Celebrating the Remarkable

Watch Celebrating the Remarkable Now

In case you missed our BIG celebration, watch now and celebrate Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, upon receipt of her first and only honorary doctorate from an Israeli university, bestowed by BGU. Israeli-American star, Noa Tishby, joins to celebrate Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s most remarkable!

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer

World Renowned Sex Therapist Author and Media Personality

Toni Young

Dedicated Volunteer and Philanthropist

Philip Gomperts

Steward of Largest Donation in Israel’s History

Master of Ceremonies

Noa Tishby

Actress, Producer, Activist and Author

Thank you to our generous Sponsors and Event Committee for making this event a remarkable success!

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Ruth Flinkman-Marandy and Ben Marandy, California
Archie Gottesman and Gary DeBode, New Jersey
Gerald Shreiber, New Jersey

NEGEV
Vicki and Lloyd Goldman, New York
Fran Morris Rosman and Richard Rosman, California
Bathsheva Rifkin and Howard Hochster, Connecticut
Toni Young, New York

BEER-SHEVA
Nina Appel, Illinois
Elyse and Joshua Arnow, New York
Jenny Cohen-Derfler and Joel Reinstein, Israel
Marci and Marc Dollinger, California
The Etingin, Davidowitz and Silver Families, New York
The Field Family Foundation, California
Esther and Bert Foer, Washington D.C.
Betsy and Max Gitter, New York
Rochelle and William E. Handy Jr., California
Laurie and Maury Harris, New York
Pat Kalmans and Michael Ozer, Texas
Reiko and Barry Kayne, Delaware
Brooke Kroeger and Alexander M. Goren, z”l, New York
Donna and Nathan Lam, California
Dr. Edward Oleen, Georgia
Carol Rothschild, Delaware
Carol and Harry Saal, California
Lisa Scheller, Pennsylvania
Danna and Alex Slusky, California
Soref-Breslauer Texas Foundation
Robin and Brad Stein, Texas
Tara and Roy Zuckerberg, New York

SDE BOKER
Terri and Rabbi Bruce Alpert, Connecticut
Rhona and Bruce Caress, Texas
Sue and Martin Fenster, Pennsylvania
Arlene and Stanley Ginsburg, Pennsylvania
Dorian Goldman and Marvin Israelow, New York
Arline and Ben Guefen, Texas
Jewish Federation of Delaware
Sylvia and Donn Johnson, Georgia
Adriana and Luciano Kolodny, Minnesota
Shelly and Jeffrey Kupfer, Maryland
Jan Liff, Tennessee
Ellen S. Marcus and Harvey A. Malyn, Texas
Abby Meiselman and Kenneth Bloom, Connecticut
John, Maxine, Betsy and Sam Perlman, Georgia
Paulette and Joseph Rose, New York
Debra and Jeffrey Rothschild, Elana and Peter Rothschild, New York
Sue and Doug Seserman, New York
Irene and Leon Skolnick, Florida
Ilana Subar, Maryland
Susan and Lewis Winarsky, Maryland
Mitchell Young, Czech Republic and Ann Young Saban, Israel and Their Families

EILAT
Phyllis and Norman Aerenson, Delaware
Elsa and Stanley Aglow, New Jersey
Rita Agron, New Jersey
Judith and Daniel Alterman, California
Richard Appel, California
Madeleine and David Arnow, New York
Deborah and David Bergeron, Texas
Joan Rosen Bloch and Jay Bloch, New Jersey
Joanne and James Cohen, New York
Andrea and Robert Colton, Florida
Debbie and Robert Dunn, Pennsylvania
Roslyn and Charles Epstein, Pennsylvania
Janet Farber, California
Mara and Joshua Force, Louisiana
Deborah Fox and Maury Epner, Maryland
Ruth Ann and Errol Ger, Delaware
Tracy and Marc Ginsburg, Pennsylvania
Sharon and Alan Gomperts and Family, California
Brigitte and Michael Gomperts-Lazarus and Family, California
Bettina and Andrea Goren, New York
Barbara Greis and Howard L. Gottlieb, Illinois
Elizabeth and David Grzebinski, Texas
Steve Halaj, California
Marcia Halpern and Jay Leistner, Pennsylvania
Ronnie and Al Harrison, Texas
Xuemei He and Benjamin Golub, Florida
Cynthia Hertz, Florida and Family, New York and Maryland
Edie and Art Hessel, Washington, D.C.
Lisa and Steven Himmelfarb, Washington, DC
Carolyn and Neil Hockstein, Delaware
Sonya and Stephen Hurst, California
Sandra and Richard Jackson, Texas
Hon. Billy and Sandra Joel, Florida
Sandra Kahn, New Jersey
Beth Kaplan and Bruce Sholk, Maryland
Marilyn and Edward Kaplan, Florida
Robin Karol-Eng and Jerald Eng, Delaware
Connie and Sam Katz, Pennsylvania
Marion Kreith, Colorado
Arlene and Steve Krieger, California
Sue Ellen and Alan Laken, Pennsylvania
Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Pennsylvania
Michele and Robert Levin, Pennsylvania
Sharon and Jay Levy, California
Marge and Shelly London, Maryland
Paula and Richard Mandel, Pennsylvania
Michelle and David Margules, Delaware
Jill and Aaron Max, Maryland
Ellen and Robert Meyer, Delaware
Joanne Moore, Israel
Jackie Needleman and David Cohen, Pennsylvania
Lelaine and Stuart Nemser, Delaware
Phylis and Alan Newman, Florida
Karen and Gene Oshman, Texas
Lisa and Steve Pearlmutter, California
Kate and Bob Pincus, Delaware
Julie and Ken Podziba, Connecticut
Marjorie and Ken Roshkoff, Pennsylvania
Deborah and David Ross, Delaware
Lisa and Steve Rudner, Texas
Lite Sabin, New York
Carol and Eric Samet, Texas
Sherrie Savett, Pennsylvania
Barbara Schoenberg, Delaware
Natalie Schwartz, New Jersey
Paula and Aaron Sherman, Arizona
Michelle and Russell Silberglied, Pennsylvania
Mytyl Simancas-Bister and Sergio Bister, Florida
Cheryl and Craig Simon, Illinois
Fay and Samuel Singer, Florida
Barbara Epstein Sivan, Pennsylvania
Kathleen and Rob Spitzer, Washington
Ingrid and Larry Steinberg-Gomperts and Family, California
Leslie and Paul Strug, Texas
Connie and Michael Sugarman, Delaware
Linda Suib, Texas
Sylvia and Adam Tiktin, Florida
Randi and Harel Turkel, Maryland
Stefani and Loren Twyford, Texas
Ann Waldman and Robert Wolf, Pennsylvania
Keren and David Waranch, Maryland
Sheryl and Stuart Wernick, Texas
Claire and David Winick, Pennsylvania
Violet and Richard Zeitlin, Pennsylvania
Marla and Robert Zipkin, Pennsylvania
Kim Zoller and Harriet Whiting, id360inc.com, Texas
Sissy and David Zoller, Texas
Judith and Howard Zucker, Delaware

Event Committee

Eden Abitan, Florida
Elizabeth and David Breslauer, Texas
Gary DeBode, New Jersey
Marci Dollinger, California
Lisa Field, California
Ruth Flinkman-Marandy, California
Lloyd Goldman, New York
Maury Harris, New York
Marilyn and Edward Kaplan, Florida
Connie and Sam Katz, Pennsylvania
Reiko and Barry Kayne, Delaware
Marc List, Florida
Marge London, Maryland
Ellen S. Marcus, Texas
Jill Max, Maryland
Linda Melcer, Florida
Michael Ozer, Texas
Joel Reinstein, Israel
Bathsheva Rifkin, Connecticut
Paulette and Joseph Rose, New York
Carol Rothschild, Delaware
Carol Saal, California
Mytyl Simancas, Florida
Linda Suib, Texas
Adam Tiktin, Florida
Mitchell Young, Czech Republic
Ann Young Saban, Israel
Marla and Rob Zipkin, Pennsylvania

Meet Our Honorees

Dr. Ruth, as she is known, is an acclaimed psychosexual therapist who pioneered speaking frankly about sex on radio and television. As it turns out, that is only a small part of her rich and diversified life. Throughout her career, Dr. Ruth has maintained her commitment to the Jewish people and Israel. A kindertransport child, she was sent to Switzerland at the age of 10; she lost her entire family in the Holocaust. At 17, she went to then-Palestine where she fought for independence as a sniper in the Haganah. She later moved to Paris where she studied psychology at the Sorbonne. In 1956, she immigrated to the United States and received a master’s in sociology from the New School for Social Research as well as a doctorate in education from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College.

In 2020, Dr. Ruth became an honorary board member of Americans for Ben-Gurion University. Her honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University is the first she will receive from an Israeli university. In gratitude, she launched the $100,000 Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer Endowed Scholarship for Psychology at BGU.

Toni Young, an author and community leader formerly of Wilmington, Delaware but now of Manhattan, served as president of Americans for Ben-Gurion University from September 2016 through September 2020. She is currently a vice chair on Ben-Gurion University’s board of governors. Toni is the author of Becoming American, Remaining Jewish: The Story of Wilmington Delaware’s First Jewish Community, 1879-1924 and The Grand Experience: A History of the Grand Opera House.

In 2014, she and her late husband, Stuart B. Young z”l, established the Amos Oz Initiative for Literature and Culture at BGU. The program connects residents of Arad to literature and awards literary prizes for writers. Her continuing generosity led to the funding of the Amos Oz Writers’ House in the old city of Beer-Sheva. In 2019, Toni received an honorary doctorate from BGU for her outstanding community dedication and philanthropy. She is also the recipient of the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jewish Federation of Delaware and of awards from the National Conference for Community and Justice and the Delaware Historical Society.

Philip S. Gomperts was born in Johannesburg, South Africa where he was chief executive officer and chairman of his family’s food manufacturing and distribution business. After retiring from business, he headed the national Israel United Appeal. In 1995, Philip and his family emigrated to the United States where he became director of Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s Northwest Region and in 2001 he moved to Los Angeles to lead Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s Southwest region.

Philip’s most notable accomplishment was his stewardship of the unprecedented legacy gift of more than $500 million from Howard z”l and Lottie z”l Marcus, and their daughter, Ellen Marcus. This gift is heralded as the single-largest donation ever made to an institution in Israel. The funds were used to create a permanent endowment, which will provide in perpetuity more than $18 million in annual support to the University. In his 26-year career at Americans for Ben-Gurion University, Philip has raised more than $650 million that has played a transformative role in the development of the University and the Negev desert, fulfilling David Ben-Gurion’s dream to build an “Oxford in the Negev.”

Become a Sponsor

Presenting sponsor – $50,000: Prominent name recognition on the website, in the invitation and during the event; Recognition by MC during the event; Sponsors will receive an invitation to a virtual VIP reception and photo opportunity with Dr. Ruth; 20 virtual event ticket links; 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts^*; Sponsors and their guests will receive a dessert box delivered to their homes (within U.S. only)

NEGEV – $25,000: Prominent name recognition on the website and during the event; Sponsors will receive an invitation to a virtual VIP reception and photo opportunity with Dr. Ruth; 12 virtual event ticket links; 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts^*; Sponsors and their guests will receive a dessert box delivered to their homes (within U.S. only)

Beer-Sheva – $10,000: Prominent name recognition on the website and during the event; Sponsors will receive an invitation to a virtual VIP reception and photo opportunity with Dr. Ruth; 8 virtual event ticket links; 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts^*; Sponsors and their guests will receive a dessert box delivered to their homes (within U.S. only)

SDE BOKER – $5,000: Prominent name recognition on the website and during the event; Sponsors will receive an invitation to a virtual VIP reception and photo opportunity with Dr. Ruth; 4 virtual event ticket links; 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts*; Sponsors and their guests will receive a dessert box delivered to their homes (within U.S. only)

EILAT – $1,000: Name recognition on the website; 2 virtual event ticket links; 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts*; Sponsor and guest will receive a dessert box delivered to their homes (within U.S. only)

^*You may submit one 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts, or one video for both. We will be in touch with instructions on how to submit your video(s), which are due by April 12, 2021. The tributes will be compiled into one video to be presented to the honoree(s) following the event.

Become a sponsor

Video Tribute

Video tribute message – $180
Create a 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts and also get 1 virtual event ticket link.

You may submit one 30-second video tribute for Toni Young and/or Philip Gomperts, or one video for both. We will be in touch with instructions on how to submit your video(s), which are due by April 12, 2021. The tributes will be compiled into one video to be presented to the honoree(s) following the event.

We are thrilled to have our community partners join the celebration.

Be Part of the Celebration!

Become a Community Partner.

As a community partner, you will play an integral role in promoting this exciting virtual event by helping to spread awareness among your community through social media promotion, emails and e-newsletters. We will feature the logos and names of our community partners below and they will be included in the virtual event screening.

Celebrating the Remarkable – Community Partner Agreement

Thank you for being a part of the celebration Celebrating the Remarkable