H EADLINES
Leadership Winners Refl ect on Awards’ Impact
a Jewish Federation board
member and the president of
his synagogue: Temple Beth
Hillel-Beth El in Wynnewood.

Now, though, the Bala
Cynwyd resident spends most
of his time with his wife,
Naomi Kessler, and their
three children and seven
grandchildren. “I look back and feel that
maybe I made some contri-
bution to Philadelphia Jewry,”
he said.

L OCA L
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
JEWISH FEDERATION of
Greater Philadelphia started
honoring young leaders in
1958, and today gives out three
annual awards: the Myer and
Rosaline Feinstein Young
Leadership Award, the Mrs.

Blanche Wolf Kohn Young
Leadership Award and the Jack
Goldenberg Young Leadership
Award. Eligible candidates must be
between 25 and 45 and demon-
strate a record of participation
in the Greater Philadelphia
Jewish community and poten-
tial for future leadership.

In 2021, the winners are
Jan Kushner, Tamar Silberberg
Shiff man and Matt Shipon,
who will be recognized at
Meet Jodi Miller
Courtesy of Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia
Jewish Federation’s board of
trustees meeting on Sept. 30.

Meantime, three past
winners — Arnold Kessler, Jodi
Miller and Mitch Goldenberg
— discussed what the awards
meant to them.

JANA GOSWA MI &
K R ISHNA L AHIR I
Sisters THEY’VE CALLED SIMPSON HOUSE HOME SINCE 2018
Jana Goswami and Krishna Lahiri share an appreciation for their
education. Jana started a school in India for children who are
first-generation learners. Krishna studied at the University of
Pennsylvania and went on to teach history at Rosemont College.

When asked how to age well, Jana said, “I receive daily
inspiration from the other residents in my community.

They are positive and happy—and that helps them age well!”
Call us today at 267-662-2670 or visit SimpsonHouse.org/JE-JGKL
to see for yourself why Jana, Krishna, and other families choose
Simpson House for retirement living.

2101 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
SimpsonHouse.org/JE-JGKL • 267-662-2670
6 SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
Mitch Goldenberg
Courtesy of the Goldenberg family
Arnold Kessler
Kessler, now 94, but then a
young lawyer, was the fi rst
Feinstein Award winner back
in 1958.

At the time, the honor was
an outgrowth of the Young
Men’s Council, a committee
within Jewish Federation that
tried to galvanize young Jewish
men into becoming local
pillars. Kessler
started the
committee on the theory that
“well-to-do families had young
people who would become
leaders.” He turned out to be
right. Th e council started holding
well-attended monthly
meetings, he said. Th e gather-
ings were mostly informative,
with Kessler booking promi-
nent speakers from around the
area. He wanted to help the
young men learn the lay of the
Jewish land.

“It was a successful
endeavor,” Kessler said. “Out of
the Young Men’s Council were
certainly people who became
leaders.” Kessler became active in the
Jewish community around the
same time he became a lawyer,
in 1954. By 1958, he had done
enough to be honored by his
council’s young men.

Th e Young Men’s Council
continued into the early 1960s.

Aft er it ended, Kessler became
JEWISH EXPONENT
Jodi Miller
to generation,” Miller said.

Mitch Goldenberg
Goldenberg 65, of Elkins
Park, and his brother, Michael
Goldenberg, were motivated to
get involved by their father,
who told them, “Always be a
giver.” Since both brothers were
accountants, they joined
Jewish Federation’s Young
Accountants Division and
learned how to fundraise, he
said. Later, they ran campaigns
for young leadership, where
Mitch Goldenberg was vice
chair for fundraising.

Th eir early eff orts earned
the Goldenberg boys Th e Myer
and Rosaline Feinstein award,
with Michael Goldenberg
winning it in 1995 and Mitch
Goldenberg winning in 2000.

According to a Jewish
Federation official, after
winning, the Goldenbergs
learned that “budgets were
tight” to provide winners with
their reward, which was a
trip to the Jewish Federation
of North America’s General
Assembly. So they responded by
endowing a third award:
the Jack Goldenberg Award,
named for their father.

“He wasn’t a wealthy man
but he went out of his way to
help people,” Goldenberg said.

Mitch Goldenberg eventu-
ally became a real estate
developer, and his brother
became a health care consul-
tant. Th ey ascended within
the Jewish community service
ranks as well.

Mitch Goldenberg now sits
on the boards of Federation
Housing and Abramson Senior
Care. “My father used to tell me,
‘Th ere are many people who
are old, frail and running out
of money, and they need our
help,’” he said. ●
Miller, 52, of Wynnewood, won
Th e Jack Goldenberg award in
2011, honored for her many
years in Jewish leadership roles
outside the Jewish Federation’s
jurisdiction. Miller had been the Home
and School Association chair
at her synagogue, Temple
Beth Hillel-Beth El, when her
children were in preschool.

Later, she became the Parent-
Teacher Organization chair at
Perelman Jewish Day School
when her kids were students
there. “I was humbled to be
honored for the work I had
done, and it inspired me to
continue down the path,”
Miller said.

Aft er being honored, Miller
rose to important positions
within Jewish Federation, too.

She now serves on the
board of trustees and as the
chair of volunteer engage-
ment. She also has served as
the chair of women’s philan-
thropy, the Committee on
Social Responsibility and
the Committee on Israel and
Overseas. Miller views herself as an
ambassador for the Jewish
Federation and its work. And
she thinks the ambassador role
is about educating, engaging
and fundraising in the wider
Jewish community.

Miller continues to do this
work because she believes in it. jsaff ren@jewishexponent.com;
“L’dor v’dor, from generation 215-832-0740
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



From Our Family
to your family
L’shana Tovah!
“May you be inscribed in the book of life”
As the generations of your family gather to observe and celebrate the High Holy Days;
it is an important time to reflect on the events of this past year and consider what the
future may bring. What questions should you be asking?
• Why leave important decisions to others when you are able to choose together?
• Why leave the financial burden to the next generation?
• Why not encourage the next generation to stay together?
• When will you make an appointment to visit Roosevelt or Shalom
for a personal planning guide and a park tour?
We at Roosevelt and Shalom Memorial Park are honored
to care for your family from generation to generation.

SAVE UP TO 1 8%* ON CE M ETE RY PR E -AR R ANG E M E NTS
Zero Interest for 60 months available now.

*Limited time discounts valid only for select cemetery property from September 2, 2021 - September 30, 2021.

Discounts apply to new pre-need purchases only. Terms and conditions apply. See an associate for details.

Honoring your past while protecting your future TODAY!
Samuel Domsky
General Manager
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Leah Feldman
General Manager
JEWISH EXPONENT
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
7