(Courtesy of Shalom Task Force) Shalom Task Force (STF) has announced that Shani Traube will be the guest of honor at its fifth annual brunch on Sunday, November 4, at the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst, New York. This year’s honorees are Traube; Rabbi Peretz Steinberg; Rachel Hercman, LCSW; Frady Kess, LCSW; and Sarah Chana Silverman, PhD.
Shani Traube is a chesed superstar and over the years has volunteered her time with several community organizations. However, over the past 18 years it is Shalom Task Force that has captured her heart and her focus. She is involved in many aspects of the organization, including chairing the annual brunches with her special flair. She lives in Lawrence with her husband, Dr. Charles Traube, a well-respected cardiologist. She is the proud mother of Dr. Chani Traube and Mark Goldman of Jamaica Estates, Dr. Eli Traube and Ilana Eidelman of Woodmere and Adeena and Dov Kerner of West Hempstead. She is a proud and doting grandmother to their children.
Rabbi Peretz Steinberg, rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel of Queens Valley, is receiving the Community Leadership Award. Rabbi Steinberg is a long-time resident of Kew Gardens Hills. He learned in Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and Beis Medrash Elyon, and received smicha from Rav Moshe Feinstein. Rabbi Steinberg has been a supporter and advisor of Shalom Task Force since its inception. The organization benefited often from his profound understanding of the delicate issues involved in marriage and divorce, and his vast experience in these areas.
Rachel Hercman, LCSW, is receiving the Shalom Task Force Professional Leadership Award. She is a psychotherapist with expertise in relationships, intimacy and trauma. She is in private practice on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and is a noted speaker in communities, universities and professional trainings throughout the tri-state area and beyond. As a consultant for Shalom Task Force, Rachel has partnered in creating new programs and conversations in the Jewish community and in shifting the way sensitive topics are addressed. A native of Woodmere, she lives in Riverdale with her husband and children.
Frady Kess, LCSW, is receiving the Shalom Task Force Dedicated Service Award. Frady is a longtime resident of Flatbush. She has been a devoted STF volunteer for the past 15 years. Frady is a trained presenter of the STF Healthy Relationships workshop, and has facilitated the program in numerous Brooklyn high schools. After witnessing the far-reaching impact of the Shalom Task Force on individuals and communities, Frady decided to take her training one step further. In 2010 she graduated with a master’s degree in social work. Frady is currently a social worker in private practice where she specializes in treating victims of domestic abuse and relational trauma.
Sarah Chana Silverman, PhD, is the recipient of the Shalom Task Force Hakarat Hatov Award. She is the director of program development and evaluation at Shalom Task Force. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of California at Berkeley and received her doctorate in social anthropology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Silverman directs Shalom Task Force’s grant program, composing, managing and evaluating grants from foundations as well as federal, state and municipal government departments. Dr. Silverman has a role in financial management for STF, and she works with community partners to expand services for victims and preventative education programs. She lives in Lawrence, New York, with her husband, close to her children and grandchildren in Far Rockaway.
This year’s brunch will be held on November 4 at 9:30 a.m. at Sephardic Temple, 775 Branch Boulevard, Cedarhurst, New York. Sponsorships available. Men and women invited. For reservations, visit www.shalomtaskforce.org. For more information, email [email protected] or call 516-773-3399.
