Jews in the News: July 2, 2014

Compiled by Elise Krug, Editorial Assistant

Todd Rubin, formerly of St. Louis, was named one of North Bay Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40. The publication recognizes outstanding young professionals in the North San Francisco Bay area making extraordinary contributions to their organizations and communities. Rubin is Minister of Evolution (Vice President of Sales & Marketing) for The Republic of Tea.

Keith S. Larner has retired from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s office where he was assistant prosecuting attorney for 32 years. He has now entered private practice at 5205 Hampton Ave, handling handle criminal defense, traffic violations and personal injury cases.  

Jewish Quilt Artist Berta Goldgaber was accepted at the juried art show, “Connecting Threads, Quilting as a part of Jewish Life.” The show will take place at the Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford, Conn., from July 8 to Aug. 31. A member of Bais Abraham Congregation, Goldgaber’s Judaica items include quilts, challah covers, chuppahs and other specialty items. 

Stephanie Turner, President and CEO of Brentwood Travel, has been recognized by Ensemble Travel Group as one of the 25 Top Producers in the United States. Ensemble Travel is an international organization of professional travel agencies. This is the fifth time Turner, a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth, and Brentwood Travel have received the honor.

Ted Flom became President of the Crown Center for Senior Living’s board of directors. He has been active with the nonprofit agency for more than 10 years, most recently as treasurer. A CPA with Brown Smith Wallace and the partner-in-charge of the firm’s advisory services, Flom is a member of United Hebrew Congregation. 

Executive Director of Central Institute for the Deaf Robin Feder was honored by the organization’s board of directors with the establishment of the Robin M. Feder Endowed Scholarship Fund. This fund will provide scholarships for students attending the school. Feder, who just celebrated her 40th year with CID, is a member of Congregation Temple Israel.

The American Marketing Association’s St. Louis Chapter presented Lon Zimmerman, president of St. Louis-based Zimmerman Marketing Research, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Zimmerman is a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth.

The Jewish Federation of St. Louis’ board of trustees has voted Gerald Greiman as vice chair of strategic planning. In this position, he will work directly with the board chair to insure implementation of the Federation’s strategic plan and to enable ongoing discussions of priority and strategy. Greiman is immediate past president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis. He is also a member of Central Reform Congregation and a partner in the law firm Spencer Fane Britt & Brown LLP. 

Missouri Military Academy senior Adam Schmitz was invited to attend the Naval Academy Summer Seminar program this year, one of approximately 2,550 young men and women selected from around the nation and abroad. Adam is the son of Jen and Jeffrey Schmitz of Chesterfield. Summer Seminar is a fast-paced leadership experience for rising high school seniors. The program helps educate, motivate and prepare students who are considering applying for admission to U.S. Naval Academy. The Schmitz family belongs to Congregation B’nai Amoona.

Robert Millstone has been appointed by the Jewish Federation as a Federation Director of the Staenberg Family Foundation, which seeks to ensure that the Jewish community, as well as the greater St. Louis region, thrives and flourishes. The board meets to consider grant requests and make allocation recommendations. Millstone is CEO and President of Millstone Capital Advisors and is also the immediate past board chair of Federation.

Melissa Silvers has been appointed wellness assistant at Crown Center for Senior Living. She previously served as assistant fitness supervisor at The Center of Clayton, and she continues as a certified fitness instructor for OASIS St. Louis. Silvers’ responsibilities at Crown Center include expanding fitness and health programming for residents and area seniors. 

After supplying her confections to local retailers for several years, Janet Shulman of The Caramel House has opened her own retail store at 9639 Olive Blvd. in Olivette. Her caramels are handcrafted, use local ingredients and come in a variety of flavors. She also makes caramel spoons, caramel corn, and caramel and marshmallow sandwich cookies.

Laurie Garland was so moved by the stories of several friends who had lost their mothers and the ways they coped with their loss that she wrote “Amazing Moms: Tales of Love…Loss…Legacy.” The book is available at Lusso, Ladue Pharmacy, Deer Creek Café and at [email protected].

James Bobrow, M.D. and Edward Geltman, M.D. received the Barnes-Jewish Medical Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the association’s semi-annual general meeting. The award is presented to physicians who have given 25 years or more of distinguished service to Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH). Bobrow, a professor of clinical ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), is a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth. Geltman is a professor of medicine and serves as medical director of the BJH cardiac diagnostic laboratory and WUSM/BJH heart failure program. He is a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona. 

Armstrong Teasdale Communications Editor Gail Appleson has been elected to the Jewish Community Relations Council board. A member of Bais Abraham Congregation, Appleson writes a weekly wine column for the Post-Dispatch and is a frequent contributor to the Jewish Light

Jewish Community Center’s Director of Development, Ericka Zoll, has joined the board of directors of Doorways Interfaith AIDS Housing and Services. She is a member of Central Reform Congregation.

Michael Grafman is now director of sales for Gateway Creative, Inc., which publishes several local magazines. He oversees sales for Chesterfield’s Out & About and St. Charles’ TimeOff publications. Grafman is a member of U. City Shul.

Thomas Cohn, founder and owner of Thomas Cohn Associates, an estate planning and financial services firm, has been recognized for the 22nd year with the “Top of the Table” status from the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), an association of financial professionals.  

Retired boutique owner Nancy Rose has been selected to serve on The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis’ 2014 board. Her clothing store, Just Chic, was in Ladue for 15 years. Rose is a member of Central Reform Congregation. 

Nine-year-old Madison Marks was a State Finalist in the National American Miss Missouri Pageant, Jr. Preteen division, held this past weekend. Daughter of Melanie and Jonathan Marks of Chesterfield, she will be in fourth grade at Green Trails Elementary School. Madison enjoys sewing, reading novels, gymnastics, hip hop dance, and attending Hebrew School at United Hebrew Congregation. Madison’s talent was the hula hoop. She also participated in formal and casual wear modeling, gave a personal introduction speech and went through an interview process. 

Tom Stern, executive chairman of Gershman Commercial Real Estate, received the 2014 Missouri Growth Association Eads Award for is work on behalf of the community and the association. The award recognizes individuals who have been pioneers, innovators or leaders in the industry. Stern is a member of Congregation Temple Israel.

Elaine Alexander won two first-place awards in the Missouri Professional Communicators Communications contest for articles she authored for the Jewish Light in 2013, in the categories of “Specialty articles, Reviews” and “Specialty articles, Religion.” Each category required two stories per entry. Alexander was recognized for her reviews of “Hush” by Judy Brown and “Jacob’s Folly” by Rebecca Miller. In the religion category, she was recognized for an interview with Brown and another with Temple Israel Rabbi Emeritus Mark Shook, after the publication of his novel, “Ezra’s Scroll.” The contest’s first-place winners are forwarded on to the national contest sponsored by the National Federation of Press Women.

Jews in the News is a compilation of local Jews’ newsworthy professional and academic accomplishments. Submit your news to Elise Krug: [email protected]. Call 314-743-3671 for more information. Published the first edition of each month.  For sponsorship opportunities, contact Julie Schack: [email protected] or 314-743-3677.