ANNOUNCING THE 2025 SEIZE THE DREAM HONOREES:

Debbie Gotbetter and the Leadership Team of Temple Beth Elohim’s Immigration Justice Group (IJG) – Michael Gilman, Jessica Lasser, Lina Musayev, Ed Shapiro, and Susan Sidel

and receiving the JFS Max Michelson Humanitarian Award:

OUR HONOREES: Debbie Gotbetter and the Leadership Team of Temple Beth Elohim’s Immigration Justice Group (IJG)—Michael Gilman, Jessica Lasser, Lina Musayev, Ed Shapiro, and Susan Sidel

At this year’s Seize the Dream event, Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Metrowest is proud to recognize Debbie Gotbetter and the Leadership Team of Temple Beth Elohim’s Immigration Justice Group (IJG)—Michael Gilman, Jessica Lasser, Lina Musayev, Ed Shapiro, and Susan Sidel—for their outstanding leadership in welcoming 18 newly arrived refugee families from Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Ukraine, and Venezuela as they begin new lives in our communities.

Debbie Gotbetter, an active volunteer and board member at JFS, is also a founding member of the Immigration Justice Group’s Leadership Team at TBE. Since 2016, under their leadership, the IJG has grown into a dynamic volunteer community, drawing on more than 150 individuals from TBE, neighboring towns, and local temples and churches.

The Immigration Justice Leadership Team’s resettlement volunteers have worked closely with JFS staff to build critical community networks, helping families secure housing, enroll in public schools and ESL classes, identify employment opportunities, establish financial and banking relationships, access public benefits, and connect with local food pantries and other community resources.

Through years of collaboration, JFS has provided ongoing training and supervision to both the leadership team and TBE volunteers, continually strengthening and refining their efforts. This powerful partnership has not only achieved remarkable success locally but has also served as an inspiring model for other communities across the U.S. and around the world, encouraging them to act and create sustainable, impactful partnerships.

JFS MAX MICHELSON HUMANITARIAN AWARD RECIPIENTS: Middlesex Savings Bank and Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation

At Seize the Dream, we will honor Middlesex Savings Bank and the Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation with the JFS Max Michelson Humanitarian Award. Middlesex Savings Bank, founded in 1835 and headquartered in Natick, Mass., is one of the largest mutual banks in Massachusetts with over $6 billion in assets..

The Charitable Foundation was established in 2000 to help carry out the philanthropic mission of the bank. The Foundation has provided more than $16 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations, supporting services and programs in a wide variety of fields, including education and basic human services.

JFS and Middlesex Savings have enjoyed a long and impactful partnership dating back over 25 years. Recent support has focused on the JFS Children’s Clothing Closet, Mobil Food Pantry, and Covid-19 relief efforts. The willingness of JFS to assemble talent, knowledge and resources and put them to use for the benefit of our community continues to resonate with Middlesex Savings.