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The “Celebrating a Commitment to Community” Gala on Saturday honored Santa Barbara’s Rabbi Stephen Cohen for three decades of community service.
Congregation B’nai B’rith recognized Cohen’s many accomplishments at an elegant gala attended by more than 500 people at Bacara Resort & Spa in Goleta.
Honorary committee co-chairs included Mandy and Daniel Hochman, Sara Miller McCune and Anne and Michael Towbes. Event co-chairs Bethy Fineberg and Liat Wasserman led a committee of 50 dedicated volunteers.
The event took the combined talents and effort of Congregation B’nai B’rith officers Hallie Avolio, Mimi Dent, Bob Ingrum, Judi Koper, Richard Parisse, Dan Rothschild, Marina Stephens, Rachel Wilson and the entire board.
Top gala sponsors included the Hochmans, the Towbeses, McCune, Marian and Rabbi Stephen Cohen, Elizabeth and Nathan Light, Cottage Health System, Albert Yenni, Tracy and Michael Bollag, Gerald Harter, Irma and Morris Jurkowitz, Jill and Neil Levinson, Sharon Landecker, Cyndy and Steve Lyons, Evelyn Lyons, z”l, Martie Levy and Richard Parisse, and many others.
Toward the end of the evening, a spirited “Paddles Up” raised the goal of $50,000 for CBB programs. Couples then joined on the dance floor to enjoy the live DJ’s dancing music!
The celebration also marked Cohen’s 10th anniversary as senior rabbi of Congregation B’nai B’rith, where he has inspired hundreds of individuals to affect the lives of others — locally and globally. One of Cohen’s special projects with Rwandan genocide survivor Frederick Ndambaryie was the financing and founding of a preschool in Rwanda that serves more than 100 children, including orphaned genocide survivors.
Cohen has participated actively in anti-poverty, hunger and homelessness initiatives, and has advocated for interfaith community building between Congregation B’nai B’rith and other faith organizations. He helped to increase CBB membership to 800 households from 450.
“Rabbi Cohen’s warm presence, distinguished teaching and gracious leadership have touched not only our members, but thousands of people in Santa Barbara, and throughout the world,” said Deborah Naish, CBB’s outgoing executive director.
Prior to arriving at Congregation B’nai B’rith in 2004, Cohen spent nearly 20 years as executive director of Santa Barbara Hillel. Under his leadership, Hillel at UCSB grew into a dynamic, thriving organization (with the largest Jewish population of any of the University of California campuses) that regularly welcomed more than 200 students to Friday night services each week.
Notably, he spearheaded the creation and funding of the Milton Roisman Jewish Student Center, which opened at UCSB in 2001. While with UCSB Hillel, he led the creation of the Santa Barbara Jewish Festival, which commemorates Israel independence with a day of music, arts, crafts, food and celebration. He and his wife, Marian, co-founded the Isla Vista Minyan, a lay-led, family-friendly community that provides a strong sense of connectedness and spirituality for many families with children.
Congregation B’nai Brith is located 1000 San Antonio Creek Road in Santa Barbara. Click here for more information, or call 805.964.7869.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Rochelle Rose can be reached at rrose@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.