Local Leaders Honored at 2022 NJHSA & NAJC
Bonnie Schwartzbaum, Heather Winters, Sandy Ala and Miriam Singer of JCS with award winners Rabbi Frederick L. Klein and Dr. Helen Chaset.
A hearty Mazel Tov to Dr. Helen Chaset, former Chair of the Board of Jewish Community Service (JCS) of South Florida, Federation’s primary human services partner, and Rabbi Frederick L. Klein, Director of Federation’s Mishkan Miami and Executive Director of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, who were recently honored at a national conference. At the 2022 Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies & Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains Joint Annual Conference. Dr. Chaset received the 2022 PowerNET Volunteer Lay Leadership Award, which is given to a single volunteer in North America who exemplifies initiative, resourcefulness, trust and credibility; manages and champions effective change; influences others; and builds consensus. Rabbi Klein received the Ner Tamid Award for his outstanding role in nurturing Jewish chaplaincy. Miami’s entire Jewish community benefits from the dedication of these two outstanding individuals.
Dr. Chaset serves on the Executive Committee of JCS and has been a member of the Board of Directors for 13 years. She is also Chair-Elect of Masada Home Care. She was Chair of the Board of JCS from 2016 to 2018 and previously was a member of Federation's Board of Directors. Dr. Chaset is a staunch supporter of JCS’ Holocaust Survivors Assistance Program, which provides case management and critical assistance to more than 500 Survivors. A child of a Holocaust Survivor, Dr. Chaset is passionate about sharing the lived experiences of Survivors with our community and with future generations. She co-produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary film My Survivor, which offers an intimate look at the intergenerational bonds formed between Survivors and students in the University of Miami’s Holocaust Survivor Student Internship Program. A well-respected leader in the community, Dr. Chaset has enhanced the quality of life for seniors and Survivors throughout Miami-Dade County for decades.
Rabbi Klein’s compassion for those in distress and experiencing sorrow has been a healing comfort for many people experiencing grief and trauma. Programs around the country have been modeled after Mishkan Miami and he is creating new modalities of understanding and empathy with conferences like Ministering to the Elderly for medical and social work professionals and families tending to terminally ill seniors and the Refuat HaNefesh trainings for volunteer chaplains comforting hospice patients and their families. His profound commitment to serving others was most notable following the collapse of Surfside’s Champlain Towers South when he spent countless hours counseling individuals and families affected by the disaster, offering solace and coordinating rabbis to ensure a constant rabbinical presence on the scene.
