Jewish Family Service a hit once again

Jewish Family Service of San Diego, a 90-year-old community service organization, held its annual gala recently at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. This year’s event, dubbed the Heart and Soul Gala, honored some special La Jollans with the 2007 Mitzvah Award.

Ronnie Diamond was lauded for opening the University City Senior Center, the Stone Family Foundation earned the award for helping to fund the Mentoring Mothers program, and the Viterbi Family Foundation was recognized for supporting Older Holocaust Survivors.

The huge event, co-chaired by Nadja Kauder, Barbara Lubin and Felicia Mandelbaum, featured special tribute performances by mezz-soprano Susana Poretsky and The Mighty Echoes (an a capella doo wop quartet) that entertained guests as they entered the Glass Pavillion for a cocktail reception and silent auction.

The large gala committee included Elaine Galinson, Jerri-Ann Jacobs, Mary Ann Scher, Elsye Sollender, Ashley Stone, Valerie Viterbi, Karen Kessler and Tami Diamond Weigold. Also on the local guest list were Jeffrey Lipinsky, Francy Starr and Marvin Krichman, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Teresa and Merle Fischlowitz, Estelle and Hamilton Loeb, Hermeen and Sam Scharaga, Nehaman and Victor Moreno, Leslie Simon, Edie and Dean Greenberg, Eliot and Adriana Feldstein and Jack and Judy White.