That decision is left to a committee of seven people, active within the Jewish community: Kira Finkenberg, Oz Laniado, Lev Mizan, Darren Schwartz, Fern Siegel, Brad Slavin, and Jill Stone. Others have been granted scholarships to attend firefighter training classes, pursue graduate studies, and attend rabbinical school. They maintain their Judaism and support it,” said Raftery, a well-known Jewish community volunteer and donor who is a past board president of Jewish Family Service. This led to a master’s degree in social work and then “I got a job in San Diego at Friendship Circle,” a program geared toward the Special Needs population. *Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.