Lisa Kassow to receive Vision Award in Jewish Heritage
By Judie Jacobson
HARTFORD -- Lisa Kassow, director of the Zachs Hillel House at Trinity College, will be honored by the Charter Oak Cultural Center for her commitment to the task of “tikkun olam” -- repairing the world -- through teaching, promoting diversity and working for social justice at the Center’s Seventh Annual Gala to be held Thursday, May 8, 5:30 p.m. at the Hartford Hilton Hotel.
Kassow, who has been the full-time director of the Hillel House at Trinity since 2001, will receive the Center’s Vision Award in Jewish Heritage for her lifetime devotion to Jewish arts, culture and education, According to the Center’s Executive Director Rabbi Donna Berman,.
“We are giving Lisa our Vision Award in Jewish Heritage for a million reasons,” says Berman. “Her approach to Judaism is inclusive and creative, and her commitment has always been to building bridges of understanding between people and communities. We are honored to honor her.”
Kassow, who is married to Trinity history professor Samuel Kassow and has two daughters, Miriam, 16, and Serena, 13, says she “loves working with students. My job is to encourage them, to present the full array of possibilities and to help direct their energy. Creatively, we come together and make a community that enriches us all.”
A native of Buffalo, N.Y. and a resident of West Hartford, Kassow’s introduction to the Charter Oak Cultural Center occurred when she produced an exhibit of artwork and images of life in Israel, where she lived and worked as a photojournalist following her graduation from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Prior to joining Hillel as director, she served as director of arts, culture and education at the Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford. During her tenure there, she launched the Hartford Jewish Film Festival, whose co-sponsor was Trinity College.
“We created synergy in the community for people who otherwise might never have come,” Kassow said. “We had some really exciting experiences. We brought filmmakers from all over the world.”
Kassow’s vision for Hillel is for it to be “an open tent for Jewish students and for those interested in learning more about Jewish life.” All activities are open to every student on campus.
“Even if students aren’t Jewish, they learn something,” she notes. “Connections are made and when they leave college, they walk away with positive experiences.”
A beehive of activity, the Hillel House is always changing and re-inventing itself, says Kassow. Sometimes the emphasis is on the arts, sometimes on social action, sometimes on religious activities. For example, a traditional Seder was held on the first night of Passover, followed several days later by a Freedom Seder in which participants reflected on contemporary issues. The Freedom Seder is one example of Kassow’s desire to bring together different groups -- “Sushi in The Sukkah” with the Asian American Student Association, the annual Chanukah/Kwanzaa Party, are others.
Of her selection as recipient of the Charter Oak Vision Award, Kassow says, “It was so totally unexpected and such a surprise. I’m deeply, deeply honored.”
For more information on the gala visit www.charteroakcenterorg.
Comments? judiejacobson@jewishledger.com.