At a reception held at the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel in West Los Angeles in June, the Orthodox Union West Coast Region honored many of its longtime supporters. Among the honorees were The Honorable Jack Weiss, Councilman of California’s 5th District; Helena and Steve Usdan; Rabbi Reuven Huttler and Rabbi Sholom and Elaine Strajcher. There was a special tribute to Rabbi Alan Kalinsky for twenty years of outstanding service to the OU West Coast. The capacity crowd was inspired and entertained by the video portraits of the honorees and their families.
1. Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, director of interfaith affairs, Simon Wiesenthal Center; Rabbi Abe Cooper, associate dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center, and David Zeffren, OU West Coast chairman of the Board and co-chairman of the 2006 OU National Convention in Jerusalem, present Councilmember Jack Weiss with the OU Community Leadership Award.
2. Los Angeles community leaders Steve and Helena Usdan were presented with the OU Chesed Award.
3. Rabbi Reuven Huttler (second from right), of Etz Jacob Congregation in Los Angeles, is presented with the OU Lifetime Rabbinic Achievement Award. Flanking him from left to right are his son, Shlomo Huttler, a former NCSYer; Dr. Ron Nagel, an OU West Coast board member and former student of Rabbi Huttler, and Rabbi Huttler’s wife, Miriam.
4. Former NCSYers Elaine and Rabbi Sholom Strajcher were awarded the OU/NCSY Chinuch Award.
5. Rabbi Alan Kalinsky (third from left) receives a silver Havdalah set from the OU for his years of dedicated service. From left to right are Rabbi Kalinsky’s son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Slomnicki; his daughter Elissa; his son, Rabbi Yosef Kalinsky; his daughter, Michal, and his wife, Sandy.
Photos: Wachsman-Staley Photographers