The Jewish National Fund (JNF) held a screening of “The Samuel Project” on June 23 at the Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.
Following the screening, actor Hal Linden was presented with the JNF’s Guardian of Israel Award. Linden became a spokesperson for the organization in 1997, prompted by his lifelong connection with JNF’s iconic “Blue Box,” or pushke charity tin.
“Hal is a true Zionist, major donor and friend,” JNF’s National Campaign Director Sharon Freedman said. “Hal continues to share the magic of building our homeland with thousands of people across the country, travels to Israel leading our JNF Sunshine Missions for active adults and so much more. We are truly blessed.”
“The Samuel Project” is about an aspiring artistic teenager, Eli, played by Ryan Ochoa, who gets to know his Jewish grandfather, Samuel, played by Linden, through a school art project. While learning more about his grandfather, Eli discovers that Samuel was saved from the Nazis during World War II by a young woman.
— Rayna Zborovsky
The national board of the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center (ACSZ) in Jerusalem has elected Dr. Howard Zvi Goldschmidt to serve as its new president.
Goldschmidt is succeeding Debbie Kestenbaum, who, according to ACSZ, “served as president with tremendous acuity and vision for the last three years.”
According to the ACSZ’s July 2 announcement, Shaare Zedek has been an important cause in Goldschmidt’s family for decades. His maternal grandfather, Herman Warisch, was a classmate and lifelong friend of Dr. Falk Schlesinger, the Israel-based hospital’s second director-general. His paternal grandfather, Carl Goldschmidt, served as a board member of ACSZ in the 1960s and 1970s and was honored posthumously in the early ’80s. His parents, Helen and Eric Goldschmidt, attended many Shaare Zedek dinners and concerts. Goldschmidt himself was honored by the ACSZ in 2016 for his volunteer service in providing cardiac care to the people of Jerusalem and beyond.
“I feel honored to be stepping into the role of president of this amazing institution,” Goldschmidt said in a statement. “It has been my privilege since 2016 to spend a month at Shaare Zedek each year, working with senior physicians and residents in the cardiology and emergency medicine departments. During my visits, I have had the opportunity to fully understand the ethos of this unique beacon for hope and healing.
“I believe that Shaare Zedek is one of the greatest providers of high-level medicine in a compassionate and supportive environment, making critical advancements in clinical care and research each day,” he continued. “I see it as my mission to get as many people as possible to visit the hospital so that together, we can help make Shaare Zedek even greater than it is today. After all, what better place is there for a cardiologist than ‘The Hospital With a Heart?’ ”
Goldschmidt attended the Yeshiva of Central Queens and Yeshiva University High School in Manhattan and received his undergraduate and medical degrees at Columbia University. He trained in internal medicine and cardiology at Mount Sinai and is currently a senior cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, Valley Heart and Vascular Institute in Ridgewood, N.J.
Mitchell Julis of Beverly Hills recently was awarded an honorary fellowship from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology during the university’s June 16 board of governors meeting on the Haifa campus.
Described as a pillar of the Los Angeles Jewish community, Julis was recognized for his “exceptional support of Jewish communities on every level,” according to a statement by the American Technion Society, which supports and raises awareness for the university.
“The Technion is perhaps the most vital bridge between Israel and the world, and keeps creating technological miracles that strengthen that bridge,” Julis said. “This dynamic is also true on Roosevelt Island because the Technion and Cornell University are propelling New York City forward as a tech powerhouse. I am so privileged to be a small partner in that effort. This honorary fellowship will only inspire me to help make sure Israel’s bridge to the world stays long and strong.”
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology President Peretz Lavie was among those at the meeting.
Julis is known in the Technion community for creating opportunities for engagement by arranging events and forging connections with the philanthropic community. He has served on the American Technion Society national board of directors and has supported master’s and postdoctoral fellowships, water and cancer research.
He is co-founder and co-CEO of global asset management firm Canyon Partners.
The Orthodox Union (OU) West Coast celebrated its 50th anniversary with a June 18 gala banquet at Sephardic Temple honoring Rabbi Alan and Sandy Kalinsky along with Pat’s Restaurant and Catering.
Kalinsky, director of the OU West Coast, and his wife, Sandy, received the Keter Shem Tov Award. Kalinsky has been with the OU West Coast for more than three decades.
Meanwhile, Pat’s Restaurant and Catering was awarded the OU National Kashrut Award for all the dining provided to the Los Angeles Jewish community. Errol and Pat Fine, owners of Pat’s Restaurant and Catering, accepted the award.
Many community members as well as OU leaders attended the event, including OU Executive Vice President and Chief Professional Officer Allen Fagin; OU West Coast Chairman Dr. Steve Tabak; OU West Coast President Scott Krieger; OU immediate past President Marty Nachimson; and OU President Moishe Bane.
The first OU regional office outside the New York area, OU West Coast serves the entire West Coast region, from Vancouver to San Diego and as far east as Denver. According to the OU website, the OU West Coast “has played an invaluable role in raising the level of Orthodoxy and Torah Judaism throughout the Western United States and Canada.”
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Email ryant@jewishjournal.com.