On May 7th, over 500 attorneys, judges and community members gathered at our Federation’s Legal Division Dinner to honor Nancy Sher Cohen, the 2014 recipient of the Bruce I. Hochman Maimonides Torch of Justice Award. Known for her steadfast and unstoppable determination to bring justice to all, especially those who survived the Holocaust, our honoree was praised by family, friends and colleagues in a heartwarming and inspiring video:
It was no surprise that, when the well-deserved award was presented to Nancy by Allen Fagin, former chairman, Proskauer Rose LLP; her heartfelt and passionate acceptance speech brought the room to its feet.
In attendance to recognize Nancy’s incredible contributions to our community were Past Legal Division honorees David Gill, Patty Glaser, Marshall Grossman, Frank Maas, Alan Rothenberg, Richard Sandler, John Schulman and Michael Smooke. Also joining the enthusiastic gathering were our Federation’s Chairman of the Board Les Bider, Vice Chairs Sharon Janks and Alan Rosen, General Campaign Chair Julie Platt and Valley Alliance Chair Rochelle Cohen.
Harriet Hochman, Nancy Sher Cohen, 2014 Bruce I. Hochman Maimonides Torch of Justice Award honoree; and Rabbi Ed Feinstein
Highlights of the evening included a warm welcome from Legal Division Dinner Chair Alex Weingarten, an invocation by Rabbi Ed Feinstein, senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom; and remarks from Legal Division Chair David Boren, who shared the story of his family’s Jewish journey. Julie Platt and Federation President & CEO Jay Sanderson spoke passionately about the work of our Federation.
As in previous years, in order to inspire and engage the next generation of Jewish legal professionals, we were joined by law students through the Jewish Graduate Student Initiative. We thank all the firms who hosted these future Legal Division members at their tables.
Following the dinner, our EMET After-Party was the destination of choice for attorneys age 25-40, who had the opportunity to meet our honoree in an informal setting. While the room buzzed with networking and laughter, we’re sure future Legal Division honorees were setting their own goals, inspired by Nancy Sher Cohen’s commitment to Jewish values and personal dedication to the community.
Nearly 1,200 Federation donors are members of our Legal Division, giving close to $3.7 million last year to generously support the work of our Federation. Throughout the year, our Legal Division provides networking opportunities to attorneys through our Federation’s Business and Professions breakfasts, and division events. Upcoming events include a late summer MCLE program focusing on privacy in the age of Twitter, and an end of year event to be announced.
For more information, contact Legal Division Director Gwenn Drucker-Flait at (323) 761-8297 or GDrucker-Flait@JewishLA.org.
