On Saturday evening, March 10, Ma’ayanot parents, students, alumnae and friends will gather at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck for Ma’ayanot’s Annual Scholarship Fund Dinner. The dinner is 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 will be 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. In addition to serving as Ma’ayanot president for three years, Saul may have set another record by serving on an astonishing number and variety of committees, including the Finance, Board Nominating, Dinner Fundraising, Middle States Review, Open House, Development and Dean of Students Search committees. Deena, too, has significantly impacted the community by serving in numerous capacities, including as chair of the Dinner Committee, a member of a recent Learning Center focus group and as a member of several other committees, including the Middle States Review, Open House and Parent Ambassador Committees.
Miriam and Rabbi Elie Berman will be 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. At Ma’ayanot, Miriam has served on the board of directors since 2015, and on numerous school committees, including the Middle States Review, Open House and Parent Ambassador Committees. Beyond Ma’ayanot, Miriam serves as an inspiration to many through her energetic volunteerism on behalf of TABC, Shearit HaPlate, Yavneh, Noam, Lamdeinu and Congregation Rinat Yisrael. Rabbi Berman serves the community by teaching a weekly She’elot u-Teshuvot shiur at Rinat and through his longtime involvement as a member of the board of the Etzion Foundation. He also can always be counted on to be a volunteer “coach on call” at Ma’ayanot softball games.
Neer and Lynn Even-Hen will receive 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. In thinking about what makes Ma’ayanot special, Lynn and Neer singled out the wonderful chesed opportunities available to their daughters, specifically commenting upon opportunities such as the annual NCSY-Ma’ayanot humanitarian missions and Midnight Run, programs that allowed their daughters to interact with and provide aid to individuals residing beyond the boundaries of their school and home communities.
The Teacher of the Year Award will be 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. In Kur’s classes, students cultivate an expansive view of culture, human nature and the richness to be gained by engaging deeply with a diversity of literature. Kur is a caring, supportive colleague who embodies the ideal of lifelong learning. She guides the development of Ma’ayanot’s English curriculum with educational vision and an emphasis on partnership and collaboration.
All funds raised through the dinner will be 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. For more information or to RSVP for the dinner, please contact Pam Ennis at [email protected] or 201-833-4307, ext. 265.
