“Beautiful event last night. I wanted to let you know that you and your team did a fabulous job. Kudos.”
That was just one of the comments that flowed into JEWISHcolorado the morning after the 2024 Annual Meeting—an evening to review the accomplishments, connections, and investments of the past year, honor JEWISHcolorado’s partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel, and recognize members of the Jewish community for their outstanding contributions.
JEWISHcolorado’s story for the year
The evening began solemnly, as JEWISHcolorado’s Shlicha Nelly Ben Tal led a prayer for the 105 hostages still held in captivity and for the State of Israel.
JEWISHcolorado Board Chair Ben Lusher thanked the community for its extraordinary outpouring of support for those affected by the events of October 7 and for its determination to resist the rising tide of antisemitism in this country.
JEWISHcolorado President & CEO Renée Rockford echoed Lusher in her thanks to the community for its support of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), with $9.3 million raised just in Colorado for Israel Emergency aid. The Jewish community also donated much-needed dollars to support programs in Colorado that engage children, young people, teens, and families and also provide connections to Israel, reinforce Safety & Security training, combat Jewish hatred on college campuses, and advocate for the community politically at the state and local level.
Lusher pointed out that to get work done on the ground in Israel, including medical, economic, and community relief and recovery, JEWISHcolorado relies on trusted partners.
“Our longstanding partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel was instrumental in coordinating an effective emergency response, which is why they received one of our largest allocations of funds,” Lusher said. “Their impact was felt not just in Israel but right here at home.”
Diana Zeff Anderson, outgoing member of the JEWISHcolorado Board and a member of the Board of Governors of The Jewish Agency, honored The Jewish Agency as JEWISHcolorado’s Partner of the Year. Major General Doron Almog, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel, accepted the award.
“Almog has a storied history as a leader in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and as a social activist,” Zeff Anderson said. “In 2016, he received the Israel Prize, the country’s highest honor for lifetime achievement.
In accepting the honor, Almog spoke about the importance of the Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror.
“What does it mean being a beneficiary of the Victims of Terror fund?” he asked. “It’s immediate cash money which is oxygen to these people that left home and went days with nothing. Their homes were burned. They lost their loved ones. They lost their property. The most important thing in our life is love, so it’s not about the money. It’s about your unconditional love.”
Almog thanked JEWISHcolorado for its generous and unwavering support, especially in the past months.
“The state of Israel is a partnership, a partnership of we the Jews stationed in Eretz Israel and those Jews overseas, all over the world, including, of course, the wonderful community here of JEWISHcolorado,” he said. “I have no words to express my appreciation for the power and courage you give us there in Israel. We love you, and we need you more than ever before. So please continue supporting the country of Israel.”
Cabinet news
Loren Knaster, a member of the JFNA National Young Leadership Cabinet, introduced the two immediate past co-chairs of Cabinet, Danielle Gross from Phoenix and Brett Tanzman from Greater Metro West New Jersey. Knaster also announced that JEWISHcolorado will co-host the National Young Leadership Cabinet Retreat in Denver in 2025.
Charlotte B. Tucker Young Leadership Award
As last year’s recipient of the Charlotte B. Tucker Young Leadership Award, Carly Schlafer introduced Marisa Porter as this year’s winner for her “strong commitment to the Jewish community and the Federation.”
Carly Shlafer and Marisa Porter
To Porter, whose parents were extremely active in the Pittsburgh community, “involvement in the Federation was just what you did.” In Boston, she joined Cabinet, and she served as chair of her class for five of her seven years in the Federation program that fosters the next generation of leaders. After she moved to Colorado, Porter built connections through the Young Adult Division and served as the liaison between the Colorado community and the National Young Leadership Cabinet.
“While I have always given back because that is ‘what you do,’ my desire to give back—specifically to the Jewish community—is even greater now because of Cabinet,” said Porter as she accepted her award.
Ruth & Warren Toltz Young Leadership Award
Via video, Hirsch Neustein presented the Ruth & Warren Toltz Young Leadership Award to Gil Selinger. Selinger recounted his first memories of philanthropy—bringing a full tzedakah box to the old Federation building in the 1980s and his early memories of JEWISHcolorado—as a teen traveling to Israel on the Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour in 1998.
Gil Selinger with Board Chair Ben Lusher
Selinger spent six years on National Young Leadership Cabinet, visiting nine different countries and planning and chairing the largest JFNA mission outside of Israel to Argentina and Uruguay. He is a member of the JEWISHcolorado Board of Directors and chair of its Planning and Grantmaking Committee. In the past year, he served as Vice Chair for Israel and Overseas of National Young Leadership Cabinet and as a member of JFNA’s Ukraine Emergency Allocation Task Force.
On a trip to Israel in February to attend meetings of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, Selinger walked through the ruins of Kibbutz Nir Oz with General Almog and his wife Didi.
“The importance of our partnership with the Jewish Agency and the other overseas partners of the JFNA could not be more important than they are now,” Selinger said. “That is the resounding message I bring as I am honored to accept this award.”
Michael Staenberg Young Jewish Agency Professional Award
Samantha Walsh introduced Eitan Kantor as the recipient of the Michael Staenberg Young Jewish Agency Professional Award. Kantor is Music Director of the Hebrew Educational Alliance, but, Walsh said, he is much more—cantorial soloist, klezmer dance party stoker, virtual choir facilitator, and young educator.
Eitan Kantor
Kantor thanked a large team of people who support him in his work, including his partners in organizing Festo Festo, Denver’s monthly Klezmer and Balkan music concert and jam session.
“The work that I’m most proud of is this work I’ve done helping to put on programming which opens our hearts to the experiences of people from other religious and cultural groups, programming that involves actually meeting and talking to people with different cultural backgrounds,” Kantor said. “I hope that I can use this support from JEWISHcolorado to make the world a little more like its best self.”
Volunteer of the Year
Ben Lusher presented the Volunteer of the Year Award to Jonathan Perlmutter. Perlmutter is Chair of JEWISHcolorado’s Safety & Security Committee.
“Under his leadership, JEWISHcolorado has expanded this program, especially as needs have increased in a post-October 7 world,” Lusher said. “Jonathan has ensured that more and more synagogues and congregants across our community are taking part in training. He has traveled to Chicago to see the Secure Community Network situation room and duty desk in operation. He has broadened participation at the committee level, and, every day, serves as a messenger to Denver’s religious community about the importance of training and preparedness.”
Jonathan Perlmutter with Board Chair Ben Lusher
“Security Community Network’s (SCN) mission is to ensure the safety, security, and resilience of the Jewish people,” Perlmutter said, as he accepted the award. “We take great pride in the JEWISHcolorado-SCN partnership. Another part of our mandate is to spread the word. We need your help, whether you join a greeter team at your congregation, designate a part of your annual gift to JEWISHcolorado’s Safety & Security Initiative, or attend one of the many training sessions offered at your Shul or community center.”
Lusher ended the evening with words that served as a true benediction.
“JEWISHcolorado was here to support Israel and our community because the infrastructure was in place before October 7, thanks to all of you,” Lusher said. “But the work is not finished. We know the need will continue to be great, and we know that this community will continue to rise to the occasion. Thank you for being the beating heart of JEWISHcolorado and for continuing to show up and do the work.”