Hillel's Annual "Lech Lecha" Award Dinner

"Lech Lecha" in Hebrew means “Go Forth”. As “G-d commanded Abraham and Sarah to “Go forth from your land, from your kindred, from your father’s house, to the land that I will let you see”. Just as Abraham and Sarah were sent forth to build a Jewish world, so too, the Albuquerque Jewish Community sends forth their students to make their names great. The "Amood Awards" have been created to thank four special individuals who have been of tremendous support to Hillel. These individuals have enabled Hillel to reach great success in providing programs and a central address for students as they search for meaning in their lives. These awards will institute a tradition of excellence as we honor outstanding individuals who volunteer their time and effort on behalf of Hillel, The University of New Mexico, and the Jewish Community of Albuquerque.

Because Stan Handmaker, Alan Chodorow, Stanley Hordes , and Eric Kohen care about people, their community and Jewish ethics, the Board of Directors of Hillel at The University of New Mexico is privileged to present its highest honors, the "Amood Awards," to these five outstanding humanitarians who believe in miracles and, like Hillel, work hard to make them happen.

Dr. Stan Handmaker wwill receive the "Amood Ha Sechel Award" (Pillar of Wisdom) for outstanding service from a Board Member.

Dr. Stan Handmaker is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, with his subspecialty area being Developmental Disabilities. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, he has lived in New Mexico and been a member of Congregation Albert since 1977. He received his BA at Johns Hopkins University, his MD at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, and his D.Phil. at Oxford University. He is currently President of the Board of Hillel at UNM.

Stan also is President of the Board of Directors of ARCA, Vice President of the ARCA Building Corporation and a member of the Board of the ARCA Foundation. He has previously served on a number of Boards and Commissions, including the New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, the American Association on Mental Retardation and Parents Reaching Out. He is married to Nancy Sheehy Handmaker and is the father of Jeffrey, Philip and Katie Handmaker. Stan and Nancy also have one cat, four dogs, three sheep and four pygmy goats.

Dr. Alan Chodorow will recieve of the "Amood Ha Koach" Award (Pillar of Strength) for exemplary service from an Alumnus.

Dr. Alan Chodorow was born in Buffalo, NY, and grew up in the town of Auburn — “famous” as the home of the first criminal execution in the world. He attended Auburn East High School, graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served in the Nuclear Submarine Navy. During his assignment in the San Francisco Bay area, he met and married Diane Rosen.

Diane and Alan arrived in New Mexico in 1966. Alan came to work at Sandia National Laboratory and to study at the University of New Mexico. He completed his PhD in electrical engineering and physics from UNM in 1972. He then worked at Mission Research Corporation for more than thirty years and conducted applied research, mostly for the Department of Defense, before recently retiring from this position.

Alan has served as a director on the boards of the Federation of Greater Albuquerque, one of Albuquerque’s early Jewish Day Schools and Congregation B’nai Israel, where he is currently Vice President. He is a member of Congregation B’nai Israel and Chavurah Hamidbar.

Diane and Alan have two sons and a daughter-in-law. Son Gary is a law professor in Beijing; Darrell an economist in Washington and daughter-in-law Helaine is a research epidemiologist. They have two grandchildren — Sam and Daniel.

Dr. Stanley Hordes will be presented with the "Amood Ha Limud Award" (The Pillar of Learning) for outstnading service as a Faculty Advisor.

Dr. Stanely M. Hordes was born and raised in the Washington, DC area. He is an Adjunct Research Professor at the Latin American and Iberian Institute of the University of New Mexico. Stanley received his BA in History from the University of Maryland in 1971, his MA in Latin American History from the University of New Mexico in 1973, and his PhD from Tulane University in 1980.

His doctoral dissertation, “The Crypto-Jewish Community of New Spain, 1620-1649: A Collective Biography,” was based on research conducted in the archives of Mexico and Spain, supported by a Fulbright dissertation fellowship. His study revealed a considerable amount of information about the religious customs and career patterns of the descendants of those Spanish Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism in the 14th and 15th centuries. He is currently engaged in a research project, “The Sephardic Legacy in New Mexico: A History of the Crypto-Jews,” sponsored by the University of New Mexico’s Latin American and Iberian Institute.

Stanley is Chair of the New Mexico Commission of Public Records, President of the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society and President of HMS Associates, Inc., a historical consulting firm. Stan’s wife of 33 years, Helen, works for Presbyterian Health Care as a Clinical Project Coordinator, and for the past two years has also served as Bookkeeper for the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society. They have two children, Melissa, 24, who teaches art in San Francisco, and Paul, 22, who is receiving his BS this year from Tulane University.

We are very pleased to present Eric with the "Amood Ha Yecholet Award" (The Pillar of Promise).

Eric Kohen is enjoying his second year in New Mexico. He was born in New York and spent his teens in Southern California, where he served on the United Synagogue Youth General Board. He made his move to Albuquerque two years ago to pursue his education. Eric is majoring in Pharmacy, like his father, and will be applying to University of New Mexico’s College of Pharmacy in the fall. Involved with Hillel since his freshman year, he has held position as Secretary and created the Hillel email list and website. This year he holds the Co-chair position along with friend Simon Goldfine. In December, Eric went on a Birthright Israel trip to visit Israel for the first time with his friends from Hillel. Eric attends services at Congregation B’nai Israel and attributes his love for Judaism to his mother (and her excellent noodle kuggel). Eric’s parents, Carolyn and Randy, and his younger brother Mitchell, live in Southern California.