Jewish Community Federation Announces Winners of Haas/Koshland Memorial Award for 2014
San Francisco, CA – Today, the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties (the Federation) announced the winner of the Annual Haas/Koshland Memorial Award, which provides to an outstanding college student – from or attending school in the Bay Area – up to $20,000 to support a year of study and personal development in Israel. This year’s exemplary winner is Hana Rothstein, a junior at U.C. Santa Cruz majoring in the History of Art and Visual Culture and minoring in Jewish Studies.
“Studying abroad in Israel will give me the opportunity to take courses unavailable at my university, learn and experience Israeli history, pursue an independent study, and explore my heritage,” said Hana. “Ideally, I will combine my passions for art, community activism, and Judaism into a career, a series of projects, and a personal exploration.”
Hana continued: “As a Korean Jew, I have always stood out in temple. I found it difficult to relate to my peers’ experiences, and have always been curious of other multi-cultural Jewish histories. Recently, I’ve felt a surge in my connection to Judaism, which peaked during my trip to Israel through Birthright. Although I felt an intense connection to Israel, I wondered how I could still feel ‘othered’ in my own homeland. In my independent study, I will research Jewish minority cultures in Israel and document my findings in writings and a series of photographs. Through this project I hope to give voices to the less heard, and negotiate my own identity as a Jewish Korean American woman.”
Supplementary awards of $5,000 each were also given to Meghan Susman, of Mills College, and Renana Keydar, of Stanford University.
About the Haas/Koshland Award
The Haas/Koshland Memorial Award was established in 1982 in memory and honor of Walter A. Haas, Sr. and Daniel E. Koshland, Sr. In their life-long generosity, these men helped shape the structure of our Jewish community. As leaders at Levi Strauss & Co., both Haas and Koshland were personally responsible for the company’s success and championed its uniquely compassionate approach to employee management. Their dedication to the community led to a deep involvement in numerous civic and philanthropic organizations. Their keen interest in quality education and young people made them well-known and well-respected in the Bay Area and throughout the world. A great deal of their time, diligence and generosity was directed toward the intellectual, medical and social betterment of the community.
Their legacy lives on in the motivation and talent embodied by candidates for the Award. As Frances Geballe, Koshland’s daughter and chair of the Haas/Koshland Committee, stated, “There are no strings attached to the award. We simply want to create a program that is of value to students, their universities and Israel — all of which were important to Daniel Koshland and Walter Haas.”
Click here for a photo of Hana with Frances Geballe.
