(L-R Jennifer Gray, Zoe Katz, Robyn Rapaport)
We are very pleased to announce that this year’s Fran Litner TELEM Service Award goes to a trio from Temple Israel, Sharon.
Jennifer Gray, Robyn Rapaport and Zoe Katz were all four year TELEM participants through the South Area TELEM program.
Jen, Robyn and Zoe are terrific role models and have forged lasting friendships with the residents at the Simon C. Fireman Community in Randolph. They are leaders to the younger people in their program and are also committed to service above and beyond TELEM.
Each of the girls has made a big impact on the residents through their weekly visits. In her acceptance speech, Zoe thanked resident and good friend, Rose, saying “thank you for being like a third grandmother to me.”
In early 2016, the girls traveled on our service trip to New Orleans and were major contributing factors to the success of the trip. From priming and painting to building window frames, their hard work and dedication was unmistakable and they were an integral part of the group.
All three girls will be graduating this spring and attending college in the fall; Jen will be attending to Tufts, Zoe will be attending Franklin & Marshall, and Robyn will be attending the University of Arizona.
Good luck to all three and thank you for your years of dedicated service!
Previous FLTSA Recipients
2015 – Devin Lightman
2014 – Jessica Leigh
2013 – Eleanor Nelson
About the Fran Litner TELEM Service Award
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston and TELEM established the Fran Litner TELEM Service Award in honor of Fran Litner, longtime Education Director of Temple Beth Emunah, Brockton.
Fran has been a passionate champion of TELEM, a unique experiential program which offers service-learning opportunities for Jewish teens throughout the Greater Boston area. The FLTSA will be awarded to a Jewish teen from the South Area who best exemplifies Fran’s commitment to TELEM and service to the community.
At the core of Fran’s educational philosophy is tikkun olam, the idea that Jewish youth have an obligation as Jews to give back to their communities, to be a source of hope and assistance to those in need and, literally, to help rebuild the world. In her uniquely spirited and charismatic way, Fran has built a TELEM program that welcomes teens from all over the region, regardless of affiliation or financial circumstances. In a world where Jewish life for teens is too often seen as discretionary, Fran has brought hundreds of Jewish teens to TELEM programming over the last 8 years, keeping them connected to their Jewish communities and peers when the many demands on our teens lives challenges those connections.
