Seven honorees announced for BCHSJS annual gala June 8
The Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies, Bergen County’s only weekly Hebrew high school, will hold its annual gala on Wednesday, June 8, at Temple Emanu-El of Closter. This year’s gala, BCHSJS’ largest fundraiser, will honor Susan and Dr. Deane Penn of Alpine, Robin and Michael Baer of Fair Lawn, Julia and Dr. Roman Kosiborod of Franklin Lakes, and Hanna Wechsler of Woodland Park.
Susan and Dr. Deane Penn are the first recipients of BCHSJS’ L’Dor V’Dor award, created to recognize people who further Jewish continuity by actively supporting programs for Jewish teens. The Penns also lead by example with their philanthropy and involvement in Jewish community life in Bergen County and northern New Jersey. Susan Penn is a member of the boards of BCHSJS, the Jewish Association for Developmental Disabilities, and the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, the chair of Partnership2Gether, and a member of AIPAC’s Northeast Regional Council. Dr. Penn, the director of the Center for Medical Weight Loss of Bergen County, also chairs the Partnership2Gether Medical Task Force, sits on the board of the Jewish Home at Rockleigh, chairs the board of health in Alpine, and is co-chair of Israel Bonds.
Michael and Robin Baer and Julia and Dr. Roman Kosiborod are the parent honorees.
The Baers both are lawyers. Michael is the executive vice president of the Fair Lawn Jewish Center/Congregation B’nai Israel and the president elect of the Fair Lawn Rotary Club. He is on the board of Areyvut and Breaking the Chain Through Education, an organization that rescues, rehabilitates, and reintegrates child slaves in Ghana. He also is a member of both the Fair Lawn and Teaneck Chambers of Commerce. Robin Baer is on the board of both the FLJC and its sisterhood and is on the executive board of Jewish Journeys NNJ. They have two daughters: Julia, who is a BCHSJS alumna, and Jessica who is a student there now.
Roman Kosiborod, a board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management doctor, is the director of physician services at Meadowlands Hospital. Julia Kosiborod, who worked in the neurosurgical pediatric ICU at New York’s Beth Israel Medical Center and taught pediatric nursing, is the manager and clinical coordinator in her husband’s practice. The Kosiborods have four sons; the two oldest are BCHSJS students.
Holocaust survivor Hanna Wechsler will be recognized as Educator of the Year. She volunteers as an educator for the Rockland County Holocaust Center, taught for 45 years, and lectured at universities. She also wrote a book, “In Spite of it All,” about her experiences in Germany.
For information or to place a journal ad, call (201) 488-0834 or go to www.bchsjsdinner.org.
comments