2021 — Neil Littauer
Mazel Tov to Neil Littauer, recipient of The Robert Hersh Professional Excellence Award, presented at the Congregational Annual Meeting on May 23, 2021.
Neil was recognized for his role in spearheading Temple Beth Am’s efforts to convert to a virtual online synagogue during the COVID-19 pandemic, working day and night to research and implement innovative ways to provide access to our content to as many people as possible, with an eye toward efficiency and quality. Executive Director Brian Chartock said during the presentation: “Neil was the glue that helped us do our jobs better, to make sure that we could continue to bring the level of services, programs and opportunities to each of you.”
Neil and his wife, Aída, have been members of Temple Beth Am since 1999, when he began with the Communications Committee, later serving as Co-Chair. In 2007, Neil was honored with The Harry Gunther Service Award, in recognition of his efforts in launching a new website and serving as our volunteer Webmaster. He joined the TBAM staff in 2010 as our professional Webmaster, and retired in 2022 as Director of Communications.
A founding member of the Brotherhood of Temple Beth Am’s Board of Directors, serving as Communications Chair since its inception in 2015, Neil assumed the additional role of Treasurer in 2020. He was named “Man of the Year” by Brotherhood in October 2020. In addition to his professional work at Temple Beth Am, Neil has been Chair of our High Holy Day Usher committee for more than a decade, organizing a cadre of volunteers to provide a friendly face to welcome people into our Sanctuary.
Neil served for more than 10 years on the Board of Directors of the Miami Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and was President of the Miami Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
The award was created in 2019 to honor Robert Hersh, in recognition of his consistent pursuit of excellence over 15 years as Executive Director of Temple Beth Am (2004–2019).
Neil Littauer – Robert Hersh Professional Excellence Award from Temple Beth Am on Vimeo.