Beit Am’s Annual Song Of Miriam Award History and Process - Updated 5/30/2024
About the Award The Song of Miriam Award is sponsored by the Jewish Women’s Round Table, a group of women representing organizations and congregations in Oregon and southwest Washington. The group’s mission is to strengthen the Jewish community by honoring the excellent work of women volunteers and bringing the community together to celebrate Jewish life. At Beit Am, since 2013, the award is our way to honor a specific woman from our community who has, year after year, gone above and beyond in her volunteer efforts both at Beit Am and often in the wider community.
Recipients of this award have shared that they felt highly honored, and also humbled and inspired when they’ve met the other recipients at this event.
Beit Am’s criteria for the award The nominee must be a female member of Beit Am, who is an outstanding example of individual effort and achievement through her volunteer activities, and through her dedication to Jewish life and values. It is a once-in-a-lifetime award.
Process In February, the last 3 years’ awardees meet to appoint the next recipient of the award. If not all of those awardees are available, previous recipients may be asked to step in. Any past recipients who wish to participate are eligible to be on the committee, but there must be a minimum of 3 to make the decision, and the 3 most recent recipients are responsible to ensure that there is an award nominee for the next year.
- Select nominee (Jan or Feb).
- Send nominee’s name and contact info to Song of Miriam committee (refer to their website).
- Compose nomination paragraph – max length 200 words (approximate), submit to Portland.
- Ask to review the Community Description that the Song of Miriam committee has. It may need to be updated.
- See NOTE below for how to handle RSVP's.
- Submit article to Beit Am's newsletter by or before April 15 for May issue (newsletter@beitam.org). SoM logo can be pulled from their materials.
- Submit follow-up blurb and picture in Beit Am's newsletter.
- In May include RSVP info in the What’s Up weekly email (send to office@beitam.org). Include "ask" for carpooling.
- At some point in late May the Portland committee will need to know the names of all those attending from Beit Am. They create a list for the front door security, their own check-list and for name tags.
- Ask Beit Am president (or programs portfolio holder) to mention the award recipient at BA’s Annual Membership meeting.
- NOTE: RSVP and reservation considerations: Have the Beit Am office administrator reserve and have Beit Am pay for a full table (of 10) in advance to ensure we get the lower rate (two of these reservations will be a Beit Am gift to the recipient). As RSVP's and payments come in to Beit Am for seating Beit Am's office administrator can keep track, so please coordinate with that person. If more than one table is needed for attendees, a request can be made for two tables be next to each other, but no promises.
Awardee responsibility The awardee will be asked to attend a meeting in Portland before the date of the luncheon in order to meet with other awardees and to walk through the ceremony. The awardee also attends the luncheon to receive the award. In the following 3 years, the attendee is expected to serve on Beit Am’s committee to bestow the award to another deserving member in each following year.
For a list of past award recipients, click here to log in as a member on this website, and return to this page. Scroll down to "Awardees".