Ten standout individuals will be recognized as the 2025 Jewish Light Unsung Heroes on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3:30 p.m. This year’s 16th annual event will take place at Jewish Community Center near Creve Coeur.
Unsung Heroes, which began in 2010, shines a light on individuals of any background or faith who generously volunteer or go above and beyond to help the St. Louis Jewish community, and Jewish St. Louisans who volunteer, either within the local Jewish community and/or the community at large. Since its inception, more than 140 St. Louisans have been honored.
What follows is a brief snapshot into the volunteerism of the Class of 2025 Unsung Heroes. For a more in-depth profile about each, be sure to check out the Light’s Unsung Heroes magazine, which will be published and distributed in the printed newspaper Nov. 5 and appear online in the days that follow.
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Meet this year’s Heroes:
Holly Bernstein is a deeply committed and tireless volunteer who currently serves as co-chair of both the Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Every Voice, Every Vote Committee at Congregation Shaare Emeth. She is a member of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition and works the polls at every election, serves on the board of directors of Access MO, advocating for reproductive freedom and healthcare through a Jewish values lens and volunteers with programs supporting senior lunches and refugee families.
Max Gornish has emerged as a driving force behind the vitality and continuity of the modern Orthodox Jewish community in St. Louis. Taking on the role of President of Young Israel at just age 27, Gornish quickly established himself as a dedicated and visionary leader. He went on to serve as President of Epstein Hebrew Academy, where he helped the school navigate a critical building relocation, a global pandemic and a Head of School search—all with steady leadership and deep commitment. Most recently, Gornish chaired a successful rabbinical search for Young Israel and now serves as President of the Vaad Hoeir, where he is focused on expanding kosher food access in the region.
Deborah Hirschfelder is deeply involved in hands-on and organizational volunteer work. Since the May 16 tornado, she has regularly delivered large quantities of homemade and donated food—serving 300 to 500 people daily—in north St. Louis, where many residents remain without homes or kitchens. She coordinates with 48 volunteers, collects and distributes meals from homes and her synagogue, Shaare Emeth, and meets with local leaders. She’s now also helping residents apply for FEMA assistance. Hirschfelder’s volunteerism extends beyond disaster relief: for seven years, she has served night shifts at the USO at Lambert Airport; she previously sat on the boards of Jewish Family Services, Generate Health and currently helps guide operations at Assisi House for the unhoused.
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Julie Hoffman exemplifies quiet, powerful leadership through her volunteerism and deep commitment to the local Jewish community. Whether as an engaged parent at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School, an active member of Congregation B’nai Amoona, or the thoughtful moderator of the St. Louis Jewish Mamas Facebook group, Hoffman gives generously of her time and heart. Under her stewardship, the STL Jewish Mamas group has grown into a safe, inclusive and supportive digital haven for over 2,000 Jewish women—offering connection, advice and comfort on everything from parenting to spiritual life to essential daily services.
For more than six decades, Marilyn K. Humiston has devoted herself to enriching the St. Louis music community through extraordinary volunteerism, leadership and musicianship. A dedicated violinist with the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra since 1963, Humiston has also served as its volunteer president since 1986—spearheading youth competitions, community collaborations and nationally recognized programs like the orchestra’s “Holiday Pops” concert benefiting Toys for Tots. Her leadership has expanded access to classical music for both audiences and aspiring musicians, while fostering meaningful educational partnerships. All the while, she balanced her volunteer commitments with a 26-year career as a string educator in the Parkway School District, raising a family, earning her master’s degree and actively serving on numerous nonprofit boards and music education associations.
Though he calls himself “retired,” Marty Levy is anything but. Since 2018, he’s been delivering kosher meals twice weekly to nearly 20 older adults, bringing not just food but warmth, humor and heartfelt connection—rain or shine. At Crown Center, he pitches in wherever needed, from packaging meals to manning the front desk. As gabbai of Traditional Congregation, Levy organizes services, supports mourners, visits the ill, chants Torah and Haftorah and helps make his and his wife Mimi’s home a hub of hospitality. He also serves on the synagogue’s board and is a regular volunteer at the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry, where he drives, sorts food and shops for clients.
Nancy Litz is a passionate and tireless bridge builder whose volunteerism spans racial justice, LGBTQ+ advocacy, women’s empowerment and Jewish community leadership. As Immediate Past President of the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis, she continues to lead with vision—spearheading an exploratory committee focused on innovative service strategies for those in need. During her presidency, she devoted countless hours to building bridges across communities and recruiting the next generation of leaders to NCJW. Litz, who belongs to Temple Israel, also serves as philanthropic chair for the Professional Women’s Alliance, and is program chair for Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice. She also is a longtime volunteer with PROMO Missouri and a member of the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund.
As co-lead of the St. Louis Metro Election Protection Field Program with the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, Michele Steinberg coordinates teams to safeguard voting rights while continuing her on-the-ground work at the polls. A longtime leader within Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, Steinberg has served as membership and communications director and was instrumental in helping the organization transition during a leadership shift. She also brings compassion and artistry to her role as Chapter Director of Flashes of Hope, photographing children with cancer to preserve their strength and spirit in beautiful portraits. She also has served on numerous committees at Congregation Temple Israel.
Harriet Turner has dedicated her life to caring for others—first through a 25-year career as a nurse and supervisor at Missouri Baptist Hospital, and now through her volunteer work. Since retiring, she has returned to Missouri Baptist as a steadfast gift shop volunteer for over a decade. At Temple Emanuel, Turner was one of the founding co-chairs and continues to lead the “Corner of the Field” mitzvah garden, which has donated over a ton of fresh produce to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry in just five years. She also devotes her time and sewing skills to the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition’s Project Dream Dress, helping high school girls find and fit prom dresses they otherwise couldn’t afford.
As the head of Congregation Shaare Emeth’s sponsorship team for an Afghan refugee family, Marti Zuckerman became not just a guide, but a lifeline—helping the family secure vital documentation, navigate healthcare and public benefits, enroll children in school, arrange transportation and ensure language access and stability. Her care extended beyond logistics, offering a deep sense of community and belonging to those who arrived with little but hope. Zuckerman also co-chaired the synagogue’s large-scale Mitzvah Day, coordinating hundreds of volunteers in service across the St. Louis area. She regularly serves at Oak Hill Elementary’s food pantry and volunteers weekly with the International Institute’s pantry. She’s also taken on the role of housing coordinator for a newly arrived Sudanese refugee family.
The 2025 Unsung Heroes event is Co-Chaired by Debbie Lefton and Amy Fenster Brown.
