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Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies (NJHSA) and Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) have recognized two leaders in Miami’s Jewish community, presenting the 2022 Ner Tamid (Eternal Flame) Award to Rabbi Frederick Klein and the 2022 Volunteer Lay Leadership Award to Dr. Helen Chaset. Both honors were given at NJHSA and NAJC’s Joint Annual Conference, POWERNET 2022: Realizing Global Impact through Collaboration, held on May 17 in Minneapolis, MN.
Rabbi Klein, director of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Mishkan Miami: the Jewish Connection to Spiritual Support and executive vice president of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami, was recognized for his outstanding performance in nurturing Jewish chaplaincy in Miami.
The Mishkan Miami program, developed by Rabbi Klein, has been extraordinarily successful in meeting the spiritual needs of many in the Miami area and has been used as a model for other similar programs around the country.
In addition, Rabbi Klein played a vital role in providing spiritual care in the aftermath of the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside. As soon as the news broke, Rabbi Klein was immediately on the scene, counseling individuals and families affected by the disaster. He spent countless hours in Surfside during the weeks that followed, listening and consoling those who lost loved ones and others whose lives were in turmoil as a result of the tragedy.
Dr. Chaset has been a member of Jewish Community Services of South Florida’s (JCS) board of directors for 13 years. She was chair of the board from 2016 to 2018, and has served on multiple JCS committees including the Internal Relations Committee and the Leadership and Governance Committee.
Additionally, from 2016 to 2018 she was a member of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s board of directors. Currently, Dr. Chaset sits on the Executive Committee for JCS, board of directors for the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education and volunteers as a docent at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach. She is chair-elect for Masada Home Care.
A staunch supporter of JCS’ Holocaust Survivors Assistance Program, Dr. Chaset provides direct support, passion, guidance, and expertise to JCS’s Senior Services Division, which offers home-delivered meals, congregate meals, transportation, shopping services and recreational activities to more than 1,000 seniors annually. She also has assisted with grant administration guidance for the Non-Profit Security Grant Program.
Additionally, Dr. Chaset serves as an active member of several other volunteer panels, including the board of Miami-Dade County Holocaust Survivors and the Critical Supports Leadership Council, which assists Holocaust survivors, victims of trauma, and other frail populations.
“Dr. Chaset and Rabbi Klein are true leaders in our community, exemplifying what it means to possess caring hearts and a passion for helping others,” said Miriam Singer, president and CEO of Jewish Community Services of South Florida.
“We in Miami are blessed to have Dr. Chaset and Rabbi Klein in our midst. They bring passion, intellect, hard work and — above all — a commitment to service and gemilut chasadim — acts of loving kindness — that inspire us all.”
