The two men who shared the vision to build what is now Siteman Cancer Center have been recognized as citizens of the year by the St. Louis Post Dispatch; Alvin Siteman, the benefactor for whom the center is named, and Dr. Timothy J. Eberlein, Siteman’s director. Siteman and his wife Ruth, who attend Shaare Emeth, committed $35 million in 1999 to the development of Siteman Cancer Center. The honor, typically given to one person, highlights the partnership the pair have developed since the cancer center’s naming in 1999. 

Honorees have been announced for the St. Louis Visionary Awards, which will take place on April 27 at 6 p.m. at the Sun Theater in Grand Center. Ellie Balk will be honored with the emerging artist award. She is a public artist whose work centers on mathematics and data visualization. Through color and abstraction, she creates systems to tell information and ignite conversation and investigation. Balk’s work can be seen in St. Louis, Brooklyn and other cities around the world. The Saint Louis Visionary Awards is a 501c3 organization that celebrates the numerous contributions and achievements of women who work in or support the arts in the St. Louis region. 

Maharat Rori Picker Neiss has been selected to receive a Rabbinic Human Rights Hero Award from T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights for leading the St. Louis Jewish community in standing up for the human rights of all people in their community, including fighting racism and abuse of power, supporting immigrants and refugees, and working across lines of faith, race, and ethnicity. The gala will be held in New York City on June 1. Neiss is the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and is a member of Bais Abraham Congregation.

Jane Rubin received the Arthur J. Dixon Memorial Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in the area of taxation. It is given to a CPA who demonstrates true professionalism in the spirit of Dixon. Rubin runs Educational Strategies Co. in St. Louis, an international accounting and business accreditation advisory service and has nearly 25 years of service to the profession, serving on numerous AICPA committees and task forces and currently serves on the AICPA National Accreditation Commission. Rubin, a past president of the Jewish Light, is a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona.

Alan Taxman, wealth management adviser with Merrill Lynch in Clayton, has been named a Forbes magazine Best-in-State Wealth Advisor. The list includes about 30 wealth advisers in Missouri. Taxman is a member of B’nai Amoona.

Greater St. Louis Dental Society member Dr. Arnold S. Jacobson received the Dental Society’s Gold Medal Award at their installation of officers and awards ceremony.  He maintains a staff appointment in the Department of Otolaryngology of Washington University School of Medicine. A member of Temple Emanuel, Jacobson has provided dental care to underserved populations for his entire career. He serves as attending dentist for numerous extended care facilities and nursing homes in the St. Louis area. 

Dr. Gary Goodman has joined the Allergy Consultants practice located on Ballas Road in Creve Coeur and in O’Fallon. He sees both adult and pediatric patients. Goodman is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and is on the teaching faculty of Washington University School of Medicine, where he maintains an active role in teaching trainees in his field. Goodman attends Central Reform Congregation. 

Joan Lipkin’s radio drama “The Queer Café, Hear Our Voices from the Balkans,” won first price for the Best Socially Engaged Radio Play from Radio Aparat, a community-run internet radio station based in Belgrade, Serbia. Lipkin, a member of CRC, travels to Belgrade each fall to do cultural organizing as a guest of the Civil Rights Defenders. Her work there included founding the Queer Café, a site for intentional conversation with the LGBT+ community and their allies. That work became the genesis for the radio drama.  

Jerry Ehrlich has taken the reins as CEO of Paraquad, a disability service provider. He will provide strategic leadership and grow services to support people with disabilities and enhance their ability to live more independently. He is also responsible for the planning and building of the company’s financial strength. Ehrlich attends CRC.    

Rabbi Hershey Novack of Chabad on Campus was recently certified as a Holocaust educator by Yad Vashem — The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem — after completing 65 hours of Holocaust studies. Novack participated in an eight-day seminar for college campus educators at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies entitled “Teaching the Shoah and Anti-Semitism: Opportunities, Challenges and Techniques.” He was part of a group of 30 campus leaders from across the globe. 

Larry Carson was promoted to executive vice president and head of the Global Financial Solutions business unit of Reinsurance Group of America. His specialties include life reinsurance, capital management, asset-intensive reinsurance and risk management. Carson is a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth. 

Pedal the Cause has named board member David Drier as its new executive director.  A member of Temple Israel, Drier will continue to be a team captain, in memory of his daughter Victoria, and was one of the top 10 fundraisers last year. Pedal the Cause organizes cycling challenges that provide funding for cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center.

Todd Waldman has been promoted to chief financial officer of Essex Industries, a manufacturer focused on the aerospace and defense markets. In this role, he will be responsible for leading the accounting, IT and MIS departments. Waldman is a member of Shaare Emeth.

Jonathan Deutsch has joined the board of directors of the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He also holds the positions of chair of the Millstone Institute and Learning Center advisory committee. Deutsch is president and CEO of DEMA Engineering, a global maker of chemical dispensing equipment and fluid control products and is a member of Temple Israel.

St. Louis Crisis Nursery will present Sandon and Karen Wool the HUGS & KISSES Couple of the Year Award at their Razzle Dazzle Ball on April 4. The Temple Emanuel members are being honored for their support of the organization and the children and their families served. HUGS & KISSES awards those who have shown Helpfulness, Uncommon Generosity, Sincere Kindness, Integrity, Shining Service and Extraordinary Support for the Crisis Nursery. 

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate – Clayton/Ladue honored  Land Litwack & Associates, headed by Matt Litwack (Temple Israel) and Berkley Land, with the Chairman’s Circle Diamond award for 2019. They ranked in the top .5% of all agents in the global Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network. Karen Polishuk (B’nai Amoona) is a sales agent for the group. Lynnsie Kantor (B’nai Amoona) and partner Craig Burfield, of the Burfield Kantor Group, received the President’s Circle award, honoring agents who ranked in the top 4% of the BHHS network. Leading Edge Society award recipients — for agents among the top 7% — include Shari Whay (B’nai Amoona) and Amy Goffstein.

Newsmakers is compiled monthly by Editorial & Development Associate Elise Krug. Contact Elise at: 314-743-3671 or [email protected].