Join Epstein Hillel School for a roaring ’20s lawn party for the whole family on May 22 at the Connemara House in Topsfield. This outdoor event will feature novelty casino games, live music and dancing fit for a flapper, vintage fun lawn games, a picnic basket dinner, prohibition-era cocktails, and more. This year, Marblehead residents Michele and Brian Cohen are being awarded the Dr. Bennett I. Solomon Community Leadership Award based upon their lifelong commitment to Hillel and their outstanding philanthropy to the Jewish community in the North Shore. Both are strongly committed to family, community, education and tikkun olam (healing the world).
Michele and Brian have called Marblehead their home for almost 30 years and have devoted much energy and resources to both the Jewish and greater local communities. Michele originally hails from New York City and Brian from Swampscott, where he grew up in a family active in their support of the North Shore Jewish community. They met as undergraduates at Washington University in St. Louis. Shortly after graduation, they moved to Boston, where Brian began his career in importing and Michele attended Boston University School of Law. Once they started their family, they settled in Marblehead. Their three children, Karly, Jake, and Jess, all attended Cohen Hillel Academy (now Epstein Hillel School).
While their children attended Hillel, Michele was an active volunteer, serving on the Board of Directors and as president of Hamishpacha (now Yad b’Yad) for several years. Michele joined the gala committee while her children attended Hillel and remains an active member to this day. She joined the Hillel board for the second time, two years ago, and currently holds the position of vice chair. Michele also served as president of the board of the Jewish Teen Initiative, contributing to the growth of the organization and the 2020 transition into its new home at CJP. She currently sits on the board of Artsbridge Inc., an organization working to bring transformational change to young adults from communities in conflict. Since 2021, Michele has been working with the Holtzman Medical Group to provide COVID-19 vaccines to underserved communities in the Greater Boston area.
Brian is an active volunteer in both the Jewish community and local sports communities. He is currently a member of the board of Congregation Shirat Hayam, where he had previously served for six years. He also served multiple years as the president of the temple’s Brotherhood and is responsible for organizing and running a variety of social and fundraising events, including many poker nights. Brian led the Marblehead boys youth soccer program for six years and coached both boys and girls soccer for the better part of a decade. Brian also served for five years as the director of the Somerville Lumber Employee Legacies Fund, a program that annually awarded educational and vocational grants to the families of former employees.
Gala tickets are available at many price points and include a picnic basket dinner for the whole family. Don’t miss the exciting opportunity to honor Michele and Brian Cohen and support Epstein Hillel School and its students. Get your tickets here.
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