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Rabbi Miriam
Jerris of Huntington Woods. Shari
Gelber, 2010 Sherwin T. Wine Lifetime Achievement Award
recipient of Newton Centre, MA. Bonnie Cousens, Executive
Director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism of West Bloomfield, MI.
Photo by: Cary Shaw of Norwalk, CT a Society for Humanistic
Judaism Board Member. |
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Farmington Hills, MI CThe
Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ) presented the 2010
Sherwin T. Wine Lifetime Achievement Award to
Shari Gelber, of Newton, Massachusetts, Past President of the Society
for Humanistic Judaism and member of Kahal B'raira, the
Boston Congregation
Shari Gelber has served the Society for Humanistic
Judaism in more ways than most of our volunteers, said Bert
Steinberg, of San Francisco, California, who
established the award. Gelber has repeatedly stepped up to
the plate in times of need. She joined the Society for
Humanistic Judaism Board of Directors in 1995 and by 1997
she was serving as on the Executive Committee. In 2000, she
stepped in as President when the president resigned. She
served in that role for more than two years and then became
Past President. When the past president died suddenly she
again stepped up and returned to the position of Past
President. "Shari Gelber
has exemplified an unwavering, consistent and long standing
commitment to the SHJ and Humanistic Judaism," said SHJ
Executive Director Bonnie Cousens,
"leading the SHJ with intelligence, generosity, poise and
good humor." Rabbi Miriam Jerris,
in presenting the award to Ms. Gelber, said, "Shari
Gelber models ethical volunteerism,
encouraging others to fulfill the responsibilities they have
accepted ."
Gelber, upon receiving the award, spoke about her motivation
to work for Humanistic Judaism,
A It
may be a cliché, but I wanted to give back to the movement
from which I had gained so much. I wanted to help establish
more congregations throughout North America, so more
people could have an opportunity to join an HJ
congregation. And just as in my local community, the more
involved I became with SHJ the more I connected with
inspiring people.
The award, established in 2003 in honor of Wine's 75th
birthday, represents Steinberg's heartfelt thank you to his
mentor for founding a Judaism that reflected his lifelong
philosophy and unfulfilled need. After joining Kol Hadash,
the San Francisco Humanistic congregation, he became Bar
Mitzvah at the age of 72 under Wine's tutelage. He is a past
president of the Society for Humanistic Judaism and still
serves as a member on the SHJ Board of Directors.
When the award was first established in his name Wine said,
AI
feel very honored that it is connected to what is most
meaningful in my life, but that it is an award recognizing
other people's work.
Recipients of the award are individuals who have over the
years exemplified extraordinary dedication, devotion,
adherence to and activity in the Secular Humanistic Judaism
Movement and the philosophical doctrines enunciated by the
Movement's founder, Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine.
A permanent plaque bearing the image of Rabbi Sherwin T.
Wine is on display at the SHJ's headquarters in
Farmington Hills,
Michigan.
A smaller replica is given each year to the recipient, along
with a personal gift.
Humanistic Judaism, one of the five branches of Judaism,
combines the Jewish values of loving-kindness (Gemilut
Chassadim), charity (Tzedaka), and making the world a better
place (Tikkun Olam), with the recognition that the
responsibility for putting them in practice lies in human
hands. It is a nontheistic movement in which cultural Jews
and their families can affirm, celebrate, and enrich their
Jewish identity and values. The Society is the central body
for the Humanistic Jewish movement in
North America.
For more information about Humanistic Judaism, contact the
Society for Humanistic Judaism,
28611 West 12 Mile Rd.,
Farmington Hills,
MI 48334,
(248) 478-7610, info@shj.org
, or visit their website
www.shj.org
.
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