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Community Corner

UJA-Federation's Northern Westchester Community Honors Local Leaders

UJA-Federation of New York’s Northern Westchester community recently honored Amy and Bruce Gutenplan and Rabbi Aaron Brusso for their dedicated leadership to the organization and long history of service to the community. The event took place on Thursday, April 10, 2014, at Club Infinity in Pleasantville.

Residents of Mount Kisco, the Gutenplans are committed organizational leaders. UJA-Federation’s Westchester Annual Campaign co-chair, Amy also is advisory chair of the Northern Westchester Women’s Philanthropy board and is a member of the Westchester Program Services Cabinet, which allocates grants to Westchester’s Jewish nonprofits and programs. Along with her involvement with several other nonprofits, Amy is on the board of trustees of the Pleasantville Community Synagogue. A partner in the corporate department of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Bruce is a former chair of the firm’s recruitment committee and served as chair of the firm’s charitable contributions committee. Active in the community, he was a member of UJA-Federation’s Northern Westchester Men’s Cabinet and currently serves on AJC’s Diplomatic Outreach Committee and several nonprofit fundraising committees.

Rabbi Aaron Brusso of Mount Kisco has served as rabbi of Bet Torah in Mount Kisco for the past five years. He serves on the faculty of the Anti-Defamation League’s Bearing Witness program, teaching Catholic educators about Judaism from the Jewish perspective. He is also a member of the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Chancellor’s Rabbinic Cabinet, a think tank tasked with discussing issues of significance to the Jewish future. In 2011, Rabbi Brusso joined UJA-Federation Executive Vice President and CEO John Ruskay, Natan Sharansky, and rabbinic colleagues on a UJA-Federation mission to Moscow and St. Petersburg in order to witness the postcommunist resurgence of Jewish life.

“All of these individuals are beloved friends of our community, people who give so much of themselves and, as a result, make a real and lasting impact on the lives of so many. To be able to honor them — and celebrate our community — is truly a joy,” said Event Co-Chair Harriet Schleifer of Chappaqua. Nearly 200 guests came to celebrate the Northern Westchester community and its contribution to UJA-Federation, a central force for communal planning and philanthropy in the New York Jewish community for more than 95 years.

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Event chairs were Sue and Ken Fuirst of Chappaqua, Randi and Dan Kreisler of Pleasantville, Harriet and Len Schleifer of Chappaqua, Jen and Bart Sokol of Armonk, and Tracy Stein and Marco Masotti of Chappaqua. 

About UJA-Federation of New York
For more than 95 years, UJA-Federation has inspired New Yorkers to act on their values and invest in our community for the biggest impact. Through UJA-Federation, more than 55,000 donors address issues that matter most to them, pooling their resources to care for New Yorkers of all backgrounds and Jews everywhere, to connect people to their Jewish communities, and to respond to crises close to home and around the globe. Working with nearly 100 network beneficiary agencies, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations, UJA-Federation is the world’s largest local philanthropy; our reach spans from New York to Israel to more than 70 other countries around the world, touching 4.5 million people each year. For more information on how to donate or volunteer, please visit our website at www.ujafedny.org.

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