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Moving and shaking: Honoring Max Steinberg, The Concern Foundation and more

Marking the second anniversary of lone soldier Max Steinberg’s July 20, 2014 death while serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Steinberg’s parents, locals Stuart and Evie Steinberg, and Jewish National Fund (JNF) Ammunition Hill Liaison Yoel Rosby visited the Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem on July 20.
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August 4, 2016

Marking the second anniversary of lone soldier Max Steinberg’s July 20, 2014 death while serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Steinberg’s parents, locals Stuart and Evie Steinberg, and Jewish National Fund (JNF) Ammunition Hill Liaison Yoel Rosby visited the Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem on July 20.

Thanks to an anonymous donor, the Wall of Honor features a plaque bearing Max Steinberg’s name. He served in the IDF from 2012 to 2014 and died in battle in Gaza. The Woodland Hills native was 24.Erected by the JNF, the Wall of Honor is a tribute to Jews who “served or serve in the military in any country,” according to the JNF website.

Ammunition Hill, a site where the British stored ammunition during the 1930s, was the scene of a deadly battle between Israel and Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Lone soldiers are IDF soldiers whose immediate families live outside of Israel.


A year after launching her fashion line that promotes modesty and is aimed at Orthodox women, local designer Rachelle Yadegar joined an eight-day trip to Israel’s fashion and tourism sites led by the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project (JWRP).

Local designer Rachelle Yadegar. Photo courtesy of Not Without My Heels

The trip brought together 35 Jewish designers and industry professionals from across the U.S., as well as Greece, South Africa and Panama to visit bread-and-butter itinerary stops such as the Dead Sea and Jerusalem’s Old City, but also fashion destinations such as Shenkin Street boutiques in Tel Aviv.

JWRP is a Maryland-based nonprofit that seeks to empower Jewish women by connecting them with their heritage. It frequently conducts trips to Israel, but the fashionista trip, which came to a close Aug. 3, is the first of its kind.

A year ago, Yadegar, 23, started a fashion line with her cousin Judith Iloulian called RaJu. The pair introduced their brand because they saw a need for “a high-end, modest clothing line” — a way for Orthodox women to look elegant but still “cover knees and elbows,” Yadegar said. 

“HaShem wants us to feel beautiful,” she said in an interview.

Yadegar also runs a fashion blog, Not Without My Heels, where she frequently posts pictures of her newest designs.

“Modesty can be trendy and fun and sexy,” she said. “You can be modest but still look hot.”

Eitan Arom, Staff Writer


On July 13, Rabbi Noam Raucher joined Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center’s (PJTC) clergy. Raucher succeeds Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater, who had served as the congregation’s rabbi since 2003. 

New Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center Rabbi Noam Raucher. Photo courtesy of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center

Raucher was born and raised in Hamden, Conn. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University, Raucher worked as a counselor at Yale Psychiatric Hospital. In 2011, he received his master’s degree in education from American Jewish University’s (AJU) Fingerhut School of Education and was ordained at AJU’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, both in Los Angeles. Before his position at PJTC, Raucher was associate rabbi and religious school education director at Temple Israel in Charlotte, N.C. He and his wife, Tamar, have two boys, Judah and Eli.

PJTC is a Conservative synagogue, and at 94 years old is one of the oldest Jewish synagogues in the San Gabriel Valley. The temple’s executive director, Beryl Strauss, believes Raucher will “be able to embrace [the community’s] multigenerational families … and [its] young” new members. “His style, his friendliness, his openness [make him] a good match for our organization,” she added.

Kayla Cohen, Contributing Writer


On July 9, Concern Foundation held its 42nd annual Block Party on the backlot of Paramount Studios. This year’s event, “Field of Dreams for a Cancer-Free World,” was attended by approximately 4,000 people and raised more than $1.7 million for cancer and immunology research. 

Dr. Peter and Rebecca Grossman were honored as “Humanitarians and Community Leaders” for their innovative treatment of and charitable efforts toward burn victims.

Former Beverly Hills Mayor Barry Brucker and his wife, Sue, were honored with the inaugural Beth  Hersh Goldsmith Conquer Cancer Now Heroes Award, commemorating friend and former Concern Foundation Executive Director Beth Goldsmith, who died of cancer last November.

Barry and Sue Brucker hold the first-ever Beth Hersh Goldsmith Conquer Cancer Now Heroes Award. Photo by Jackson Prince

“We are touched that this award ties Beth, her family and us together,” Brucker said. “Beth was a giant of a person and an inspiration.”

Concern Foundation President Derek Alpert said that honoring Goldsmith this year was “bittersweet” for him, as “her fingerprints will be all over Concern forever.”

Alpert hopes to “continue to build Concern’s family of supporters.”

“We know that our friends, family members, loved ones or even each of us will be personally touched by cancer in our lifetime,” he said. “We are in the business to someday be out of business, but that dream is still today just a dream.”

Jackson Prince, Contributing Writer


Four days after her July 13 birthday, Dorothy Steinberg celebrated turning 100 at Just Dance Los Angeles on July 17. Steinberg is a member of Temple Beth Ohr in La Mirada and works with ORT America, an educational and training organization that prepares members of impoverished communities for competitive jobs. 

From left: Sue Nevens, Dorothy Steinberg and Lonnie Wagman celebrate Steinberg’s 100th birthday. Wagman and Nevens are Steinberg’s daughters. Photo by Rebecca Bernstein

— Kayla Cohen, Contributing Writer

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

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