The Jewish Student Union of St. Louis will hold its annual benefit gala, “Grow a Jewish Future,” on Feb. 22 at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.  The event will honor Dr. Eldad and Danielle Bialecki as well as Drs. Michael Rauchman and Ariane May, with a special tribute to Howard Granok, JSU adviser for Crossroads Preparatory School. 

“Our honorees symbolize the present and future state of JSU and the importance of investing and growing our Jewish future,” said Melanie Winograd, co-chairwoman of the event. 

May is a pediatrician at a nonprofit clinic serving uninsured people in St. Louis. Through her work at the clinic, she has been actively involved in promoting childhood literacy and in efforts to prevent childhood obesity and teenage pregnancy among her patients. 

Rauchman is a kidney specialist with a research interest in birth defects. He is a past member of the board at Shaare Zedek Synagogue, where he served as chairman of its adult education committee. He was also involved in initial efforts to bring the B’not Sherut to Solomon Schechter Day School and has been a member of the JSU Advisory Board.

The couple are active at Congregation Kol Rinah and live in University City with their three children, Daniel, Jonah and Leora.

Eldad Bialecki practices gastroenterology in Hazelwood with Digestive Disease Specialists. He was a founding member of St. Louis Israel Connection, a Jewish Community Relations Council initiative devoted to fostering young adults’ connection to and advocacy for Israel. He has served on several JCRC and Jewish Federation committees and is completing his term as chairman of the Maimonides Society at the Federation. 

Danielle Bialecki has served as both board and executive board member for the Young Professional Division (YPD) of Jewish Federation. She is an active member of the St. Louis Junior League.

The couple have been longtime JSU board members. They are the parents of Jonah, Eli, Hannah and Avigail Sarah. 

The evening also will pay special tribute to Howard Granok, who has chaired the science department at Crossroads College Prep and served as the coach of the school’s state champion and nationally ranked chess team. He was recently recognized as a semifinalist for the St. Louis Science Center’s Loeb Prize, an award given to outstanding science teachers in metro St. Louis.

In the Jewish community, Granok was the Israeli dance instructor at Shaare Shalom Religious School, and teaches Judaics and Hebrew at Shaare Emeth religious school, where his wife, Jodi, also teaches. He also served on a variety of committees during the recent BSKI-Shaare Zedek merger and is on the Kol Rinah Ritual Committee. The Granoks live in University City.

For more information or to purchase tickets or learn about sponsorship or tribute opportunities, visit jsustl.org, or contact Rabbi “Mike” Rovinsky at 314-498-6279 or [email protected].