Awards 

 

 

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A Message from the Young Professional Award Committee Chairs

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

    The JCSA Young Professional Award is given annually to Young Professionals who have distinguished themselves through exemplary service in their agencies and communities.  This competitive and prestigious award provides an opportunity to recognize talented individuals who are dedicated to professional careers in the Jewish community.  Through this recognition, we not only reward outstanding work and behavior, we also pay tribute to the invaluable contributions of professional leadership in the Jewish communal sector.  While the selection process is competitive, nominating a younger colleague and recognizing his or her contributions is, in itself, a significant honor.  Please consider nominating a worthy colleague and sharing this announcement.  

Sincerely,

 

Young Professional Award Committee Chairs

 

Howard Charish                                                         Jay Spector

UJA-Federation of Northern New Jersey              JEVS Philadelphia

 

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2008 Award Winners:

 

    

David Michaels, Naomi Leah Sage and Cara Unowsky were the 2008 winners of the Jewish Communal Service Association Young Professional Award; it was announced by Howard Charish and Jay Spector, Co-Chairmen of the JCSA Awards Committee. The winners were honored during the General Assembly of United Jewish Communities meeting November 16-20, 2008 in Jerusalem, Israel. The JCSA Award, which includes a $1,000 honorarium, was underwritten by the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, the Mandel Foundation and the Bernard Rodkin Fund of the United Israel Appeal – Federations of Canada.

David L. Michaels, 27, is Director of Intercommunal Affairs for B’nai B’rith International, New York and Washington, D.C., which he joined in 2004. His analytical, organizational and writing skills made him a strong choice for this new post, created in 2006, dedicated to interreligious and intercommunal affairs. Beginning with his coordination of B’nai B’rith’s audience with Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, he has greatly expanded the oldest major Jewish agency’s engagement with diverse religious and ethnic groups. David has worked with a wide range of Protestant denominations, including the World Council of Churches. He recently participated in the Madrid interreligious conference called by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He is widely quoted in major news outlets around the world, and among his many articles is “The Yeshiva Boy Meets the Pope” in The Jewish Week (1/12/07). He is a native of New York and a graduate of Yeshiva University (B.A, Cum Laude, 2003).

     

 

Naomi Leah Sage, 30, is Associate Director, Short-Term Service Programs, for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in New York. In that post, which she created, Sage directs volunteer programs that connect young Americans to the overseas communities that the JDC serves. She joined the JDC in 2001, and was quickly recognized for her tremendous initiative, which has since moved the organization forward in new directions. Her original responsibilities included recruitment and outreach for the JDC-Jewish Service Corps, a year-long overseas volunteer program. She was then Program Associate for JDC’s International Development Program, where she helped create disaster relief and development programs to assist non-Jewish communities overseas. Naomi has worked and studied in Europe, South American and Israel and represented JDC with many organizations, including the United Nations. Naomi is a graduate of Cornell University (B.A., Cum Laude, 2001) and New York University (M.A., Public Administration in Nonprofit Management, 2008) and Hebrew and Judaic Studies (M.A., 2008).

            

Cara L. Unowsky, 30, is Senior Project Manager of Strategic Planning for the Jewish Home and Hospital Lifecare System, the largest nonprofit long-term health care provider in New York State. With her strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity and commitment to perform at the highest professional level, Cara oversees several major initiatives at the organizations Bronx and Manhattan campuses. They include the Intergenerational Youth Program and the Geriatric Career Development Program, which reach out to students at risk of not completing high school with training, academic support and counseling to prepare them for future careers and leadership posts in healthcare. She is also involved in senior housing and other outreach programs. Cara is also Project Manager for the $250 million rebuilding project of the Manhattan Nursing home campus, and oversees many areas of strategic planning. She is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University (B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, 1999) and Brandeis University (M.A., Near Eastern and Judaic Studies; M.A., Jewish Communal Service, 2003), and is a 2009 candidate for an Executive M.B.A. degree at Baruch College. Cara was also selected to be a Ralph Goldman Fellow in 2003-2004 and worked in Eastern Europe and the FSU.  

 

* 2007 Winners: Edward M. Bruckner and Shoshannah D. Frydman were the 2007 winners of the Jewish Communal Service Association Young Professional Award, it was announced by Howard Charish and Jay Spector, Co-Chairmen of the JCSA Awards Committee. The award was presented during the General Assembly of United Jewish Communities in Nashville, November 11-13, 2007. The JCSA award was underwritten by the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies and the Mandel Foundation

* 2006 Winners: Alisha Goodman, Ilana Aisen, and Alyssa Abrahamson were the 2006 winners of the Young Professional Award. JCSA thanks the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, the Mandel Foundation and the Professional Leadership Project for underwriting these awards.

*2005 Winners: Amy Wagner Biloon, Lisa Colton, and Leonard Petlakh were the 2005 winners of the Young Professional Award and were recognized at the UJC General Assembly in Toronto. The award was funded by the Mandel Foundation and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies.

* 2004 Winners: Melanie Levav Kohler and David Rosenberg were the 2004 winners of the Young Professional Award and were honored at the General Assembly of United Jewish Communities, which was held in Cleveland, Ohio, November 14-17, 2004. The JCSA Young Professional Awards were funded through generous support from the Mandel Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio, and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies in New York.

Louis Kraft, born in 1891 in Moscow, Russia, became a model and an example for his work in the Jewish communal profession. After serving as Executive Director of the Bronx YM & YMHA, Kraft became involved in the Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) where he finally became the Executive Director of the organization. In 1947, Kraft helped establish the World Federation of YMHAs and Jewish Community Centers and has often been referred to as "the architect of the Jewish community center movement." Click here to view past Kraft Award recipients.