CAJE SINGS THE PRAISES OF LOCAL EDUCATION LEADERS AT THE 6 TH ANNUAL DINNER

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DENVER—August 31, 2004—More than 500 people tapped their toes and sang along as five local educators were honored for their leadership at the 6th Annual CAJE Dinner on August 31, 2004. Attendees were treated to an evening of New York, featuring That’s Education!, an original musical tribute to Jewish education produced and performed by Starkey Productions, Inc. The whole evening was inspired by the Big Apple – with centerpieces of green apples, a CAJEbill program for the evening, and an extra-special Colorado edition of the Nu York Times, featuring a cover story on the contributions of the five honorees.

Dinner honorees were selected for their years of excellence in Jewish education throughout the region. The 2004 Leaders of Learning were Trudy Dock, Temple Emanuel Preschool principal; Bryan Hay, RMHA at the Denver Campus head of school; Diane Samet, Temple Sinai education director; and Jacqueline Sprinces Wong, Boulder Hebrew High School principal. The Spirit of CAJE Recipient was Diane Hochstadt, CAJE past president.

“Each of these individuals has made a unique contribution to Jewish education in our community – ranging from groundbreaking work in building community partnerships to a guiding hand with teachers, parents, and families,” explained Daniel Bennett, CAJE executive director. “We were thrilled to honor those people whose lives are about raising the bar of excellence within the Jewish religious schools, day schools, preschools, and the educational community at large.”
As part of the musical production, each honoree was serenaded by the talented performers with takeoffs of Broadway showtunes, such as CAJE Hebrew School Knockout – an adaptation of the song Beauty School Dropout from Grease. Each honoree was also presented with a glass apple award.

Keeping with the Big Apple theme, guests enjoyed selections from some of New York’s most famous culinary traditions, including deli selections from “The Lower East Side,” stir fry from “Chinatown,” and pasta and eggplant from “Little Italy.”
The CAJE Dinner was chaired by Gary and Marsha Blum, Rob and Laurie Abramson, David and Allison Foster, Duke and Sandy Kaminsky, and Rich and Karyn Schad. Rabbi Steven and Joyce Foster, Butch and Fran Weaver, and Rabbi Raymond and Rikki Zwerin are honorary chairs for the event.