Celebrating
The Gift of History
175th Annual Meeting
June 10,2024
Welcome and Invocation
Cantor Beck Berman
Welcome
Mike Mandel
Like A Giant Oak - 175th Edition
Wendy Kreuter
Gift of History video
Featuring Elizabeth Thalhimer
Standing Tall, Caring for All, Like A Giant Oak
Wendy Kreuter
Past Presidents - History Timeline
Past Presidents
Recognition
Wendy Kreuter
Musical Interlude
Sonni Gittelman
Current Board/Trustees Introduction
Mike Mandel & Richard Birnbaum
JFS Highlights
Mike Mandel & Wendy Kreuter
Thank You
Wendy Kreuter
Benediction
Rabbi Dovid Asher
Thank You
We have so many people to thank for making our 175th Annual Meeting such a success!
Congregation Beth Ahabah
Guests & Friends of JFS
JFS Past Presidents
JFS Board and Trustees
Rabbi Asher
Cantor Beck Berman
JFS Volunteers
Our Community Partners
Standing Tall, Caring for All, Like a Giant Oak
Peter Opper, the Executive Director of JFS from 1987 to 1999 wrote a comprehensive history of JFS called “Like a Giant Oak.” Peter worked with primary sources including a lot of material about the LHBA at the Beth Ahabah Archives.
The book was released in 1999: its title “Like a Giant Oak” references Isaiah 61:3 which encourages the Jewish community to be like giant oaks of righteousness, caring for all regardless of background.
Several months ago we approached Roberta Opper, Peter's wife of 54 years, about doing a new edition of Like a Giant Oak for our 175th. This is a reprint of Peter’s original book with some updates in printing and the cover. We are grateful that Roberta embraced the idea and was willing to work with us to make the book a reality.
Roberta told us the writing of this book was a labor of love for Peter, his gift to the agency at our 150th anniversary and he would have been very pleased to celebrate this reprint.
"Gift of History"
For our 175th Anniversary, we partnered with Elizabeth Smartt, Past President of JFS, to think about JFS history and Like a Giant Oak. We hope you enjoy this short video about the gift of history.
