STAMFORD – Several leaders of the Connecticut Jewish community will be honored for their commitment to Jewish education and their dedication to community service at the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Celebration Dinner, to be held Sunday evening, Jan. 12, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hilton Stamford Hotel.The theme of this year’s dinner is “Imagine. Design. Create.”

The evening’s honorees include Guests of Honor Elise and Steven Cohen of Stamford, who will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the school and to the community as a whole. 

Elise and Steven Cohen settled in Stamford in 1990, and immediately set out to become an integral part of the city’s Jewish community. Committed to providing their children with a superior Jewish day school education, they found what they were looking for at Bi-Cultural Day School (now Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy). 

Today, the Cohens are the proud parents of three Bi-Cultural alumni: Ariella (2007) lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Dr. Eitan Fleischman, and works as a user experience designer for a healthcare IT company in New York City; Tamar (2009) is a Masters’ candidate in occupational therapy at SUNY Stonybrook; and Jacob (2012) is in his junior year at the University of Maryland, studying Information Sciences. 

The Cohens also remain active in Stamford’s Jewish communal life.

Elise Cohen is a board member at Congregation Agudath Sholom and serves on the Stamford Chevra Kadisha. She previously served on the Board of Jewish Family Service and, over the years, has also served on numerous volunteer committees. Together with Steven, she is a past chair of the Bi-Cultural Celebration Dinner. Professionally, Elise is a guidance counselor at a Westchester County middle school. 

Steven Cohen served for 12 years as a member of the Bi-Cultural Board and Executive Committee. He also served as a long-time member of the school’s Marketing Committee and has provided pro bono legal services to the school. As a member of the school’s Transition Committee, he helped facilitate its 2018 merger. In addition, Steven also served on the Board of Directors of Congregation Agudath Sholom and Jewish Family Service, and as a member of the Diabetes Advisory Board of the Berrie Center at Columbia Presbyterian. Professionally, Steven is managing director and general counsel with InTandem Capital Partners, a private equity firm in New York City. 

In addition to the Cohens, other Celebration Dinner award recipients include Alice and Jason Janush, Community Service Award; Tina and Yossi Notik, Young Leadership Award; and Laura Kassen, Alumni Award. The Jane Shoztic Memorial Award, presented annually to an outstanding member of the Bi-Cultural staff, will be given to David Giver, head of the Upper School Humanities Department.

For information on the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Celebration Dinner, contact Rachel Cohen: rcohen@bcHA-CT.org, (203) 329-2186.

Main Photo: Elise and Steven Cohen