By Diana Brement,
JTNews Columnist
R. David Frum has been appointed chairman of the board of Habitat for Humanity of Seattle/South King County. He was on the board for three years before taking the leadership position, serving on the interfaith and executive committees.
“I work downtown and I’m very much aware of homelessness,” says the Seattle architect, a partner at Clark/Kjos Architects. “I wanted to make sure I had some way to give back to the community
Habitat doesn’t exactly address homelessness, but builds houses for low-income workers, which wards off homelessness for a vulnerable population. The organization fosters a “help yourself” attitude: Future homeowners must work for 400 hours on their houses, alongside Habitat volunteers.
No stranger to the hammer, David has led a number of volunteer groups from his synagogue, Congregation Beth Shalom, along with volunteers from Temple De Hirsch Sinai and Kol HaNeshemah in building projects. “When I [take] groups to work on job sites…everyone [uses] a hammer or a stapler or a paintbrush,” he says.
Born in Argentina, David and his parents immigrated to Israel when he was seven. He grew up on Kibbutz Maale Hachamisha, outside Jerusalem. He came to the United States for college, where he met his wife, Liz Labadie, who hails from Portland, Ore. That’s how they ended up in the Northwest.
Many Habitat chapters express a strong Christian message to their clients, David explained to me, but his chapter is more ecumenical.
“The purpose of this organization is noble enough that it’s not so much an issue of what religion you are,” he says.
Clients represent all religions and ethnicities, but he notes that Habitat’s interest-free mortgages are of particular interest to Muslim families.
While some chapters mention Jesus as part of their mission, he says, “we say “˜people of God.'”
David has been chair of the Northend SJCC, and volunteered for a variety of activities at Beth Shalom. With their kids grown, he and Liz relax by cooking for friends or spending time on the Washington coast. They also enjoy seeking out the latest Israeli films and he highly recommends the new animated feature Waltz With Bashir. (He happens to know the filmmaker.)
“It’s incredible,” he says.
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The Jewish Day School’s associate head of school, Cindy Benedek, is one of 15 educators from across North America who’s been selected for the Day School Leadership Training Institute at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. The professional development program trains and supports aspiring heads of Jewish day schools.
“We were thrilled,” says Maria Erlitz, JDS’ interim head of school about Cindy’s appointment. “[Her] experience…will be invaluable for our entire leadership team.”
DSLTI is a 14-month program of two four-week summer institutes, retreats and mentoring. Cindy’s training begins in May and continues through the summer and on weekends during the 2009-2010 school year.
“I feel honored,” says Cindy. “I can’t wait to share the details of my experience with JDS as I progress through the program.”
Coming to JDS as preschool director in 2006, Cindy worked as admissions director in 2007 and became associate head of school in 2008. She previously worked as the director of Kids Country in Issaquah and before that was a preschool teacher and day care supervisor in Canada. A product of Jewish day schools herself, Cindy holds a B.A. in Psychology from York University in Toronto, and an Early Childhood Education diploma from Seneca College. She lives with her husband and three children (the oldest two are JDS students) in Sammamish.
More information on DSLTI is available at www.jtsa.edu.
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Seattle Hebrew Academy librarian Janine Rosenbaum has been awarded the Grinspoon Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. The 35-year veteran librarian and educator worked at the academy from 1976 to 1980, when she met and married her husband, Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum of Mercer Island’s Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation. They moved back east and she worked as the librarian for the Solomon Schechter Day School in Worcester, Mass., (although she spent part of a sabbatical year in Seattle working at SHA, too).
The Rosenbaums moved back to Seattle in 2002.
“I always wanted to come home,” says the Seattle native who attended Franklin High School and the University of Washington. She returned to the academy to teach Hebrew, and when the previous librarian retired, she got her old job back.
“The idea of community is so strong here,” Janine says. “I am, in fact, teaching with many of my former students who are here as teachers, and I am teaching their children….It’s phenomenal.”
An article published in JTNews in September 2007 detailed some of the modernization efforts that have been made in the library under Janine’s tenure.
“We have a completely automated Judaic system with research capabilities for the kids,” she says. “We support and extend classroom learning in the library.”
Getting the award “felt wonderful,” says Janine, who especially appreciates the Jewish Federation’s involvement in this national award. “[It] brings the importance of Jewish education to the forefront.”