Let's Celebrate: 25 Years of JDRC Trailblazing

LET'S CELEBRATE!

25 YEARS OF JDRC TRAILBLAZING

Shirly Pinto Kadosh

Keynote speaker

First Deaf person to be sworn into the Israeli Knesset

Sunday, October 10, 2021

7:00 PM EST, 6:00 PM CST

5:00 PM MST, 4:00 PM PST

Join us as we celebrate JDRC and honor three trailblazers:

Marla Berkowitz, Naomi Brunnlehrman,

and Alexis Kashar

Donate to honor JDRC and the three trailblazers. Click here for

more information and to donate.

Silver and Gold sponsorships

will receive special recognition at the Gala. We will accept donations for

Silver and Gold sponsorships by October 1, 2021.

To donate, click here.

Sign language interpretation, voice interpretation, and

captioning will be available. If you have questions, please contact us

at jdrc25gala@gmail.com.

HONOREES

Image description: A white grey short haired woman with bangs swept to the left side, black rimmed glasses, and a blue blouse inside a grey blazer is smiling while facing the camera.

MARLA C. BERKOWITZ is a Jewish educator who has taught Judaism in American Sign Language (ASL) for more

than twenty-five years with a Wexner Fellowship and a Masters’ degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She has worked as a project coordinator, camp director, and leader on topics related to ASL and Judaism locally, nationally and internationally. Marla was the co-founder of Manhattan Young Adult Jewish Deaf and the Jewish Deaf Resource Center. She served as a secretary and president of the Jewish Deaf Congress and is currently on their board. A consultant to Jewish organizations and a faculty member of the Ohio State University, Marla also has ASL interpreting and teaching national certifications. She is the co-author of Deaf and Hearing Siblings in Conversation. A New York native, she currently resides in Columbus, Ohio.

Image description: A white woman with black shoulder length hair with bangs, who is wearing wire rimmed glasses and a fuchsia turtle neck sweater with three quarter sleeves, is sitting with a brown draped scarf draped around her neck. She is smiling while facing the camera. In the background is her desk and a computer.

NAOMI J. BRUNNLEHRMAN is a co-founder of JDRC and was elected to the role of part time executive director over 10 years ago. She has her M.A. from the Graduate School of The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and was coined

by the Deaf community as Chazan of the Deaf. She passionately believes that God's love for the Jewish people is the most important emotion to convey in Jewish liturgical settings.

She is also Division Director of Education and Advocacy at Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.

Image description: A white woman, who has long brown shoulder length hair with hair parted in the middle of her forehead and black rimmed glasses, is wearing a navy blue sleeved blazer. She is standing while smiling at the camera.

ALEXIS ANDER KASHAR, an immediate past president who served JDRC for ten years, is the founder of RoseBYANDER Jewelry. Prior to RoseBYANDER, she

practiced civil rights and special education law. During that time, she represented Deaf and individuals with disabilities in obtaining access to public places under the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also represented families and children with special needs in obtaining free and appropriate public education.

Alexis received her B.A. in Finance and her J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Alexis serves as the president of the board of the New York School for the Deaf and is a host on The Sound Off Ladies videocast.

GALA COMMITTEE

Susan Cohen

Janis Cole

Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe

Harriet Loeb

Marcie Stern

Steve Weiner

HONORARY COMMITTEE

Barbara and Sidney Ander

Rabbi Pamela Barmash

Albert J. Brunn

Rabbi Darby Leigh

Marlee Matlin

Howard Rosenblum

Ruth Suzman

The Jewish Deaf Resource Center , a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization, builds bridges by improving communication access between Jewish Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafPlus and Hard of Hearing individuals, and the individuals and organizations in the wider Jewish community through advocacy, inclusive policies, and communication solutions. The JDRC administers the UJA Federation of New York Jewish Community Deaf Interpreting Fund.

JDRC is a 501(c)3 non-profit national organization. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent of the law. No goods or services will be provided in exchange for your generous donation.

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