Rabbi David Baron and cantors Ilysia Pierce and Nathan Lam participated in the Mensch Awards ceremony in 2023. (photo courtesy of Steven Geiger)

The Mensch Awards return to Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts’ Saban Theatre on Feb. 21, with a special program in the newly remodeled Plost Lobby. The Shabbat dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and honors Holocaust survivor and philanthropist David Wiener, Holocaust educator David Meyerhof and Holocaust survivor and sculptor Gabrielle Karin. Additional honorees include Holocaust survivor Joe Alexander, the late Nobel laureate Otto Meyerhof, physics professor Walter Meyerhof and songwriter Leonard Cohen.

The awards ceremony is organized annually by Steven Geiger, founder and director of the Mensch International Foundation. Mensch is a Yiddish word meaning “good man” or a “person of high integrity and honor,” a description that fits the honorees, Geiger said. The event provides an opportunity to thank the recipients for their contributions to the community and society and to recognize their achievements.

“We want to hear from them and we want to honor them,” Geiger said. “It’s important that people hear their stories. These people are going to schools to speak to young people about the Holocaust. [They are] not just sitting back at home and watching television as they get older, they’re very active.”

Wiener, 98, is a businessman, philanthropist and temple member and supporter. His wife Sheryl Fleischer said he is honored to be selected as a Mensch Award recipient.

“He loves being a mensch,” Fleischer added. “Not too many people have experienced life as he has. He’s proud of it.”

Karin is dedicated to educating young people about the Holocaust and has participated in programs at schools, Holocaust Museum L.A. and the Museum of Tolerance as well as synagogues and youth camps. She strives to help students understand the history of the Holocaust so it does not happen again.

Holocaust educator David Meyerhof is a retired middle school teacher who taught 35 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He is also author of “Look Beyond,” a collection of poetry.

Rabbi David Baron, of Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts, said he is looking forward to the Mensch Awards and paying tribute to the Holocaust survivors and educators. Baron is a previous recipient of the Mensch Award and has hosted the ceremony at the temple for several years.

“The word ‘mensch’ means man, but it really means a consummate human being and somebody who exemplifies, by their life, the values of decency and goodness. In the case of our guests, they exemplify those qualities,” Baron said. “We are honored as a temple of the arts to join the Mensch Foundation in honoring these outstanding people.”

Baron also reflected on receiving a Mensch Award.

“It was very touching. To be honored for being a decent human being is so important, and that’s why it was so meaningful to me,” he added. “It wasn’t about a book that you wrote and it wasn’t about a specific building or structure that you helped create. It was about who you are as a person, and I think we have to honor that and those people.”

Geiger stressed the importance of Holocaust education and the attendees’ service to humankind.

“I would like people to understand the importance of not only remembering these people that we are honoring, but to help us in reaching our educational goals, so the recent increase in antisemitism will be reversed,” Geiger added.

Admission to the Mensch Awards is $75; reservations are required. The Saban Theatre is located at 8440 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills. For information and reservations, email geigersa@gmail.com or visit bhtota.org.