Jewish Federation of Arkansas would not exist without the efforts of its volunteers.

The Jane B. Mendel Tikkun Olam* Awards, established through the generosity of the TRG Foundation, were created to enable our Federation to honor outstanding members of the Jewish community in Arkansas.

The awards are presented at our Annual Tikkun Olam Celebration in Little Rock.

Meet the 2020 Grand Honoree: Doris Krain.

Doris is being honored for her more than 40 years of work in the Arkansas Jewish community. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, she moved to Little Rock with her husband Mark, of blessed memory and sons Ben and Lewis in 1977 after stints in Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa. Doris and her family quickly integrated into the community, and her charisma and enthusiasm made her a natural leader.

Doris has had a varied career, from a high school math teacher to mathematician to computer programmer, systems analyst, training manager, consultant and small business owner. In Little Rock she worked for First National Bank (then First Commercial), Deloitte Haskins and Sells, and Systematics/Alltel Information Services.

Doris works tirelessly across boundaries to help the Arkansas Jewish community grow and thrive. Over the years, she has used her expertise in math, training, finance and, now, photography- combined with her bottomless reserve of energy - to lead special projects, serve on boards and work on committees for such community organizations as Congregation Agudath Achim, Congregation B’nai Israel, Jewish Federation of Arkansas (including a term as president), Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School District schools, Operation Song Arkansas, Services and Opportunities for Seniors (now CareLink), Museum of Discovery, Just Communities of Arkansas, and Little Rock Animal Village. 

These days Doris is often found behind the lens of her camera, volunteering her time to help document the many non-profit events and programs she has helped fund and organize, as well as to support the friends and family members she has made along the way. 

We are excited to honor Doris and the individual Jane B. Mendel Tikkun Olam Award winners on February 29, 2020, and we invite all of you to join us! Special thanks to Martha and Charles Alman for serving as Chairs of the Tikkun Olam Awards as well as to Betsy and Alan Thalheimer for serving as Honorary Chairs.

And celebrating the accomplishments of the 2019-20 Jane B. Mendel Tikkun Olam Award Winners:

• Donna Kirkwood
  Ati’Day Yisroel Early Childcare Center (Little Rock)

• Michael Kuperman
  Congregation Agudath Achim (Little Rock)

• Eugene Krupitsky
  Congregation B’nai Israel (Little Rock)

• Carol Vella
  Congregation Etz Chaim (Bentonville)

• Betty Forshberg
  Congregation House of Israel (Hot Springs)

• Dorian Stuber
  Hendrix Hillel (Conway)

• Toby Klein
  Hillel at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville)

• Harry Ehrenberg, Jr.
  Jewish Federation of Arkansas

• Jerry Cohen
  Lubavitch of Arkansas (Little Rock)

• Bill Feldman
  Temple Shalom (Fayetteville)

• Tony Arce
  United Hebrew Congregation (Fort Smith)

*Tikkun Olam is Hebrew for Repairing the World.