Creating Hope

Sandi Bragar & Jerome Rossen, Chairs

Presenting our 2026 Changing Lives Award to

Tamar Shwartz, CEO of Ruach Nashit

for her groundbreaking work addressing financial abuse and promoting economic independence for survivors of domestic violence

Honorary Host Committee
State Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, Chair
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives
State Senator Josh Becker | State Senator Scott Wiener
CA State Assemblymember Damon Conolly | Belmont Mayor Julia Mates
Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii | San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan
San Mateo County Supervisor Jackie Speier | The Honorable David Chiu
The Honorable Brooke Jenkins | The Honorable Rafael Mandelman
The Honorable Myrna Melgar
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosen
The Honorable Eugene Hyman | Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Former State Senator Mark Leno
Adi Reicher Alouf | Hope & Noah Alper | Dan Alpert & Rabbi Eric Weiss
Diane & Ed Bernbaum | Sherry Brown-Ryther | Julie Chaiken
Debbie & Barry Cohn | Ellen & Barry Finestone | Zoe Frankel | Marci Glazer
Nancy Grand | Tyler Gregory | Bruce Gribens & Jing Yu
Ellen & Rabbi Doug Kahn | Linda & Thomas Kalinowski
Daniel Klein, CEO Jewish Silicon Valley | Linda & Frank Kurtz | Sandy Lipkowitz
Patricia Lurie | Rabbi Deborah Newbrun | Jan Reicher & Alain Bismuth
Leesa Miao Romo | Elyse Salven-Blatt | Janet Schneider & Andrew Kahn
Rabbi Judy Shanks & James Gracer | Dana Sheanin & Sue Bojdak
Joy Sisisky, CEO Jewish Federation Bay Area | Esta Soler | Adam Swig
Roselyne C. Swig | Jacqueline Neuwirth Swire | Ingrid Tauber & Frank Taforo
Event Committee
Lynne Belmont | Vivien Braly | Jenn Brysk | Marci & Marc Dollinger
Jerilyn Gelt | Stacey & Evan Levy | Barbara Moser | Shari Rubin-Rick
Barbara Shragge | Deborah & Michael Sosebee | Kate Taffel
Michelle & Keith Tandowsky

 

SPONSORS
 
Life Changer
Anonymous
Sheltered in Peace
Anonymous | Libitzky Family Foundation
MenschUp!
Hillary & Pete Blum | Ann Borstein | Sandi Bragar & Jerome Rossen
Claudia Felson | Jerilyn Gelt
Barbara Moser, Esq./Kaye-Moser-Hierbaum-Ford LLP Family Law
The Jerome G. & Annette S. Zimmerman Foundation
Peace Builder
Debbie & Barry Cohn | Cathy & Phil Goldstein | Susie Julius
Stacey & Evan Levy | Sandi Morris | Sue & Gary Schwartzman
Martin Segol & Nancy Greenberg | Beverly & Bruce Stamper
Steppin’ Up
Michael Bien | Vivien Braly & Ruben Arquilevich | Amy & Morton Friedkin
Marsha Gelt & Barry Schienberg | Johanna & Jeffrey Ilfeld
Jewish Federation Bay Area | Linda & Thomas Kalinowski | Nancy Klehr
Arlene Krieger | Linda & Frank Kurtz | Patricia Lurie
Dr. Gladys Monroy & Larry Marks | Anne & Nathan Petrowsky
Jan Reicher, Alan Bismuth, and Adi Reicher Alouf
Deborah & Michael Sosebee | Kate Taffel | Troutman Pepper Locke
Jerry Yanowitz & Suzanne D’Arcy
Advocate
Anne Bakar/Telecare Corporation | Lynne Belmont | Laureen & David Cohen
Dyanna & Idan Dvir | Richard Fiedotin & Liz Berman | Sheila Reicher Fine
Jim Heeger & Daryl Messinger | Beth & Marty Katz | Barbara & Ron Kaufman
Michael Loeb | Alissa Robinow | Elyse Salven-Blatt | Jorun & Harmon Shragge Jacqueline Neuwirth Swire | Michelle & Keith Tandowsky
Allison Kent Weiss & Paul Weiss | Jessica & Mark Zitter
Rachel & Aaron Zubaty
Helping Hand
Hope & Noah Alper | Dan Alpert & Rabbi Eric Weiss
The Clergy of Congregation Emanu-El | Shirley Cohen
Fiduciary Trust International | Ruth Katz & Michael Rappaport
Former State Senator Mark Leno | Anne & Rodney Pearlman
Sheri & Paul Robbins | Steven Saxe | Janet Schneider & Andrew Kahn
Rabbi Judy Shanks & James Gracer | Joelle Steefel | Dr. Dawn Marie Wadle
Sharon & Josh Weinberg | Julian Yudelson
Act Now
Selma Abdo | Eileen & Nersi Boussina | Annette Brown, CDFA
Sherry Brown-Ryther & David Ryther
Rabbi Steven & Leona Chester | The Rabbis of Congregation Beth El
Congregation Beth Israel | Congregation Beth Jacob
Congregation Beth Sholom | Rabbi David Cooper
Allie Emrich & Guilherme Lichand | Linda & Eli Frank
Debi Geller & Ed Zimmerman | Roberta Gelt
Rabbi Ilana & David Goldhaber-Gordon | David Gottfried | Tyler Gregory
Bruce Gribens & Jing Yu | JCRC Bay Area | Joanne & Jeff Jagoda
Ellen & Rabbi Doug Kahn | Tracey & Adam Klapow
Wendy & Howard Kleckner | Karen & Mel Kronick | Danielle Meshorer
Nancy Milliken | Perla Muhlstein | Elaine & Jeff Neeley
Peninsula Temple Sholom | Marcia & Don Pompan | Abigail & Jason Porth
Jane & Mark Rabinovitz | Jeanne Reisman & Len Goldschmit
Ulli Rotzscher & Ruth Kleinman | Shari Rubin-Rick & Evan Rick
Sharon Sagiv & Abe Boskovitz | Dana Sheanin & Sue Bojdak | Temple Isaiah
Naomi Tucker & Dr. Valerie Tucker | Jessica Vapnek