Brunch Inception and History

The Rabbi Erwin and Agnes Herman Award is named for two pioneers of Reform Judaism who were instrumental in BCC's founding in 1972 and acceptance into the Union of Reform Judaism in 1974. First presented in 1985, the Herman Humanitarian Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the LGBT and Jewish Communities. Our presentation of the Herman Award this year will be particularly poignant as Rabbi Herman died in February, 2008. Just as his life brought blessings to us all, so too will his memory.

2008 BCC President's Awardee: Allison Diamant, M.D.

BCC is proud to honor Allison Diamant who has been a dedicated leader at our synagogue for ten years. Allison is a native Angelina. After completing her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley in Cultural Geography and pre-med, she joined the Peace Corps and taught in Botswana for over three years. Upon her return to the US she attended medical school at Hahneman University in Philadelphia and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at UCLA, followed by fellowships in health services research and a Masters Degree from the UCLA, School of Public Health.

Allison joined BCC in 1998 and has been serving on a variety of committees ( Strategic Planning and Oversight Committee, Board Development, Human Resources, Transition Task Force), the Board and the Executive Committee (as Vice President and Secretary) ever since. Allison has found her participation in HHD services as a Torah reader to be wonderfully fulfilling, as well as her participation in BCC's adult education activities.

Allison has always been interested in improving the social and health status of adults and children. As an Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA, she is a teacher/professor, a physician and a health services researcher. Her research focuses on underserved populations and health care disparities, including LGBT populations. She does a great deal of work with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, community groups providing care for the underserved and the RAND Corporation as well as serving on LGB health advisory committees. Allison also volunteers at the Venice Family Clinic, seeing patients, and for many years she has participated in the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride and its predecessor from San Francisco to Los Angeles, both as a cyclist and a volunteer physician. Allison was recently The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles named Allison one of Los Angeles' Top Ten Mensches. Allison’s life partner of over five years is Eileen Gorman, who she first met while caring for patients in the hospital at UCLA. Allison thanks all of her friends and family who have provided love and support and with whom she shares this honor.

We are proud to honor Steven Koltai with this year's Rabbi Erwin and Agnes Herman Humanitarian Award for his on going philanthropy and good works.

Steven tirelessly and generously contributes his time and resources to many humanitarian, LGBT, educational and Jewish organizations – locally, nationally and internationally. He has advised the Gay Men's Chorus of LA, JQ – an organization for the young LA GLBT community, and has supported many other gay causes including The Williams Institute, GLAAD, HRC and the NGLTF. Since coming out in 2002, Steven has been an active member of BCC. Outside the GLBT community, Steven was a founding board member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Hungarian-Speaking Jewry in Israel and was a long-time board member of Temple Israel of Hollywood as well as Hillside Memorial Park.

After many years of success in business, Steven moved into his current role as a private investor, strategy consultant and most especially, what he calls an "activist philanthropist."

The primary activity of Steven's "active philanthropy"has been the cause of literacy in Greater LA. Since 2003 Steven has served as Board Chair, Chair Emeritus and Board Member of the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles. Steven’s inspired leadership of this organization saw major growth in services offered and clients served. Steven himself participated as a volunteer in one of the Literacy Network's programs by teaching English as a Second Language at Belmont Adult School.

Steven was born in Budapest, Hungary and grew up in Los Angeles and Kansas City. His family came to the US after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (both of his parents being Holocaust survivors). Steven's family has also had a long and distinguished history of service in LA – his father was Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, a Professor of Education at UCLA for over 25 years, and the founder of the School for Not-for-Profit Management of the University of Judaism. His mother is a long-time active volunteer in a variety of local civic and Jewish causes, including currently serving as Volunteer Coordinator at the UCLA Medical Center.

Steven remains extremely active with his alma mater, Tufts University, where he has served on several Boards. He is the proud father of two sons, Nick and Benji.