Barbara and Harold Falik Young Leadership Award

Award Criteria

Nominations for the Barbara and Harold Falik Young Leadership Award may be made by the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston Board members, staff, beneficiary agencies, lay and professional leadership, synagogues, and all other Jewish established organizations which support Jewish life in the greater Houston community.

The winner of the Barbara and Harold Falik Young Leadership Award will be selected by a committee made up of the last five award recipients.

The award recipient will receive:

  • $1,250 stipend for attending an in person or virtual continuing education or professional development program or Israel experience.
  • Honor and acceptance of award at the Federation’s Community Leadership Award Ceremony.
  • Gift/ plaque from the Federation.

Criteria and Eligibility for the Barbara and Harold Falik Young Leadership Award:  

The endowed Young Leadership award is intended to recognize an outstanding Young Leader in the greater Houston Jewish community who is actively involved in the Jewish community in a leadership capacity. The Barbara and Harold Falik Young Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding young woman in the community. The recipient should:

  • have considerable involvement across the Jewish community. (The individual involvement will be judged on the total scope of the Jewish community, encompassing the Federation, community agencies, institutions, synagogues, and Jewish organizations).
  • demonstrate significant current leadership ability and potential for greater future leadership.
  • have active involvement with Jewish causes, issues, or organizations.
  • be a volunteer or lay leader, not a Jewish Communal Professional.
  • be in her early 40’s or younger.

Past Recipients – Barbara and Harold Falik Young Leadership Award

1970 – Maxine Lapin 

1971 – Ruth Lack z”l

1972 – Joan Alexander

1973 – Sandra Weiner z”l

1974 – Janice Rudy z”l

1975 – Ann Kaufman

1976 – Carole Ashendorf 

1977 – Saranne Kosberg

1978 – Punkin Hecht

1979 – Shelly Middleman 

1980 – Barbara Goldfield

1981 – Bobbi Asarch

1982 – Lynne Aronoff

1983 – Carol Hoffman

1984 – Ellen Trachtenberg

1985 – Linda Kashar

1986 – Marcia Levy

1987 – Eta Paransky

1988 – Sheryl Falik

1989 – Esther Polland

1990 – Nancy T. Beren

1991 – Lolly Friedman Miller

1992 – Vikki Evans

1993 – Irene Weingarten

1994 – Carolyn Kaplan

1995 – Susan Schneider

1996 – Leslie Robinson

1997 – Patricia Rauch

1998 – Robin Toubin Stein

1999 – Debra G. Cohen

2000 – Sara Speer Selber

2001 – Carol Goldberg

2002 – Tara Sondock

2003 – Janis Goldstein

2004 – Lauren Kaufman Blachman

2005 – Sandra Finkelman

2006 – Norri Leder

2007 – Mindy Mitzner

2008 – Elizabeth Grzebinski

2009 – Shira Yoshor

2010 – Elyse Spector Kalmans

2011 – Dori Kornfeld Goldman

2012 – Liz Shoss

2013 – Debra Kass Dluhy

2014 – Amy Krost Gordon

2015 – Dana Yudovich Katz

2016 – Kari Dunn Saratovsky

2017 – Rachel Strauss

2018 – Diane Lee Kraitman

2019 – Julie Blumberg

2020 – Aliza Plotkin

2021 – Jodi Braham z”l

2022 – Rachel Marom Gladstein

2023 – Rachael Levy

2024 – Debbie Karakowsky

2025 – Ali Bamberger