Kudos for the Best in Jewish Ed

Kudos for the Best in Jewish Ed
The Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles recognized five local Jewish educators as outstanding teachers. Recipients of the Lainer Distinguished Jewish Educator Awards, presented at a religious school educators’ conference Jan. 18, received cash awards of $2,500. The recipients are: Claire Maultasch, who started as a parent and ended up as a teacher at Temple Etz Chaim’s religious school in Thousand Oaks, utilizing her expertise in teaching and technology; David Rosenblum, a teacher at Temple Adat Elohim’s religious school in Thousand Oaks, who was convinced by his wife, Marla — a teacher at Adat Elohim’s preschool and a past recipient of the Lainer Award — to share his strong background in and passion for Judaism at the school; Bruce Udelf, a 20-year veteran at Temple Ahavat Shalom’s religious school in Northridge, who has been a religious school teacher for 34 years with students from kindergarten through high school.

Two more teachers will receive $1,000 Smotrich Family Foundation Awards for excellence as early career educators. Recipient Jessica Gross of Congregation Tikvat Jacob’s religious school in Manhattan Beach is in her first year in the Cantorial School of American Jewish University and is a cantorial soloist with Valley Outreach Synagogue in Las Vegas. Ayelet Sason, from the Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills, is a native of Israel who began teaching Hebrew by volunteering at Chabad’s Conejo Hebrew Academy.

Gross and Sason also received the National Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award, which includes $1500 toward professional development activities, and their schools each received $500.
— Julie Gruenbaum Fax, Senior Writer

Multicultural Music
Over a thousand students throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley took part in the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony’s cultural exchange program, “A Patchwork of Cultures: The Sephardic-Latino Connection” during the holiday season. Since 1997, musicians working with LAJS have conducted teaching seminars connecting Sephardic and Latino music and culture in both Jewish day schools and public and parochial campuses with large Latino populations. The program concluded with LAJS’ culminating concert at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel on Dec. 8.

A Chilly Chanukah
The Friendship Circle of Los Angeles made it snow in the city during Snowy Chanukah, a holiday party sponsored by the Monkarsh Family Foundation for children with special needs and their families. Chanukah favorites latkes, jelly doughnuts and gelt were on hand. Separate rooms were converted into play areas for baking, dancing and singing.

The celebration concluded with a menorah lighting and a round of “I Had a Little Dreidel.”

A Major New Years Resolution
Eric Elkaim provided an extra jolt of emotion to the Pasadena Rose Parade Jan. 1 when he arranged to have Boy Scouts march carrying a banner proposing marriage to long-time love Linda Vidov. Elkaim (walking at far left), who titles himself Director of All Things Outrageous at his event company PartyWorksUSA, regularly hosts some 500 friends and colleagues for a street-side parade viewing. The crowd cheered, “Do it, Linda!” as Elkaim took to his knees in front of her in the middle of the parade route. Vidov, by the way, said, “Yes.”

Emanuel’s Rabbi Organizes Rabbinic Mission to Southern Israel
The Jewish National Fund led a Rabbinic Solidarity Mission to Southern Israel accompanied by 18 “mostly” modern Orthodox rabbis. Los Angeles JNF Board Member Bud Levin was one of three lay leaders to join the contingent of U.S. rabbis on the 48-hour mission that took place Jan. 13 and 14. Chicago Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel (also known as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s synagogue) organized the trip that included a visit to Sderot and an overnight stay in Yeshivat Hesder’s bomb shelter, where the group studied with Yeshiva students preparing to enter the Israel Defense Forces.