Dr. Kenneth M. Ludmerer has received the 2016 Distinguished Service Award from the Washington University School of Medicine and the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Osler Society.He attends Congregation Temple Israel.

Tennis Industry magazine has honored Mark Platt as a community tennis local hero for his volunteerism. He is the founder of Beginner’s World Tennis and has programs and events at more than 25 facilities across the St. Louis area. 

Marvin Goldfarb, a volunteer with Temple Israel Boy Scout Troop 11, has been honored by the Greater St. Louis Area Council Boy Scouts of America with the Silver Beaver Award. This is the highest recognition a Boy Scout council can bestow on an adult volunteer. Recognizing noteworthy service that affects the lives of youth, and outstanding contributions to the Scouting program, just 24 Silver Beaver Awards were given from a pool of nearly 12,000 in the council area.   

Dr. Craig Reiss, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s Hospital, was appointed division chief of cardiovascular medicine after St. Luke’s recent affiliation with Cleveland Clinic’s Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. He is a member of Tpheris Israel Chevra Kadisha Congregation.

Tom Ruwitch is a new member of the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis board of directors. He is the founder and president of Market Volt LLC, a digital marketing firm. 

Aura Kavadlo was a finalist for Maryville University Educator of the Year in the field of arts education. Each year, Maryville partners with Shakespeare Festival St. Louis to give this honor. Nominated by her students, Kavadlo is a middle school English language arts teacher at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School and a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth.

Cancer Support Community of Greater St. Louis has hired Michelle Mills as its special events manager and named Richard Halpern to its board. Mills is a member of Central Reform Congregation. Halpern is chairman emeritus of the Daniel and Henry Co.

Keith Cohen is the new president of the Crown Center for Senior Living board of directors. A member of Shaare Emeth, he is director of design and construction at Duke Realty Corp. Joining the board for a two-year term are Jacob Cedergreen, vice president of finance for Express Scripts; Howard Lerner, co-founder of Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. and owner of DecemberPress; and Nancy Novack, community volunteer and owner of Soulard Preservation Hall. She attends Central Reform Congregation. 

Zoe Rosenberg has been selected for the 2016-2017 NFTY Convention Teen Fellowship, joining 11 other teen fellows who will make up the first cohort of this program. NFTY is the North American Federation of Temple Youth, a Reform organization. The Teen Fellowship is a leadership development opportunity for young people to play an active role in the planning process. Zoe is the daughter of Rabbi Brigitte and Lee Rosenberg of United Hebrew Congregation. She will be a junior at Parkway Central High School and will study in Israel this fall on NFTY’s Eisendrath International Exchange program. 

Jean Harris Sokora is the new executive director of the Rockwood Drug Free Coalition.A member of Shaare Emeth, she will manage programming, public relations, fundraising and volunteer recruitment. The goals of the coalition are to reduce substance use in grades K-12 of the Rockwood schools and to help influence community norms around alcohol and other drug use. 

Keith Alper, a St. Louis entrepreneur and member of B’nai Amoona, has launched a new company, Geniecast. According to a news release, the company offers an online content marketplace of thought leaders, speakers, experts and consultants, available via live, two-way video broadcast. The company aims to make education, board meetings, business development and training more affordable and accessible. 

Barry Glantz has been sworn in as president of the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis. Glantz, the mayor of Creve Coeur, will serve a one-year term for the nonprofit association of city, village and county governments representing more 90 percent of the population of metro St. Louis. He is a member of Shaare Emeth.

Steve Finkelstein has received the 2016 Distinguished Career Award from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is co-founder and senior partner of Experience on Demand, a St. Louis-based management consulting firm. 

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has honored Scott Bernstein as its Man of the Year. He competed against seven other men in a 10-week campaign to raise funds to benefit patients of blood cancers. Bernstein, a managing director at the commercial real estate firm Newmark Grubb Zimmer, raised more than $93,000 for the Gateway Chapter. 

Missouri Torah Institute has honored Charles Deutsch and his wife, Naomi Ruth Deutsch, for their commitment in assisting the school reach its goal of a new campus. Charles Deutsch, co-chairman of MTI’s building capital campaign committee, is a partner in the Gatesworth retirement communities.  

The Midwest region of NCSY, a youth group sponsored by the Orthodox Union for Jewish youth of all backgrounds in grades five through 12, recently honored several local teens who will be spending the next school year studying in Israel. They are:

Yossi Rovinsky, who received the Kesser Shem Tov award (Crown of a Good Name). He is the son of Rabbi Michael and Selina Rovinsky.

Adira Weisel, recipient of the NCSYer of the Year. She is the daughter of Bernie and Mariam Weisel.

Georgia Laird, who received the Lev Tov Award. She is the daughter of Lori Laird.

Sol Hermelin, who received the Torah Living Award. He is the son of Arnold and Yael Hermelin.

The following three students from St. Louis Ohr Chadash NCSY were selected to serve as leaders on the NCSY Midwest Regional Board: 

Isabella Yampol, vice president of JR NCSY programming. She will help steer the region’s efforts to provide opportunities for middle school students to participate in NCSY.She is the daughter of Mark and Rene Yampol.

Elisheva Kent, vice president of Chessed. She will be responsible for the planing and implementation of volunteer work and efforts for the Midwest region.She is the daughter of Meir and Zipora Kent.

Yonah Shafner, vice president of outreach. He is charged with expanding the membership base of NCSY and ensuring that it is welcoming to teens of all backgrounds. He is the son of Rabbi Hyim Shafner and Sara Winkelman.

Noa Rose is one of 150 national Coca-Cola Scholars sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. Its mission is to provide scholarship programs and lifelong enrichment opportunities in support of exceptional peoples’ thirst for knowledge and their desire to make a difference in the world. Daughter of Rabbi Carnie and Paulie Rose of B’nai Amoona, Noa also was honored as the Whitfield School senior of the year. She will be attending the University of Wisconsin in the fall.

Merritt Mamroth has joined Midland States Bank as a commercial relationship manager. 

Amy Ruth Shapiro was honored as the Special Needs HateBraker at the recent HateBrakers Hero Awards annual ceremony. She was born with a brain tumor that was removed at age 4, leaving her with severe learning disabilities. Despite being counseled that she would never make it, Shapiro is working on her second college degree and works with individuals who have disabilities. She also wrote a book, “The Music That Gave Me A Voice,” about her experience with learning issues. Proceeds from the book support “going towards making music programs happen for individuals all over the world,” Shapiro said. “My dream is to show families, friends, teachers, and peers, that individuals who have disabilities can do whatever they dream no matter what.” 

Ocular Surgery News has named Dr. Jay Pepose a member of its premier surgeons in its top 300 Innovators in Refractive Cataract Surgery list for 2016. His vision center, Pepose Vision Institute, was awarded the Dry Eye Center of Excellence by Bio-Tissue. Pepose is a member of Nusach Hari B’nai Zion.