Longtime community leader and passionate volunteer Miriam Davidow will receive the Federation’s Neil November Distinguished Community Service Award at the Virtual Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 2.
Davidow will be honored for her decades of dedicated service to the Jewish and general communities, including co-founding the Richmond Jewish Coalition for Literacy in 1998.
Federation President Ellen Renee Adams, noted, “Mazel Tov. I am so excited for you to accept this honor. You are a treasure in our community!”
Tikkum Olam
Tikkum Olam has been a significant commitment for the honoree with an ever-present focus on community service during her years of volunteerism and leadership. The service has included work with the Federation and affiliated activities, local social agencies, Synagogues, Holocaust Education, national and overseas agencies and much more. Education always has been a priority for her as a teacher, educator, long-time mentor and mentor trainer and education consultant.
Davidow said, “I am in awe of this recognition, and so honored and humbled.”
Her history in Richmond includes many capacities, all making an impact. She taught in the JCC Pre-School in Temple Beth-El’s Religious School. She was the first director of HaMerkaz, the Teacher Resource Center and was a facilitator in the JCC’s Parenting Center. She also was a founding member of the Micah Initiative, a community-wide faith-based mentoring/tutoring organization.
At Federation for Six-Plus Years
In addition, she worked for the Federation for more than six years as Jewish Educational Services Director, Director of Community Services (staffing community relations and the JCRC) and Assistant Executive Director.
JCFR Executive Director Marsha Hurwitz at the time of her departure in 2000, said, “Miriam is the consummate professional. Her dedication and commitment are unparalleled.”
After her time at the JCFR, she continued as a steadfast leader and mentor at RJCL, helping an untold number of student mentees through the years – one for nearly 8 years. RJCL has received a number of honors over this period including the state-wide Virginia Mentoring Partnership Award.
JCRC Leader
She has stayed closed to Federation through the years and active with the JCRC programs and special events. She currently is a JCRC leader as Chair of the Education Sub-Committee.
Jewish Community Relations Director David Cohen saluted her for her outstanding work on the JCRC including chairing a recent Zoom program on Anti-Semitism and the Charlottesville — “Taking White Supremacy to Court: The Charlottesville Case.”
Davidow has an undergraduate degree in early childhood education and a master’s in public administration with an emphasis in nonprofit administration.
She most recently was a consultant for Strategic Services with the Virginia Mentoring Partnership for five years and previously served as interim director of development, advocacy and training.
She is a former specialist for school/business partnerships and volunteer programs supporting community engagement for Richmond Public Schools and also a central Virginia interviewer for the Shoah Visual History Foundation.
Many Honors
She has received a number of community honors including the L’dor V’dor – Woman of Valor Award – from the Federation; an Outstanding Women Award from the Richmond YWCA; a Humanitarian Award from the Virginia Center of Inclusive Communities; the Sophie Stahl Award from Jewish Women International; and President’s Awards from the JCFR and Richmond Jewish Foundation.
Davidow also serves on the board of Virginia Holocaust Museum, is a former treasurer and board member of Richmond Jewish Foundation and currently chairs its Grants Distribution Committee; a member of the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Committee, a board member of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and serves on Keneseth Beth Israel’s Life & Legacy committee (among others).
She is a former board member and secretary of Jewish Family Services and active on several committees with RTA and the Weinstein JCC among her many other volunteer endeavors.
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