Activist Of The Year

oel Jacob received the 2011 Activist Award from
the Jewish Community Relations Council at an
event on June 12.
Joel is known throughout America and in Israel for
his boundless energy and tenacity in working to end
childhood hunger by 2015. In 2009, he was elected the
international chairman of MAZON: A Jewish Response to
Hunger. He travels each week on behalf of MAZON advo-
cating for hungry people who do not have a voice.
As founder and chairman of the Bottle Crew, a sup-
plier of glass and plastic bottles, caps and sprayers, he
has linked his dedication to combating hunger with
his company's success by using his resources and busi-
ness relationships to connect many of his customers to
hunger-fighting organizations to make sure their excess
products do not go to waste. II

Joel Jacob honored for his battle against hunger by the JCRC.

Joel Jacob receives his Activist of the Year award

Rabbi Levi Shemtov and Rabbi E.B. Freedman chat

from his son Andrew.

with 2011 Activist Award honoree Joel Jacob during

the pre-glow reception.

Goodbye, Mr. Gutman!

Beloved high school teacher
honored at FJA reception.

he Frankel Jewish Academy
recently honored teacher
and dean Jerry Gutman,
who retired after 11 years with
the Academy. Gutman joined the
school in 2000, two weeks after
retiring from a 41-year teaching
career with the Oak Park Schools.
Colleagues, friends, family and
former students filled the JCC
lobby with good wishes and remi-
niscences.
"Growing up, I was aware of how
gifted a teacher my father was':
said daughter Lori Moizio, who
lives in Arm Arbor. "Everyone loved
him, and I regret that I could never
have him as a teacher:Stand for
what you believe in. View the world
with an open mind. That's what he
taught my siblings and me:'
Susan Shevrin of West
Bloomfield regularly dropped by
his Oak Park High classroom dur-
ing lunch.
"Mr. Gutman': she recalled,"talk-
ed about the Vietnam War at a time

no one else was discussing it:'
Paula Mardit of Huntington
Woods had Jerry Gutman in the
1970s, and remembers him as "the
most inspiring teacher I ever had."
When she learned he had joined
the FJA staff, she went home and
told daughter Molly, "You are going
to the Academy. He is simply the
greatest teacher in the world."
"Mr. Gutman encouraged me to
think passionately and open-mind-
edly," recalls Molly (FJA '07)."It's
because of him that I am majoring
in International Studies [at the
University of Michigan]. There is a
lot wrong with the world. To make
changes, you have to be passionate
about what you want to do."
Good- Bye Mr. Chips. To Sir, With
Love. Jerry Gutman's teaching
career may never be immortalized
on the silver screen, but he has
something better — thousands
of real students whose lives were
forever transformed by this unfor-
gettable teacher. II

Left: Like mother like daughter - Paula and Molly Mardit with their former teacher, Jerry Gutman

Right: Dr. Carl Pacacha and Dr. Al Shrosbree, respectively former assistant superintendent and

superintendent of Oak Park Schools, celebrate with Jerry Gutman.

Left: For Adva Gadoth (FJA '06) and Ryan Landau (FJA '06), Jerry Gutman was always central to

their education. "He's an amazing human being," said Adva. "He's a wonderful orator and everyone

loved having him as their teacher." Right: Jerry Gutman joined by proud family members.

Isabella

JRC On The Go

Morrison of

U-M students travel, study in Israel with the Jewish Resource Center.

Ann Arbor

abbi Fully Eisenberger, an Orthodox rabbi
from Southfield, heads the JRC (Jewish
Resource Center) at the University of
Michigan. The JRC offers Shabbat meals and pro-
gramming that includes the Maimonides Leadership
Fellowship, which provides classes, two Shabbatonim
and a $500 scholarship.
While the JRC mainly runs programs during the

fall and winter semesters, each May an Israel trip is
offered. This May, Eisenberger took 40 U-M students
on a trip that combined touring and Torah. For more
information on the JRC, send an email to rabbifully@
gmail.com.
Among the 40 U-M students on the trip are Ally
Gold, Farmington Hills; Ziv Weitzman and Alex
Linkner, both of Arm Arbor; Isabella Morrison,
Huntington Woods; Dmitry Davidov, Oak Park; and
Mike Flood, Grand Rapids.

Huntington

Woods and

Jenny Lubell

of Long Island

June 23 a 2011

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