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October 3, 2003/Tishri 7 5764, Vol. 56, No.2
Annual meeting honors local leaders
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
On Sept. 21, approximately 230 people attended the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix's 62nd annual meeting at the Arizona Biltmore.
In addition to a welcome to federation's new executive vice president, Adam Schwartz, several awards were presented to honor contributions to the community.
Leonard Miller was the recipient of federation's most prestigious award, the Medal of Honor. A former federation president for three years, Miller has also served as chairman of the board of trustees for the Jewish Community Foundation, was president of the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center and is currently president of the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus. He was also the recipient of the Tree of Life Award from Jewish National Fund.
Neal Kurn, former recipient of the Medal of Honor, presented the award to Miller. "What I admire most is the consistency. He is always there when you need him, he is willing to grapple with the most difficult problems, and he does it with intelligence and honesty. ... He has an enormous commitment to service of his community, something that is knitted into the very fabric of his life," said Kurn as he presented the award.
Miller, who has been a resident of the Valley since 1966, is senior vice president for Century Business Service, Inc., and a member of Temple Beth Israel, along with his wife, Phyllis. They have two adult children, Paul and Ellie.
Miller said he is grateful for the recognition and he would like to be remembered "as someone who helped restructure many of the nonprofit entities to put them on much stronger financial footing and ensure their viability and continuity."
Jennifer Schwarz is this year's recipient of the Lee Amada Young Leadership Award. Schwarz's involvement in the community includes serving as the co-vice president of Young Leadership Division, founding member of the YLD board, member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet and she works with Hadassah, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Council for Jewish With Special Needs, Jewish Family & Children's Service and the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center.
"When she dives into something she really tackles it with a tremendous amount of energy and passion," said Michelle Kort, who presented the award to Schwarz. "She really believes strongly that it is so important to invest in our young leadership."
In her speech, Schwarz spoke of her devotion to YLD, and the importance of encouraging young leadership in the community.
"It is a true honor to stand before you today to accept this award. Odd, though, receiving an honor for simply doing something I believe is my obligation to do as a Jew and for doing what I love - working together with wonderful people who share my passion for making the Jewish world a better place," she said.
In addition to her community work, Schwarz owns an online baby gift business, Max's Room. She and her husband Steven have two children, Max, 3, and Kori, 1.
This year Keith Mishkin was awarded the Sy Clark Young Leadership Award. Mishkin's work includes serving as chairman of federation's YLD campaign, Ben Gurion division and YLD Main Event. He is currently a member of both the YLD board and the National Young Leadership Cabinet, and involved with Hillel Jewish Student Center and Temple Chai. Mishkin was also awarded the National Leadership Award from the Republican Congressional Committee.
Steven Schwarz, previous recipient of the Sy Clark award and current president of YLD, presented Mishkin's award.
"Keith is one of the reasons that I am able to get up each day and do my volunteer work," Schwarz said. "He is an inspiration to me in the way that he handles himself and communicates his passion."
Mishkin is CEO and president of Cambridge Properties.
This year's Belle Latchman Community Service Award was presented to the Arizona Friends of the American Red Magen David Adom for Israel (ARMDI) Partners for Life program, which brought volunteers into Jewish day school and religious school classrooms to teach about ARMDI's work in Israel. The project culminated in the production of a Partners for Life calendar that features pictures drawn by the students, as well as photos from the local community.
Sara Ziskin, chairwoman of the award committee, presented this year's award.
"We are in the very enviable, yet difficult, position of choosing between a number of wonderful programs that go on in this community," she said. "This particular program ... helped to bring awareness to (more than) 1,200 Jewish children of the situation in Israel and how they can respond to it."
Barbara Zemel is co-chairwoman of the Partners for Life program.
"We were absolutely thrilled and delighted," she said. "We truly appreciate the recognition."
Thelma and Jerry Gross were the chairpersons for the event.
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