TONY AND PRISCILLA KOSTINER

 

Maimonides school auction to honor Kostners

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2009-02-15T00:00:00

Ever since their arrival in Portland in 1974, Tony and Priscilla Kostiner have been active participants and leaders in Portland’s Jewish community.

Now the Maimonides Jewish Day School has selected the Kostiners to be the honorees at the school’s 2009 Auction and Raffle March 22.

“We are so honored to be honoring them for all the wonderful things they do in this community,” said Maimonides Director Devora Wilhelm.

Wilhelm said that the Kostiner’s also played a key role in helping the school become a constituent agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland last year.

Maimonides first applied for constituent status when Priscilla Kostiner was JFGP President.

“I really wanted to see this happen,” said Kostiner, noting that during that first application the board told the school what they needed to do to come under the federation’s umbrella. “They did everything that had to be done. I’m delighted they were approved as a federation agency.”

“If our community and the federation say education is an important priority, it should be valued for all of our children,” she said. “If parents are willing to send their children to a Jewish day school, our community should be able to provide support for two day schools.”

The Kostiners had a grandchild who attended Maimonides for two years and has two at Portland Jewish Academy, which has been a constituent agency of the federation since it was founded by the merger of Hillel Academy and the Jewish Education Association. Kostiner was hired by Hillel to represent them in the merger with JEA, which she said, created the need for an Orthodox day school in Portland by converting the Torah Umesoreh school into a community day school.

“Any child can go and there is never any pressure to practice as Chabad does,” said Kostiner noting, however, the school can meet the needs of Orthodox families who move to town.

Kostiner said she is very impressed with how well Maimonides treats students as individuals and provides a warm, loving Jewish and secular education.

During their years in Portland, both Kostiners have held many leadership roles in the community.

Tony Kostiner has served on the board for directors for Congregation Neveh Shalom and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. He was president of the Hillel Academy from 1980-82, before it became PJA. He is a former member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet for Council of Jewish Federations.

Active in Russian resettlement programs from 1976-82, he was the recipient of the federation’s Young Leadership Award in 1979. His wife received the same award the next year.

Currently he is a member of the federation’s Maimonides Society for health care professionals and a campaign solicitor on behalf of the federation.

With Michael Weiner and Kathy Davis-Weiner, the couple co-chaired federation’s Community Mission to Israel in May 2008 in celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary.

In addition to serving as president of the JFGP, Priscilla also served as federation campaign chair; allocations chair; Women’s Division president and chair of financial resource development.

She’s a past member of both UJA’s National Young Women’s Board and National Women’s Board and the past National Chair for UJC’s Partnership 2000 in association with the Jewish Agency for Israel.

Other activities included teaching music and dance at the Hillel Academy, volunteering in Russian resettlement activities; and co-chairing Israel Expo (1981) and the community event honoring JFGP Executive Vice President Charles Schiffman (2005).

Currently she is a member of the federation’s Community Leadership Council and the MJCC/PJA board for which she chairs the programming committee. She speaks about Judaism in comparative religion classes at several area high schools and colleges. An active member of Neveh Shalom’s ritual committee, she participates as a Gabbai, Torah reader or chazzanit.

In addition to honoring the Kostiners, the evening will include the auction, raffle, dinner and an evening of comedy by Joel Chasnoff.

This year’s auction will be at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane. For more details on the auction, call MJDS at 503-977-7850.