(Courtesy of Ma’ayanot) On Saturday evening, March 10, nearly 500 Ma’ayanot parents, students, alumnae and friends gathered at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck for Ma’ayanot’s Annual Scholarship Fund Dinner. The dinner was an opportunity to express gratitude to several people who have enabled Ma’ayanot to grow and thrive as a center of Torah learning in which young women flourish, each in her own way.
This year’s Keter Shem Tov Award was awarded to Saul and Deena Kaszovitz. As the parents of four daughters, all of whom attended Ma’ayanot, the Kaszovitzes have been Ma’ayanot parents for a record-setting 11 consecutive years, and the extent to which they have positively impacted every facet of the school—educational, financial and administrative—serves as an inspiration to the entire Ma’ayanot community. Saul was the school’s president for four years and served on the board for 11 years.
Miriam and Rabbi Elie Berman were recognized as Amudei Ma’ayanot honorees. The Bermans are deeply dedicated to the values of community and Jewish education, as is manifest by their extensive volunteer activities across numerous community organizations.
Neer and Lynn Even-Hen received the award for Parents of the Year. Lynn and Neer have manifested their deep commitment to community through numerous volunteer activities on behalf of Ma’ayanot. Neer has served on the dinner fundraising committee, while Lynn has served on the school’s board of directors since 2014, as well as on the parent ambassador and open house committees.
The Teacher of the Year Award was awarded to Samantha Kur, chair of the English department. Since joining Ma’ayanot’s faculty in 2007, Kur has fostered in her students a love of reading and taught them to develop their own identity and moral compass through their study of literature.
All funds raised through the dinner are dedicated to underwriting Ma’ayanot’s scholarship program, which awarded more than $1.4 million for the current fiscal year to families in financial need. Ma’ayanot is grateful to all who volunteered to make this year’s event such a tremendous success.
