Young Israel of St. Louis will present three Distinguished Service Awards at its annual dinner, Sunday evening, June 7 at the Frontenac Hilton. Mickey Ariel, Shirley and Elliott Franklin, and Judy Haber will be recognized for their longtime service to the Jewish community.

This year’s dinner will highlight the award recipients’ dedication to others and their spirit of giving.

Mickey Ariel, Professor of Pharmacological and Physiological Science at St. Louis University School of Medicine, conducts research on the basic mechanism of brain function in animals. In addition to his passion for science, Ariel is committed to the State of Israel, to Jewish Education and to Young Israel. He is a key figure in the St. Louis Community Eruv and serves on various community committees and boards. Ariel is one of the founders and a past president of St. Louis Torah Mitzion Kollel.

Shirley and Elliott Franklin share a strong commitment to community. Elliott, when not doing research in pharmaceuticals, is helping, providing, engaging and volunteering in the community. His involvement in Young Israel over decades has been unwavering. Shirley, who works full time with Dr. Michael Weiss at Washington University Medical School in the Department of Podiatry, lends her services as a superintendent of the St. Louis Mikvah, a commitment to the Jewish families of St. Louis.

Judy Haber, a St. Louis native, has served as president of Friends of the Hebrew Academy at Epstein, as president of the Women’s Division of Young Israel, as kitchen supervisor and mashgiach at the shul, and has chaired the Young Israel calendar project for many years. She has been actively involved in NCSY since 1999, and has been Young Israel’s office manager since 2008. 

Tickets are $136 per person. For more information or to RSVP, contact Young Israel at [email protected] or 314-727-1880. A tribute journal is being compiled for those who wish to honor the award recipients. The event is co-chaired by Susie Fredman and Baila Shulman.