Awards and honors …

The S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation will present a variety of community awards during the group’s annual meeting on June 15. Mazel tov to the winners who include Sandy Tandowsky, Volunteer of the Year; Michael Kamler of Congregation Rodef Sholom, Agency Staff Person of the Year; Susie Sorkin, Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Young Leadership; Donald Seiler, Sinton Award for Distinguished Leader of the Year; Maxine Epstein, JCF Marin Regional Director, JCF Staff Person of the Year; and Jewish Vocational Services’ Kohn Summer Intern Program, Program of the Year.

In addition, the Jewish Community Endowment Fund’s Helen Diller Family Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education, which pay tribute to outstanding educators, go to Cheryl Cohen of Temple Beth Torah; Sherry E. Knazan of Congregation Shomrei Torah; Atara Maolem of Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School; Debra Katz Klein of T’enna Pre-school at the Albert L. Schultz JCC; and Rick Concoff of Congregation Beth Ami.

Awards, part two

Berkeley Hillel’s Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching is presented to an educator who “consistently teaches each lecture as though it was the last — inspiring, demonstrating passion, and showing care in the classroom.” The winner, who gave his “ideal last lecture” at the presentation ceremony on May 4, is professor David Presti of the U.C. Berkeley’s molecular and cell biology department.

The concept of the award and the lecture, writes Andrew Gurwitz, is based on the Talmudic dictum of Eliezer ben Hurkanos, who said “Get your life in order one day before you die.”

S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services received the KOVOD Award for Excellence in Major Fund Raising Publications from the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agency’s … Len Traubman of San Mateo, retired pediatric dentist and founder of the Bay Area’s Jewish-Palestinian dialogue movement, was the commencement speaker at the UCSF School of Dentistry.

Berkeley resident Art Rosenfeld, who has served on the California Energy Commission since 2000, was the last graduate student to be taught by Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi. This year he received a prestigious presidential award for scientific achievement named after his former teacher. The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement in the fields of physics and energy efficiency.

He is one of 58 individuals and 11 Californians to receive the Enrico Fermi Award since its inception in 1956, reports Adam Gottlieb, an information officer for the California Energy Commission.

Rosenfeld’s list of accomplishments is way too long for this column, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comments sum it up: “As the father of the energy efficiency movement, his research formed the foundation of the state’s energy efficiency policy and has helped save California and the nation billions of dollars in electricity costs.”

Rosenfeld will celebrate his 80th birthday in June with Roz, his wife of 50 years.

Feasting and fund-raising

Jewish Community High School of the Bay seniors Ezra Malmuth and Nate Barnett put on an Italian multi-course feast at Berkeley’s Ristorante Raphael on May 15 and raised $4,500 for the school.

With a full house of 75 people, they served dishes such as red snapper and crooked neck squash carpaccio with roasted eggplant and potatoes. And for dessert — Straus Family Creamery white chocolate mousse accompanied by cioccolato caldo (or a shot glass of hot chocolate)!

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