves as the student president of Hillel Milwaukee.
Proceeds from JNF’s 2012 annual campaign will support JNF’s work at Wisconsin’s signature project, Timna National Park in the Negev. The park features a chronosphere, a man-made lake, several lookout points, and plans for a new visitor’s center, all of which are largely funded by the Chudnow family and members of the Wisconsin Jewish community.
The banquet couvert is $70 per person. To register online, visit jnf.org/wisconsinbanquet or RSVP at RSVPMilwaukee@jnf.org or 414-963-8733 by Friday, Aug. 24.
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