JVS Scholarship Committee
You Can Make A Difference
A WORD FROM CO-CHAIRS ALAN POLSKY AND JONATHAN A. KARP
This year has presented unprecedented challenges for our community and country. We continue to face tremendous economic uncertainty, a pandemic, prohibitions on large gatherings and new social distancing rules and, as a result, we were not able to hold our annual Awards Ceremony in July.
Despite these challenges, the formal education of our community continues. The JVS Scholarship Program has stepped up in its 48th year of existence and granted $841,250 in scholarships to our students, a new record amount, which has allowed us to help 250 students in need, thanks to our generous donors, committee members and dedicated staff .
“The continued support of the program is making a transformational difference in the lives of students, many of whom have faced substantially greater obstacles this year,” said Jonathan A. Karp.
“We are incredibly proud to provide this critical support and a connection to our Scholarship community so students can further their educational dreams, in spite of the challenges created by COVID.”
As Co-Chairs, we are deeply committed to meeting this growing need, solidifying the program’s mission and supporting these future leaders in our community that just need a helping hand to get them through their education. “In this uncertain time, it is heartening to be able to find inspiration when we are faced with such overwhelming circumstances,” said Alan Polsky. “It is so inspiring to hear stories from students who are currently working on the front lines to fight COVID-19. They are tremendous assets to our community and I am so proud of the work the Scholarship Program does to support these incredible scholars.”

Mission of JVS Scholarship Committee
The JVS Scholarship Committee serves to ensure the continuation and financial stability of the JVS Scholarship Program. Through its dedicated volunteers, along with JVS staff, the Committee is involved in every aspect of the program. This includes interviewing and selecting potential recipients, program oversight, fundraising campaigns, administering the scholarships, alumni outreach and development, and recruiting new members and donors.
The JVS Scholarship Committee is a unique policy and services committee. Our dedicated committee members are actively engaged in:
- Setting program policy and structure
- Hands-on participation interviewing prospective and renewal students
- Award determination
- Participate in one or more subcommittees:
Student Interviewing
Development
Alumni Development - Support Development/Fundraising efforts, campaigns and events
- Pledge a minimum $1,000 “give or get” annual contributions
- Attend four committee meetings a year
Former Chairs of the JVS Scholarship Committee
1984
Edgar M. Phillips, Jr.
1988
Charles Wilson
1991
Betty Wilson
1993
Rhea Coskey
1997
Marilyn Kwiker
1999
Donna Ellman Garber
2001
Joyce Berger
2003
Joy Kravitz
2006
Judy Felsenthal
2007
Rhea Coskey, Ellen Morehead Weisman, Nancy Paul
2008-2010
Nan Kalish Goodman, Ellen Weisman Morehead
2011-2012
Ellen Weisman Morehead, Marnie Bodek
2013-2014
Nan Kalish Goodman, Jonathan A. Karp
2015
Jonathan A. Karp and Leland Felsenthal
2016-2017
Leland Felsenthal, Matthew Paul
2018
Matthew Paul, Jonathan A. Karp
2019
Matthew Paul, Alan Polsky
2020-2021
Alan Polsky and Jonathan A. Karp
2021 JVS Scholarship Committee
Laura Adler
Mimi Alpert Feldman
David Bolour
Jessica Bowman
Sunny Caine
Rhea Coskey
Heather and Michael Ezer
Dr. James Factor
Judy Felsenthal
Leland Felsenthal
Ashley Franklin
Frenda Franklin
Alexandra and Ryan Gagerman
Judith Galperson
Dr. Brian Gantwerker
Donna Ellman Garber
Marilyn Garber
Nan Kalish Goodman
Jackie Gottlieb
Susan Greenberg
Salli Harris
Dr. Kevin Hayavi
Barbara Herman
Jonathan A. Karp, Co-Chair
Ruth Karp
David Klapper
Rini Kraus
Caro Krissman
Fred Kunik
Barbara R. Leanse
Pearle Rae Levey
Robert Liebesman
Jeannette Mandelbaum
Ellen Weisman Morehead
David Nikayin
Neda Nikayin
Eleanor Padnick
Matthew Paul
Nancy Paul
David Pelaia
Helane Pines
Alan Polsky, Co-Chair
Sahar Pouyanrad
Adam Pivko
Joyce Powell
Rick Powell
Patricia Rosenburg
Seth Silverman
Steven Taylor
Polly Marks Weinberg
A. Charles Wilson
Chic Wolk
Gallery
Support the Dreams of Jewish Scholars
In today’s economy, a higher education is no longer a luxury but a necessity. A college education remains the best investment a student can make in his or her future – recent studies have shown that people with a college degree earn 98% more than people without a degree.
Circle of Honor Endowment Fund
The funds invested by Circle of Honor donors play an essential role in supporting the JVS Scholarship Program now and in the years to come. The Circle of Honor Endowment Fund is long-term investment mechanism enabling JVS to use a percentage of the total earned interest to create scholarship awards now, while reinvesting the remainder of the funds to create awards into the future.
Individuals and corporations who join the Circle of Honor, starting at the $25,000 level or above, create a permanent scholarship fund that may be named in the donor’s honor or in honor or memory of a loved one. Circle of Honor pledges may be paid over time.
Circle of Honor donors are prominently acknowledged on the JVS Wall of Honor in four categories:
Silver Circle (gifts of $25,000)
Gold Circle ($50,000)
Platinum Circle ($75,000)
Diamond Circle ($100,000 or more)
Donors are also invited to attend our annual Scholarship Awards Reception, where they have the opportunity to meet the recipient(s) of their scholarship awards.
Students face serious financial challenges in pursuing higher education:
- Over the last decade, college-loan balances in the United States have jumped more than $833 billion to reach an all-time high of $1.4 trillion, according to a recent report by Experian.
- The average outstanding balance is now $34,144, up 62 percent over the last 10 years. In addition, the percentage of borrowers who owe $50,000 or more has tripled over the same time period, according to a separate report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
- A college education is now the second-largest expense an individual is likely to make in a lifetime-right after purchasing a home.
- For recent graduates, their student loan debt also has long-term consequences and may very well shape the rest of their lives. From buying a car or a home to getting married and even having children, many millennials are putting off life’s major milestones because of their record debt.
More Information
Patricia Sills
Scholarship Program Director
6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90048
psills@jvs-socal.org
Randy H. Lapin
Senior Vice President Philanthropy
(323) 761-8598
rlapin@jvs-socal.org
Joyce Cele
Scholarship Program Coordinator
6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90048
jcele@jvs-socal.org
Inquiries: scholarship@jvs-socal.org
Make an Impact Today
There are many ways that you can have an immediate impact through your support of the JVS Scholarship Program.
2020
LA BIG 5K Run
Create a Personal
Fundraising Page
Scholarship
Student Quotes
Scholarship
Awards Ceremony
For more information, contact the JVS Scholarship Program Director at (323) 306 4023
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