Nancy Avis L’Dor V’Dor Awards 2023

Join us as we continue the legacy of Nancy Avis and honor five extraordinary women.

Felicia Holtzman Otto

Next Generation Award

Felicia Holtzman Otto grew up in Bucks County, PA, the daughter of two parents whose life was dedicated to giving back to others. Her mother continues to teach Kindergarten and her father founded the Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit at Doylestown Hospital in Bucks County. She was a long time member of Temple Judea in Bucks County, PA, where she was Bat Mitzvahed and confirmed. Her father served in leadership positions within the United Jewish Appeal where he led speaking and fundraising events and she accompanied him. Felicia attended Hamilton College in upstate NY, majoring in Communications and Spanish and graduated from New York University with a Master's Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and Mercy College with a Master's Degree in School Building Leadership.

Throughout her career in education, she has taught English as a Second Language, Spanish, and AVID, an elective class preparing first generation college bound students for post-secondary study. Prior to becoming an Assistant Principal, she wrote and secured a $30,000 grant to bring AVID into her school and coordinated the program. As an Assistant Principal, she has worked both at John Jay School for Law in Brooklyn and Port Richmond High School in Staten Island. She currently oversees the Guidance and Pupil Personnel Department, Multi Language Learning Department and World Languages at Port Richmond High School. She is passionate about providing support, access and opportunity to all students. Her proudest professional accomplishments are ensuring that first generation college bound students and multi-language learners are prepared for post-secondary study and career. She has taught ENL classes at Cooper Union and New York University.

Outside of her career in the New York City Department of Education, she is a co-President of Temple Israel Reform Congregation of Staten Island, where her mission is to ensure that all congregants find peace and joy within the congregation as their spiritual home. Prior to becoming Co-President, Felicia served as a Vice President for the Executive Board, a Director and Vice President For Sisterhood and she is the Head of the Religious School Parents' Committee where she has prioritized family involvement and has worked to create programs where kids understand and value Judaism. She oversees the religious school and the four classes within the school that serve children Prek-6th grade. She has implemented a Tzedakah program where students discuss and vote on what organizations receive charity on a monthly basis. She has been instrumental in fundraising both for the Temple as a whole and for the Religious School's holiday celebrations, guest speakers and special events. Felicia welcomes, meets with and checks in with every new young family that joins Temple Israel, introduces them to the congregation and makes connections between the family, the synagogue and the Jewish community. She seeks ways to involve young families and new members within the Temple Israel family.

Felicia's children attend the JCC Day Camp where both they and she have made lifelong friendships. Recently, she has been working in collaboration with the JCC on how the JCC and Temple Israel can best partner together to serve the needs of Jewish families on Staten Island. She is a Member of the Education Committee to the Staten Island Holocaust Center.

Felicia lives on the north shore of Staten Island with her husband, Jason, and two children, Austin, age eight, and Arielle, age six. Of the many jobs, roles and responsibilities she has been privileged to have, she is most proud and fulfilled by the role of mother to Austin and Arielle. Whether she is “mothering” her biological children or the many children at Port Richmond High School or Temple Israel Religious School, it is the title of mom that has far exceeded her expectations for fulfillment in life.

Carol Bullock

Bridge to the Community Award

Carol Bullock became the Executive Director of the Pride Center in December of 2017, after a 30 year career with Staples. At the Pride Center, Carol focuses on relationship building and development, as she leads the staff in living up to the values of the Pride Center – Community, Brave Space, Inclusion and Allyship. Carol is an active member of many groups advocating for equality. She has been instrumental in creating visibility and community support for the Center, as well as advocating federally, state-wide and locally (member of CenterLink and Rise Out NY) for equality and inclusion.Ms. Bullock also serves as Board Chair for the Board of Directors for the Non Profit Staten Island Association, on the Board for New York Not For Profit as well as Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Staten Island Economic Development Committee.Her honors include: “Unsung Hero” (Rotary Club,2020), Council Woman Debi Rose during Women’s History Month (2020), Project Hospitality (2021), recognized as one of Staten Island’s Power 100 people (City and State NY, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), Power 100 LGBTQ+ Player 100 (2022), Louis R. Miller award (Chamber of Commerce (2022), Fire Flag (2022), and City Comptroller Brad Lander (2022). Bullock was appointed Commissioner for the Gender Equity Commission (Mayor’s office, representing Staten Island, 2022).

The Pride Center of Staten Island creates a brave and welcoming space, offers comprehensive resources, provides LGBTQ empowering programs and events, and celebrates our diversity. The Pride Center envisions a Staten Island where LGBTQ people and families are empowered to achieve their fullest potential, where people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, races, and abilities are valued and feel a sense of belonging, and where allies support identities and interests outside of their own.

Fern Aaron Zagor

First Generation Award

Fern Aaron Zagor is a child of two holocaust survivors and exemplifies a deep commitment to social justice and Holocaust remembrance. She served as a dedicated member of the Wagner College Holocaust Center for several years before joining the Wagner College Chai Society.In January of 2022, she was officially elected chair of the Chai Society.

Working with Dr. Lori Weintrob and others at Wagner College, she has been involved in many initiatives that focus on combatting anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred and racial injustice, including at schools such as I.S.2.She has co-chaired the ambitious effort to establish the first permanent Holocaust Center on Staten Island, the WCHC Holocaust Education and Action Gallery, which opened in early April 2022.

Ms. Zagor’s mother, Frieda W. Aaron, survived the Warsaw Ghetto, the death camp Majdanek, and two other labor camps until liberated by the Russians in 1945.A civil rights leader going with Coretta Scott King and 48 other women to the Geneva Peace Conference in 1962, Ms. Zagor’s mother earned her PhD in Comparative Literature writing about the poetry of the Ghettos and Camps in her ground-breaking work, “Bearing the Unbearable.”Ms. Zagor’s father, Sol Aaron, escaped from the Vilna Ghetto and fought with Abba Kovner, the acclaimed resistance fighter and poet, in the Rudnicki Forests. Ms. Zagor’s aunt, Estelle Glaser Laughlin, is a well-known speaker for the US Holocaust Museum.Her memoire, “Transcending Darkness: A Girl’s Journey Out of the Holocaust” served as a guide to Ms. Zagor’s trip to Eastern Europe in 2019 to track her Holocaust roots. In November 2020, Ms. Zagor presented, with poignant images, her family history to a large international audience as a Wagner College Holocaust Center program, found at this link: Fern Zagor: Resistance, Resilience & Hope - YouTube.

Ms. Zagor is a social worker by profession.She has a distinguished career of more than four decades serving in senior management capacities in behavioral health and human services. In January 2005, she was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Staten Island Mental Health Society (SIMHS). In August of 2012 she became its President/CEO.On January 1, 2019, under her leadership, SIMHS merged into Richmond University Medical Center.In June of that year, Ms. Zagor started her own consulting firm, Fern Zagor Consulting LLC.

Ms. Zagor has brought her considerable expertise and experience in health and mental health fields to Staten Island by working with multiple community groups to improve services. Among her many activities, she is the Vice President of the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness which developed the Tackling Youth Substance Abuse initiative.She was a co-founder and served on the Board of the Staten Island Not for Profit Association. She helped establish the Community Health Center of Richmond, the first Federally Qualified Health Center in the borough and served on its Board.Following Hurricane Sandy, Ms. Zagor helped to mobilize the not-for-profit community and created a network of services throughout the borough, including the COAD – Community Organizations Active in Disaster.She serves on multiple local, city and state taskforces and boards.

In October 2012, Ms. Zagor was honored as the first recipient the SIEDC Executive Woman of the Year.In 1999, Ms. Zagor was honored as an “Outstanding Woman of Queens” and received the Rosemary Gunning Award for her service to the borough as the co-chair of the Queens Borough President’s Task Force Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. She has received numerous other honors and recognition. Ms. Zagor was an Adjunct Professor at the Adelphi University School of Social Work, where she taught for 25 years.

Ms. Zagor lives with her husband, David, in Rockaway, Queens.She is the proud mother of two, Noah and Adam, and their wives, Krystyn and Jillian.She has three beautiful grandchildren, Miles, Simon, and Kaya.

Roz Kurland

First Generation Award

Rosalind (Roz) Kurland was born in Boro Park, Brooklyn.She married Norman in 1962 and moved to Village Greens, Staten Island in 1973.

As a graduate of Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, Roz went on to Brooklyn College where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.She later continued her education at the College of Staten Island receiving a second Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision.

Her education served her well as a teacher for the NYC Board of Education for 37 years.During that time, she taught kindergarten as well as 8^th grade Special Education.Early on, between teaching assignments, Roz actually had a pre-school in her home for one year.

Roz has been involved with the JCC’s Center for Lifelong Development since its inception in 2012.

CLLD is a collective of individuals aged 60 and above that are dedicated to doing and creating enjoyable experiences for life-long wellness.She presently serves on their Advisory Board and is a member of the Arts & Culture, Education and Nominating Committees. She is also very involved at the JCC as a committee member of the Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts+ Culture.This program provides quality lectures, performances and seminars in adult Jewish learning. She feels strongly that the JCC and these two important programs provide the best of everything for the community.

Roz is the mother of two sons, David and Richard, and mother-in-law to Susan.She is also the proud grandmother to Meryl and Aaron.

Susan Klein-Perel

First Generation Award

Susan was born in Brooklyn. She received her Master's Degree in Social Work from Syracuse University.

Susan has worked in clinical practice and doing consulting and supervisory work on Staten Island as a social worker for many years.

Her areas of expertise are medical social work, bereavement- including pet bereavement, caregiver support, developmental and intellectual disabilities and geriatric social work.

Susan is married to Dr. Allan Perel, a well known Neurologist. The couple have three children Harrison. Evan and Jackie. The family reside in the Todt Hill section of Staten Island for over 25 years.

Susan has been involved with the JCC of Staten Island for over 20 years. She has been a member of the board, as well as several committees including the Camp and Youth comittee and the committee for People with Disabilities.

Susan greatly admires the life and work of Mrs. Nancy Avis. She was an exceptional woman who vision, strength and pioneering efforts a t the JCC of Staten Island will live on forever. To be recognized at the particular venue is a tremendous honor. The values that Nancy Avis lived her life by continues to inspire us each and every day.