Honoring

Karen Spar Kasner

Board Member, JCRC-NY
Co-Chair, Center for Shared Society, JCRC-NY

After a career as a corporate and real estate litigator, Karen Spar Kasner began a simultaneous volunteer path at UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. From fundraising to marketing to strategy, Karen has served in various leadership and committee roles at UJA-Federation, the Jewish Board, JCRC-NY, and others.

For the past 24 years, Karen has championed the importance of advocacy. She developed and chaired UJA-Federation’s Government Relations Committee for 17 years and its annual trips to Washington, DC. Whether on the state, federal or local level, Karen works with elected officials and government representatives to advocate and shape policy that impacts the communities and our institutions on social services, health care, security, antisemitism, and Israel. She is known by many elected officials for her tenacity and her breadth and depth of knowledge of the issues that impact New Yorkers and beyond and was key in the advocacy of the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) for years and the recent increase in New York State’s Holocaust Survivors Support. She has also chaired a Conference on Poverty at UJA-Federation, a Conference on Criminal Justice Reform at the Jewish Council of Public Affairs (JCPA) and JCRC-NY, and, more recently, a Conference on Gun Control and Gun Safety with JCRC-NY and community partners.

Karen is presently Co-Chair of JCRC-NY’s Center for Shared Society and a member of its Executive Committee; Co-Chair of Advocacy Corps of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA); Co-Chair of the Adult Residential Committee of the Jewish Board; incoming Co-Chair of the Government Relations and Public Policy Committee of the Jewish Board; a member of several committees of UJA-Federation; a trustee of the Washington Institute and JCPA; former President of the JCC of Mid-Westchester; and former Co-Chair of the Development Committee at Human Services Council. She and her husband, Jay, served as Chairs of the Parents’ Fund at University of Pennsylvania for six years. She has been honored by many of the above organizations for her tireless and effective work. Karen and Jay have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Morton Sloan, President, and
Avi Kaner, Vice President,

on behalf of

Morton Williams Supermarkets

Morton Williams Supermarkets has become a symbol of New York City’s resilience. Its owners, the Sloan and Kaner families, have been generous supporters of many local, Jewish and Israeli organizations.

The chain was honored by the NY Board of Rabbis for its efforts during the recent pandemic. Morton Williams is a major supporter of Israel, recently responding forcefully against Ben & Jerry’s boycott and increasing Israeli products after October 7. It has outfitted African villages with solar and water technologies provided by the Israeli-based charity, Innovation Africa.

Morton Sloan and his wife, Judith, are Luminary Major Donors of Hadassah. Both are patrons of the Metropolitan Opera and the NY Philharmonic and fellows of Brandeis University. They are key supporters of the Talpiot Youth Village in Israel.

Avi Kaner and his wife, Elizabeth, sit on national boards including Friends of the IDF (FIDF) and Innovation Africa. Avi was recently named to the Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life by The Algemeiner. He is a social media influencer in Middle East and interfaith dialogue.

Morton Williams partners, William Sloan, David Sloan and Steven Sloan, and their wives, Rita, Silvia and Daliana, support the company in all its charitable endeavors including at NYU, Columbia, Brandeis, and Technion Universities.

Anna Propp Riesenberg

Board Member, JCRC-NY

Anna Propp Riesenberg has dedicated a significant portion of the past decade to advancing excellence in Jewish education and community engagement. Actively participating on the boards of various foundations and organizations, she has played a crucial role in shaping their initiatives.

Currently, Anna is focused on serving on the Boards of JCRC-NY and Brown-RISD Hillel. Her prior accomplishments include pivotal roles on grant-giving task forces at UJA-Federation of New York, where her emphasis was on Israeli civil society and Judaism in Israel. She also served as the Co-President of the Board of the American Friends of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, and her engagement extends to being a Board Observer for World ORT.

Anna’s leadership has earned her recognition through several fellowships, notably the prestigious UJA-Federation of New York Yesod Leadership Fellowship. A distinguished member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet for the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Anna was selected for the 2022 cohort of Charles Bronfman Israel Policy Forum (IPF) Atid Conveners. She has also represented the Jewish community in Japan through the prestigious Kakehashi Fellowship.

Armed with a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from The Weizmann Institute of Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Brown University, Anna brings a robust academic background to her philanthropic endeavors. She is also an exhausted mother of four children aged seven and under, whom she is attempting to involve in her interest in rock climbing.