Women
of Valor
Orange County’s Jewish women are playing key roles as creative,
committed leaders.
By Ilene Schneider and Lisa Grajewski
When Orange County Jewish Life decided to profile powerful
women in the Jewish community, we decided to ask readers for their nominations.
We received an outpouring of enthusiastic replies, so many that we decided
to continue this feature on a regular basis, in order to do justice to
describing the efforts of the women of valor who make this community great.
Meanwhile, here are the stories of six of the best and the brightest.
Blossom Siegel
“If there’s a Jewish agency in Orange County, then I’m
probably involved in it,” said Blossom Siegel, woman philanthropist
extraordinaire and graphic designer with an exacting eye for detail. “I’ve
watched Orange County grow in 32 years, and we can be proud of the Jewish
community we have.”
Always active in synagogues, Blossom got involved in Super
Sunday in 1985 in the San Fernando Valley at the suggestion of her cousin.
She “jumped in with both feet” and became a major donor to
Federation. Since then she has held every office in the Federation, serving
as president for 3 years and being a member of the allocations committee.
“We need to do a lot of education to make people aware of the opportunities
to make the community grow with time, energy, and money,” she said.
“A mission to Israel changed my life and made me an
avid Zionist,” she added. In July, she will take her 30th trip to
Israel in 20 years.
Blossom is a major supporter of the Partnership 2000 program, launched
in 1994. The program links Jewish communities abroad and regions in Israel
in a mutual effort to strengthen Israeli society while promoting unity
and Jewish identity. To date, 42 regions have been matched with 550 Diaspora
communities. Nearly every region combines urban centers with neighboring
rural peripheries. The principal categories for intervention are immigrant
absorption and population growth, job creation, and human needs. Seventeen
small agricultural villages in the Kiryat Malachi region of Israel are
partnered with the the United Jewish Communities (UJC) Western region
in the U.S.
Blossom is also an Israel and Overseas Pillar of the UJC, supporting
one of four major areas of concentration of UJC: Jewish Renaissance and
Renewal, Israel and Overseas, Human Services and Public Policy, and Campaign/Financial
Resource Development. In order to offset negative media coverage, she
is also involved in producing news segments about science, tzedakah, and
other positive things happening in Israel.
She is a Lion of Judah donor, a distinction established in
1972 to recognize a new level of commitment set forth by a cadre of dedicated
volunteers. These women knew that to shape the future they envisioned,
they would have to contribute accordingly, personally pledging $5,000
or more to the annual women’s campaign. Blossom’s daughter
in northern California became a Lion of Judah on her own, and Blossom
gave her the recognition pin.
“I suggest that people find something that they are
passionate about, and the passion will take them as far as they would
like to go,” Blossom concluded. “If we all did what we could,
just imagine what the community would be like. The more I’ve given
through the years, the more I’ve gotten.”
Joan Kaye
“I have a passion for sharing my love for Jewish learning,”
explained Joan Kaye, Ed.D., executive director of the Orange County Bureau
of Jewish Education since 1991. “I’ve always been involved
in some kind of learning.”
Joan also has a passion for sharing herself. She serves as
president of the Association of Directors of Central Agencies, an association
for bureau of Jewish education directors. She speaks all over the country
on family education and teen-family education programs.
Recently, Joan spoke at the National Women's Philanthropy
Board Retreat about her doctoral dissertation, the first document ever
done on women’s philanthropy. To do the study, she traveled the
country interviewing Jewish women philanthropists who use not only their
money, but their intelligence, their energy, and their passion for tikkun
olam, for making the world a better place. She served as a consultant
for the Whizin Institute for Jewish Family Life and currently serves as
adviser to the South Orange County Jewish Outreach Coalition (SOCJOC),
a program she designed.
Since coming here from the Bureau of Jewish Education in
Boston, Joan has reorganized a small, single-focus agency known only to
its program recipients into an organization recognized as the community's
central address for Jewish education and planning. She has obtained major
grants from national foundations and attracted top professionals to the
staff. Among her specific accomplishments are: revitalizing the Bureau
board by adding 50% new members from different segments of the community;
increasing donor data base by 200%; increasing agency fund-raising by
400%; and establishing endowment funds totaling nearly one half million
dollars.
“The BJE was a little agency when I got here, and now
the budget has quadrupled, and the programs have expanded enormously,”
Joan said. “There are 270 kids in T.A.L.I.T. (Teens Are Leaders
in Training) now. My colleagues around the country wonder why every city
isn’t doing a program like that. Everyone has heard of it.”
Although the agency was small in the early days, Joan said
that she found Orange County “an unbelievable place to be. I’ve
always had a wonderful board that got excited about the things that excited
me.”
Joan also designed a community-wide school improvement initiative
by means of a $195,000 grant from the Covenant Foundation and developed
that initiative into a self-sustaining, cooperative school network providing
professional development opportunities to all its members. She introduced
family education programming in synagogue schools, pre-schools, and the
general community. She developed leadership training programs for communal
agencies and synagogues.
Joan is especially proud of creating a teen Israel trip that
serves as a national model – and of thinking outside the box to
carry out the mission even when the obvious plan could not work. When
the T.I.E.S. trip to Israel was suspended due to concerns about safety,
the Bureau began to bring Israeli students here through the Mifgash program
and to develop a BJE alumni trip to Israel.
“We’re very creative, given the resources we
have,” she concluded.
Joyce Greenspan
“ADL is known as the Jewish 911,” explained Joyce
Greenspan, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, Orange County/Long
Beach region. “Its mission is to stop defamation of Jewish people
and insure justice for all. When something horrible, such as a hate crime,
happens, this is where you call. You can’t be that entity for the
Jewish people if you’re insular, so ADL reaches out to the community
to develop relationships that keep the Jewish people safe.”
Joyce, who moved to Orange County in 1967 when the Jewish
community was just beginning, has more than 25 years of programmatic and
fundraising experience in the Jewish and secular communities of southern
California. She began her career as the youth and day camp director at
the Jewish Community Center of Long Beach. She worked for United Way,
the University of Southern California, and the Jewish Federation of Long
Beach and West Orange County before accepting her present position 10
years ago.
Under her guidance, the regional office staff has substantially
increased in number to meet the needs of the community. Joyce introduced
the Orange County and Long Beach community to the A World of Difference‚
Institute, Children of the Dream, and Confronting Anti-Semitism. In addition,
she has developed innovative programs, such as the Steinberg Leadership
Institute, which develops new leadership through a yearlong program of
classes and conferences about Israel, the Holocaust, diversity education,
and civil rights. She also works with the Orange County Department of
Education through the Public School Liaison Program that she developed.
During Joyce’s tenure, ADL in this region has increased its
visibility with its strong civil rights agenda, government affairs, hate
crimes training, and education for law enforcement, educators, and the
general community. The monitoring of extremist activity and groups has
provided such reports as From Prison to the Streets: Nazi Low Riders Emerge
in California, an Orange County phenomenon.
“On a day to day basis ADL makes a difference, sometimes
on a community-wide level by making a big noise,” Joyce concluded.
“However, more often than not, we take baby steps toward a more
tolerant and civil society. Sometimes, I'm afraid, we feel like we have
accomplished little. The gratifying part is the knowledge that over the
long haul, Orange County is a better place for the Jewish community because
ADL has made a contribution, one baby step at a time.”
Eve Fein
As a student, Eve Fein was hardworking and very soulful about
her work as a future Jewish educator. She was eager to learn from the
teachings of her many mentors. She wanted to “impart enthusiasm
and passion to kids about Judaism,” she explained.
Eve taught 8th and 9th grade students at the Bureau of Jewish
Education of Los Angeles and then became a consultant for the program.
When her husband, Elliot, got a job in Orange County, Eve sought part-time
work while raising her two children, now 15 and 11.
As the principal of Morasha Jewish Day School
for the last 10 years, she has led with integrity and vision, according
to numerous colleagues and parents. Eve brings cutting edge technology
and art to enhance her programming. She emphasizes Jewish values that
constantly get taught, modeled, and demanded at the school and in her
own life. Her quest for the best in every aspect of Morasha and her involvement
in the Orange County Jewish community make her a dedicated leader who
always strives to act in the best interest of the students, parents, and
community.
Always coming up with innovative and exciting ways to impart
information, Eve has a special talent for continuously improving the dual
curriculum at Morasha. In addition to ensuring a stellar secular education
for "her" kids, she oversees a dynamic Judaic and arts programming.
Eve not only accepts change, but actually welcomes it. She has succeeded
in bringing a Jewish presence to the community beyond the school walls.
Eve also works tirelessly towards Morasha's goal of building
a permanent facility in South Orange County.
Eve has shepherded Morasha into a professionally-run organization
with a well-functioning board and a vibrantly involved parent community.
She models egalitarian, inclusive Jewish practice to the students, fully
participating in Torah service and Tefillah. She has spearheaded initiatives
within the school that incorporate partnerships with various organizations
and is a credentialing evaluator for the California Association of Independent
Schools.
“It’s gratifying to see kids, parents, faculty,
and lay leaders thriving in this environment,” Eve said. “This
community effects change in all of its participants. Everybody’s
stretching to be better. If you raise the bar, everybody moves toward
it.”
Eve concluded, “It’s also been wonderful to be
with my own kids everyday and to observe them growing in this environment.”
Jodi Greenbaum
Coming from a family unable to financially provide a Jewish
background, Jodi Greenbaum turned to the Jewish community when she was
young. “Being involved is an opportunity to give back,” said
the new president of the Jewish Community Federation and outgoing president
of the Women’s Division of Federation. “Federation is a community
player here to do whatever it takes to help the community grow –
from helping people like Arie Katz nurture a good idea to helping people
around the world.”
A former journalist who was raised in Orange County, Jodi
finds it “gratifying to be part of the changes taking place. If
you’re going to be involved, this is the time to jump in and do
it.
Everybody is willing to step up to the plate and participate.
It’s a great time to be Jewish in Orange County.”
Jodi is especially looking forward to being involved in the
Federation’s strategic planning process, commenting, “This
will be a year for action as we continue the work already undertaken by
Jewish Federation's leaders and community builders, and move forward to
involve our entire community in a strategic plan that will change the
landscape of Jewish giving and engagement in Orange County. It’s
not just another plan. It’s going to make a major difference at
every level and create a lot of partnerships.”
She added, “At Federation, we are dreaming a bigger
dream for the Jewish community, by inviting everyone to the table, as
we work together to determine the needs of this community and how we will
meet those challenges.”
Jodi believes that Federation Board members are passionate
about the kinds of dreams they want to see come true for the Jewish community.
She anticipates “many new programs and events to help this community
and more meaningful connections with our family in Israel as well.”
As president of Women’s Division, Jodi started Jewish
Federation's Dor V'Dor, a volunteer mother/daughter organization dedicated
to helping the community through various community service projects throughout
the year. The group organized a walk for Israeli terror victims that garnered
1,000 supporters and raised $50,000 for victims in Israel. Women’s
Division also started Reading Partners, an innovative program organized
by Ellen Weiss, Marlene Kerbis, and Beverly Jacobs, that recruits Jewish
volunteers to help young children struggling with reading problems in
our schools.
Jodi is married to Martin Greenbaum, an attorney. The couple’s
three children, Leah, Carter, and Reva, attend Tarbut V'Torah Community
Day School, where Jodi serves on the board of trustees. She is also a
member of Hoag Cancer Center's Circle 1000 and former president of Orange
County Performing Art's Center's Sound of Music Chapter.
Family support and enthusiasm have made Jodi’s Jewish
community activities especially worthwhile. Her children say, “I
have some money. Does the Federation need it?”
Jodi concluded, “If you start when the children are
young, you can build this kind of family and help the whole community.”
Flory Van Beek
Out of the ashes of Europe, survivors of the Shoa made and
have kept a vow to keep Judaism and the Jewish people alive. Though their
numbers dwindle, their resolve is as strong as ever. They tell their stories
through books, poetry, movies, speeches, and just by being part of their
respective communities, reminding us that we must rise above the destruction
of our past.
Flory Van Beek, a soft, quiet woman whose Dutch accent is
still prominent even after 57 years in America, explained, “We [Flory
and her husband Felix] vowed, when we were in hiding that we would keep
the Jewish people together.” And keep them together they have.
Flory’s amazing story is not just of survival during the
Holocaust, but her survival and will to live after the war ended. Flory
lost her mother and most of her family and friends during the war. Then
in 1948, with the threat of Communism to the small country of Holland,
they once again braved the ocean for their trip to the America.
Flory and Felix vowed that, if they survived, they would
keep the Jewish people together, keep them alive. This vow gave them meaning
to survive not only the Nazis but many adversities later in life.
Flory stated that Felix, her husband since 1942, was a leading
force in their lives. “We had nothing when we came to America. The
JDC (Joint Distribution Committee) gave us $1500. We have always wanted
to make good for what they did for us.” Upon arrival in the United
States they spent three months in New York, then ended up in Burbank.
The only key to their success was hard work and some luck.
Moving from Burbank to Los Angeles, Felix worked in a furniture store,
Flory for an attorney, and together they saved their money. “When
the Dutch make $10, we only spend $5; however, Americans make $10 and
spend $15… that is how we saved, like the Dutch.”
In 1951 they settled in Newport Beach – where they
have lived since – starting out in apartment they rented for $30
a month -- and began to raise a family.
Finally settled and financially comfortable, Flory and Felix
began a family, adopting their son Ralph in 1954.
Now able to give back, they began to make good on their vow
and began a history of giving that has spanned over decades and exceeds
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Organizations like the Technion, Jewish
National Fund, Anti-Defamation League, Hadassah, and Hoag Hospital have
all been beneficiaries of the Van Beek’s generosity. But in 1971
tragedy struck once again.
After two years of pain and sickness, Ralph died of brain
cancer at 17. Once again, Flory met adversity so deep and painful that
she would have been lost as well, were it not for the meaning in her life
– a vow to keep.
Temple Isaiah, in Newport Beach, is the VanBeeks’ search
for meaning. Flory’s years of the Holocaust are played out in her
book, Flory: Survival in the Valley of Death; her years beyond that are
played out in a small synagogue she helped to start in 1974.
Everything about that synagogue captures the vow made so many years ago:
keeping Jews together. The fact that the building is shared with a church
and the incredible relationship between the two, is a testament to what
Flory and Felix and have lived and strived for these last 60 years.
Rabbi Marc Rubenstein, the current rabbi at Temple Isaiah
since 1990, and a good friend, knows the gift of Flory and Felix. “Flory
and Felix Van Beek are not only the founders of Temple Isaiah, they are
Temple Isaiah. Unlike most people, they seem to not let life handle them;
they simply handle life. Flory Van Beek has been everything in this temple
– from Administrator to Zionist.”
Flory’s story is one of survival, of keeping a promise
made decades ago -- a story of making a vow to God and the Jewish people.
She goes on, propelled by a promise made to her people so many years ago.
For feedback, contact editor@ocjewishlife.com.