Distinguished Honorees
Mikki and Jeff Ashin
The Amudim Award
For the past 37 years, Mikki and Jeff Ashin have been integral to the life and leadership of Har Shalom. Having served as president for three years, Jeff provided decisive leadership during a time of staff transition. Leveraging his experience on the High Holiday, Nominating, Development, and Senior Rabbi search committees, Jeff’s presidency put Har Shalom on a path of growth and vitality that we continue to benefit from to this day. Jeff co-founded the law firm Christian & Ashin (now Christian, Ashin, & Brown) in 1986, and is a widely respected trial attorney in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Mikki worked professionally for 26 years as Director of Continuing Professional Education at MedStar Health. She also devoted a decade of service to Har Shalom’s Executive Committee, including roles as Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. She oversaw Budget and Education Committees, and was also active on Nominating and Rabbinic Search committees. Last year Mikki co-chaired Har Shalom’s spectacular Gala. The pride and joy of Mikki and Jeff’s life is their children, Brian (Marianna) and Julie (Harrison Miller), and their grandchildren Brayden, Brody, Jackson, Madison, Sienna, and Sydney. It has always been the Ashins’ dream for Har Shalom to be a place where their entire family feels a close and personal connection, and a love of Jewish life.
Ari and Abbey Meltzer
The Ahavat Chesed Award,
for Loving-Kindness
Abbey and Ari came to check out Har Shalom in 2012, determined to check out the synagogue, the High Holidays, and then decide afterwards about membership. It did not take long for Abbey and Ari to find community here, and soon they were raising their two precious children Shaina (12) and Evan (8) at Har Shalom, where they graduated from the ECC and now attend Religious School. Abbey Co-Chaired the Casino Night in 2019, benefitting the ECC, has served on the Nominating Committee, and currently Co-Chairs the Education and Youth Committee. A communications professional (currently Cie President at Cosby Marketing Communications), Abbey was instrumental in Har Shalom’s Reopening Task Force, providing clear information and messaging to our congregants throughout the pandemic. Ari, a partner at Wiley Rein LLP, served as Har Shalom’s General Counsel from 2019-2024, as well as on the Nominating Committee. He currently Co-Chairs the Har Shalom Legacy Circle. Har Shalom has become a second home to the entire Meltzer family, and they look forward to seeing many wonderful friends whenever they walk through the doors.
The Keter Shem Tov Awardees: The Crown of a Good Name
Marie Kramer
Marie Kramer
Keter Shem Tov Award
Marie Kramer is truly a matriarch of Har Shalom. Both the physical plant and the soul of this synagogue are infused with the foresight and dedication of Marie and her beloved husband Sam z”l. Marie and Sam came to the new and burgeoning Potomac area in the 1960’s and along with a handful of other visionary, young Jewish couples launched the Seven Locks Jewish Community, which would become Congregation Har Shalom. Their indomitable commitment to Har Shalom launched the formation of a school, the search for religious leadership, the construction of our spectacular facility, and an array of programs that continue to this day. For over 20 years, Marie and Sam ran the Jewish Film Festival for Daytimers at Har Shalom, screening and discussing over 100 films. Marie remembers the first Shabbat evening service held on the new purchased property on Falls Road on July 4, 1969. With borrowed chairs and a portable ark, those original families gathered together to celebrate Shabbat. When the old farmhouse porch got too dark, they made use of that famous Coleman lantern. Marie and Sam were integral in the fundraising and construction plans of Har Shalom’s first permanent structure, including a multi-purpose worship space, a kitchen, classrooms, offices, etc. Over the years the building expanded, the staff grew, and many more families would join the Har Shalom community. It is hard to imagine any of this dynamic growth without the diligence and hard work of Marie Kramer, who continues to be our matriarch and founder.
Joan Levenson
Keter Shem Tov Award
Along with being a founding member of Congregation Har Shalom, Joan Levenson became the first woman to serve as president of the congregation in 1987. Having served on nearly every committee as well as president of the Sisterhood, Joan led the congregation during a time of explosive growth in membership, as well as the ECC and Religious School. In all of her leadership capacities, including co-chairing the 40th Anniversary Celebration, Joan sought to channel the spirit of Har Shalom’s founding families. In her installation remarks upon being elected president, Joan said: “Har Shalom has been, is, and will continue to be special. We love it. We are proud of it. And, with member participation, we shall maintain it that way.” Joan was married to Alan Levenson z”l for 46 years, and she established an annual lecture in his name, bringing some of the most renown voices in Washington, D.C. to speak at Har Shalom on issues of law, economics, and government. Joan is the mother of two children, Scott and Julie, and the grandmother of five.
Hanna Lee Pomerantz
Keter Shem Tov Award
Hanna Lee, along with her beloved husband Dr. Ronald Pomerantz z”l, is a founding member of Har Shalom. When Ron and Hanna Lee moved to Potomac in 1965, they sought to affiliate with a Conservative synagogue, but there were none to be found! So they joined forces with other young Jewish couples and laid the groundwork for what would become this large, thriving synagogue family. In Har Shalom’s formative years, one could often find Hanna Lee cultivating community by preparing kiddush on Shabbat, developing an active Sisterhood that would go on to achieve national recognition, chairing a host of Torah Fund programs and dinners to support the training of Jewish professionals at Conservative movement institutions, raising her four children David, Phyllis, Stephen, and Stuart—all of whom celebrated becoming b’nai mitzvah at Har Shalom where they were active in the synagogue’s educational and youth programing. Along with raising a large family and helping to establish a growing congregation, Hanna Lee, having been a serious ballet student since childhood, performed in the Washington Ballet Company, with the National Symphony Orchestra, and was a highly sought after dance teacher throughout the community. Nowadays she is kept busy by her 12 grandchildren, and still hosts legendary Shabbat meals and Passover seders!