By Joel Magalnick, Editor, The Jewish Sound
See the winners of our Best of Everything survey here!
Every year in our Best of Everything survey, we ask who your local heroes are. We’ve got a lot of heroes in this town, so we decided to give you the reasons behind a few of those people who multiple people said are making a difference in our area.
We’re going to start off with a true hero: Simon Kaufman. Many of you know Simon as a local comedian, and he’s a funny, funny guy. But he also knows how to keep his wits about him. Earlier this month, fellow comic Dylan Avila was onstage when another man attacked Avila with a baseball bat. Simon, according to our respondent, was the first one on the stage to break up the assault, perhaps saving Avila’s life. But in the ensuing melee, Simon ended up injured himself. So Simon, we salute you, and wish you a refuah sh’lemah, a speedy recovery.
Here are our other heroes:
Husband and wife Rabbi Moshe Kletenik, head rabbi of the Va’ad HaRabanim of Seattle, “for his deep wisdom,” and Rivy Poupko Kletenik, longtime head of school at Seattle Hebrew Academy, because “she has provided meaningful Jewish experiences to so many.”
Our next heroes are also a husband/wife team, but this one is bittersweet as we’ve just learned they’ll be departing our great city later this year for browner pastures in Texas: Rabbi Oren Hayon, who has led Hillel at the University of Washington during a time when it’s hard to be Jewish on campus, and Julie Hayon, who built a germ of an idea into a powerful Jewish experience for high schoolers with the Livnot Chai program. We wish you both well.
These two aren’t married, but their volunteer work ends up hand in hand: Robert Hovden, who runs Congregation Beth Shalom’s mitzvah corps. “When people need the community, Robert is the coordinator of the coordinators,” our respondent wrote. Margot Kravette, part of this corps, “helps families that come to Seattle for medical care,” wrote her admirer. “She started this 20 years ago with five volunteers and it has grown to almost 200.”
Ari Hoffman, who for the past decade has led the NCSY youth group: “Not only does he put up with all of the headache that teenagers bring (mine included),” wrote his voter, “he actually brings tangible change into these kids’ lives, in many cases inspiration that lasts a lifetime.”
Rob Jacobs, director of Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs Northwest, is “standing as a beacon of light in defense of Israel in a city where it is brave to do so.”
Educator Beth Huppin — you’ll see her elsewhere in these pages as well this week: “She’s an amazing Jewish scholar and teacher, and a wonderfully caring person,” wrote her admirer.
David Berkman, new daddy and founding director of URJ Camp Kalsman, which won for best Jewish summer camp: “He makes dreams come true.”
Hazzan Isaac Azose was honored “for tirelessly working to keep alive the unique Sephardic traditions of this town.”
Our readers selected Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, founder of the Kavana Cooperative, “for creating and sustaining a vibrant Jewish community that has nation- and world-wide recognition.”
In the political arena, people appreciated local entrepreneur Nick Hanauer “for his efforts for gun control and social justice.”
Recently retired state Sen. Adam Kline, because “he has in his support and protection of human and civil rights demonstrated consistently Jewish values especially that all people are created B’tselem Elohim.”
And finally current state Rep. Tana Senn, because she is “walking the walk and the talk in Olympia.”
Mazel tov and yasher koach to each of you!