C ommunity / mazel tovs
ENGAGEMENT WEDDING
B AR MI T Z VAH E N GAG E ME N T
SHAISH-MEODED ELLIOTT BRONNER
Marlyn and Herb Harris of Philadelphia announce the marriage
of their granddaughter, Shalvah Shaish, to Or Meoded on Aug.

16 in Israel.

The ceremony took place at their shul under the chuppah in
an outdoor ceremony in Ness Ziona. Even though limitations
were in place because of the pandemic, Zoom allowed relatives
to view the ceremony.

Shalvah and Or are living in Ness Ziona.

Mazel tov to Elliott Bronner, son of Guri and Jill Bronner
of Gladwyne, who was called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah on
Nov. 28.

Elliott is the grandson of Daniel and Sandra Farbman of Lake
Worth, Florida, and Yossi and Debby Bronner of Edison, New
Jersey. Elliott is also the younger brother of Joshua.

Photo by Michelle Camperson Photography
COMMUNITYBRIEFS Penn Hillel Rabbi to Depart for New Job
RABBI MIKE URAM, the executive director of
Penn Hillel, announced via email on Dec. 3 that
he was leaving after 16½ years to head a project to
build Pardes North America, an institute of Jewish
studies. “It is truly bittersweet because I still am so excited
about Penn Hillel, about students and about the larger
Penn family, but it feels like this is the right time.

Penn Hillel, organizationally, is in a great place,” he
wrote. “We have finished building an endowment,
built a solid financial grounding for the organization
and its facility, and have transformed a centralized
regional Hillel structure into a collaborative network
of independent Hillels that are all thriving.”
Uram won a National Jewish Book Award in 2016
for “Next Generation Judaism: How College Students
and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations.”
He was also honored in 2017 with Hillel International’s
Edgar M. Bronfman Award, established in 2014 to
reward a “Hillel professional who has served the
movement with distinction and honor.”
Rabbi Gabe Greenberg will serve as interim
director starting Jan. 1. He also will head the search
process for a new executive director
Builder Irwin Robbins Dies at 91
Irwin Robbins, who built more than 5,000 homes and
apartments in the Philadelphia area, died Nov. 30 in
Jupiter, Florida. He was 91.

After graduating from Temple University with
a degree in business administration, Robbins was
working as a traveling salesman for his family’s
burlap bag business when he decided to make a
switch into home building, son Chris Robbins said.

Although Irwin Robbins lost money on the first
job, he found a strategy that worked — building
houses on lots owned by his customers. With partner
Edward Meyers, Robbins began building more
than 100 homes per year. By the late 1960s, they
were planning their own communities. Ultimately,
Robbins built more than 5,000 homes, his son said.

Aside from construction, Robbins started PFA
Technologies in the early 1990s, which licensed
analog videoconferencing technology and engineered
early video calling for corporate computer network,
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM and co-founded Asian importing company At Home
International. In addition, Robbins supported Jewish causes,
including the JAFCO Jewish Children’s Village. He
also assisted the Israeli Defense Forces in the 1980s
with the renovation of a swimming pool in a captured
Syrian military base in the Golan Heights.

Robbin, who was an Army veteran, is survived by
his wife of 48 years, Beth Susan Robbins; his children,
Andy, Nancy, Lisa, Chris and Jenn; nine grandchil-
dren; and one great-grandchild.

raise their own.

For many years, she was an administrator for
the nursery school at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El
in Wynnewood. Later, Brecher worked for Jewish
Federation, keeping the community calendar and
fielding calls for Jewish Information Referral Service.

Brecher was a strong proponent of sending her
children to Jewish overnight camp and created the
Sandi Brecher Family Fund at Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia, which provided camp
scholarships. She was a member of Congregation Kesher Israel.

National Liberty Museum Honors United
Brecher also frequently traveled worldwide and
Hatzalah of Israel Founder
often visited New York City to attend theater and
The National Liberty Museum honored Eli Beer, the enjoy the restaurants and shopping.

founder and president of United Hatzalah of Israel,
She is survived by her children, Leslie (Gary),
with its Healthcare Hero of Israel award at a virtual Deanne, Neil (Emily) and Andrew (Dara); eight
event on Dec. 3.

grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

The award is given to given to an Israeli whose life’s
work has resulted in breakthroughs in health care Shir Soul Releases Chanukah Music Video
research, technology and treatment.

Jewish band Shir Soul released “On Chanukkah,” a
United Hatzalah offers fast and free emergency Chanukah music video based on a Stevie Wonder
medical first response through Israel, with more than medley.

6,000 volunteers staffing it. Using GPS technology,
Managing Director Jesse Shore, who grew up in
the organization said its average response time is less Havertown and later moved to Wynnewood so his
than three minutes across Israel and 90 seconds in family could walk to Congregation Beth Hamedrosh,
metropolitan areas.

penned the adapted seasonal lyrics along with the
The awards are sponsored by TEVA band’s two lead singers.

Pharmaceuticals, which has dual headquarters in
The group adjusted to COVID-19 restrictions
Petah Tikva, Israel, and Parsippany, New Jersey. by filming with sanitized equipment in individual
They recognize “inspirational heroes in health care homes, staying six feet apart when performing and
research and treatment whose accomplishments have wearing masks when they had to stand closer together.

profoundly benefited their patients, their field and the
The band has made music videos for Jewish
global community.”
holidays like Passover and Purim, but Shore said
Beer almost died this year while battling COVID- its Chanukah-themed medleys are always the most
19. He was in two induced comas and spent four popular.

weeks in a U.S. hospital.

“Perhaps it’s just Chanukah’s proximity to
Christmas, but it is also the most commercially sensi-
Longtime Jewish Federation Employee
tive time for Jewish musicians, so we put most of our
Sandi Brecher Dies at 86
efforts into our Chanukah music videos. Who knows,
Sandi Brecher, who worked for Jewish Federation of maybe we will create just the right kind of music
Greater Philadelphia for many years, died Nov. 30 in video for say, Sukkot, and that video will take off!”
Philadelphia, according to daughter Leslie Freeman. Shore said in an email.

She was 86.

The band was founded in 2006 by David Ross and
A native of Dayton, Ohio, she moved to Philadelphia is based in Teaneck, New Jersey. l
in 1955 to be near her late husband Fred’s family and
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb and Sophie Panzer
JEWISH EXPONENT
DECEMBER 10, 2020
35