fbpx

Moving and shaking: Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny, BJE and more

Temple Beth Am held an installation ceremony for Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny and recognized Associate Rabbi Ari Lucas on Dec. 13.
[additional-authors]
January 14, 2015

Temple Beth Am held an installation ceremony for Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny and recognized Associate Rabbi Ari Lucas on Dec. 13.

Chorny, who was raised in San Diego, joined the staff at the La Cienega Boulevard Conservative congregation as cantor in August. She is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York, where she completed her Cantorial Investiture, Rabbinical Ordination and a master’s degree in sacred music.

Lucas, a New Jersey native, has been part of the Beth Am community since 2012, and the event marked his promotion from assistant rabbi to associate rabbi. “It was a wonderful moment for the entire community to celebrate a great relationship, and we’re excited about what we are building here,” he said in a phone interview with the Journal. 

Among those who attended the ceremony at Temple Beth Am were Cantor Nancy Abramson, director of the H.L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music at JTS; Beth Am President Mike Cohn and Beth Am Senior Rabbi Adam Kligfeld.


Builders of Jewish Education (BJE) honored former board presidents Earl Greinetz (2002-2005) and Elaine Lindheim (2005-2008) Jan. 8 during its annual gala, raising more than $400,000 in support of the Jewish education nonprofit in the process.

Milken Family Foundation, in recognition of its annual Jewish Educators Award, which honors outstanding educators, also received honors. 

From left: Gil Graff, BJE executive director; Rhea Coskey, gala co-chair; honorees Elaine Lindheim and Earl Greinetz; Janet Farber, gala co-chair; and Alan Spiwak, BJE president. Photo by Mark Lee. Moments to Remember

“It was a wonderful bringing together of the community, which is really what BJE is all about,” Miriam Prum Hess, BJE’s director of donor and community relations, said in a phone interview.

The event was held at Sinai Temple in Westwood and drew more than 400 community members, day-school leaders and others, including Jay Sanderson, CEO and president of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles; Les Bider, Federation board chairman; Susie Fohrer Dehrey, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles executive vice president; and Samara Hutman of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.

Among those representing the education community were Robert Wexler, American Jewish University president; Joshua Holo, dean of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion campus in Los Angeles; Ron Reynolds, California Association of Private School Organizations executive director; Jody Myers, CSUN professor of religious studies; UCLA professors Todd Presner, Sarah Abrevaya Stein and Mark Kligman; and Leon Janks and Gary Weisserman of Milken Community Schools.


Dr. Noachim Steve Marco has been hired as Los Angeles Jewish Home’s chief medical officer.

“The Jewish Home has a well-deserved reputation of providing the highest quality of care to those it serves,” said Marco, former vice president of medical affairs at Northridge Hospital Medical Center,  as quoted in a Jan. 9 press release. “I hope to help facilitate that ongoing mission as the Home continues to expand, providing services to seniors in the community and in-residence.”

Dr. Noachim Steve Marco. Photo by Steve Cohn

The Los Angeles Jewish home is a provider of senior home-care services for more than 5,000 individuals every year through its community-based and in-residence programs.

President and CEO Molly Forrest welcomed Marco to the team in a statement: “In addition to his impressive medical credentials and experience, Dr. Marco brings to the Home the compassionate care that we are known for,” she said. “We are privileged that he has joined the Home’s clinical staff and know the seniors he cares for will greatly benefit from his medical skills and knowledge.”


Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles (JFS) has received a $40,000 grant from Bank of America Charitable Foundation as part of a foundation initiative that has allocated $930,000 to 28 Los Angeles-based nonprofit organizations that are “helping individuals with basic human services and building better financial lives,” according to a Jan. 12 JFS media release.

A social services agency, JFS is using the funds toward its JFS Family Violence Project and its Shelter Services program. The former “provides essential counseling and assistance for survivors of domestic abuse,” according to a statement. “In 2013, JFS Shelter Services helped a total of 421 adults and 218 children toward self sufficiency.”

Debby Barak, JFS board president, welcomed the grant.

“Through the Family Violence Project and our Shelter Services program, JFS plays a critical role in providing hope and opportunity to victims of abuse, regardless of religion, ethnicity or background,” Barak said, as quoted by the release. “This generous donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation will enable us to continue to assist victims of intimate partner violence, allowing them to regain their independence and rebuild their lives.”

Raul Anaya, Los Angeles market president at Bank of America, praised the work of JFS.

“Bank of America shares Jewish Family Service’s mission to help people across basic human services and strengthen the health of our community,” he said, as quoted by the release. “Our grant to JFS will help the agency provide critical supportive services to survivors of domestic abuse, putting them on a path to financial stability while meeting their immediate needs.”

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides grant money to agencies that work in the areas of jobs, housing and hunger.

Moving and Shaking highlights events, honors and simchas. Got a tip? Email ryant@jewishjournal.com.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Print Issue: Got College? | Mar 29, 2024

With the alarming rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, choosing where to apply has become more complicated for Jewish high school seniors. Some are even looking at Israel.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.