Annual Benefit
Dear Heilicher Community,
Thank you to everyone who attended the 2024 Heilicher Annual Benefit. It was a wonderful evening celebrating Heilicher’s 40th anniversary and our honoree, Audrey Goldfarb. Your incredible generosity played a pivotal role in supporting professional development for Israel education and Hebrew language instruction. Together, we achieved an exceptional outcome, raising $89,000 for our fund-a-need initiative and $384,000 overall — and counting!
Many thanks to our incredible sponsors and community members. Please see our full list of generous sponsors and the beautiful messages to Audrey in our program book.
Please take a moment to watch the 2024 Heilicher Benefit video above, which offers a brief retrospective on Heilicher’s 40 years of excellence in education. If you missed the event, it’s not too late to be part of this milestone celebration — please consider making your contribution online.
Please take a moment to watch the 2024 Heilicher Benefit video, which offers a brief retrospective on Heilicher’s 40 years of excellence in education. If you missed the event, it’s not too late to be part of this milestone celebration — please consider making your contribution online.
Esther Goldberg-Davis, Heilicher Board of Directors President
Dr. Dan Ahlstrom, Head of School
Our Honoree
The Amos and Celia Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School proudly honored Audrey Goldfarb at the Heilicher Annual Benefit, held on Sunday, November 17, 2024. As we mark our 40th year, Audrey stands as a beacon of dedication and leadership, having served as head of school at Heilicher from 1994 to 1999.
Audrey Goldfarb is not only a revered figure within the Heilicher community but also a cherished volunteer in the broader Jewish community. Her devotion extends to Beth El Synagogue, the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center, and the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
Audrey’s husband for 63 years was Dr. Mace Goldfarb (z’’l), whose pediatric practice evolved into Children’s Hospital network. Audrey and Mace’s four children are Lynn Lederman (Ken Raskin), Alan Goldfarb (Nancy Joseph), Pam Goldfarb Liss (Glen Liss), and Betsy Birnberg (Barry Birnberg). Nine of Audrey’s ten grandchildren attended Heilicher, and she has one great-granddaughter.
During Audrey’s outstanding tenure, the school expanded from 60 to 250 students and was honored with the National School of Excellence Award. Recognizing the significance of collaboration, Audrey emphasized the importance of honoring the dedicated staff and the visionary board who navigated the school through its formative years.
Statement from Audrey, on accepting the honor:
I am humbled to serve as the 2024 Heilicher Annual Benefit honoree.
I believe every child has potential. I also believe it takes a community to educate. When I joined Heilicher, I found such a community. Together, the faculty and parents wrestled with the challenge of providing a strong curriculum that integrates secular and Jewish education. How do we build a community that respects diverse Jewish practice? How do we educate children who will become caring and philanthropic adults? How do we prepare our children to become Jewish community leaders?
As we celebrate 40 years of Heilicher, the wrestling continues. These questions are still relevant. Heilicher continues to value each child, and continues as a strong community.