Committed to making a difference

A retired teacher who is known for her organizational skills, being ready with needed information and who established three community service oriented programs during her presidency of the Lawrence-based National Council of Jewish Women-Peninsula Section will receive the prestigious Hannah G. Solomon Award at the organization’s Founder’s Day luncheon at the Seawane Club in Hewlett Harbor on Tuesday.

East Rockaway resident Pnina Knopf, 64, grew up in Elmont. Knopf attended the Brandeis School in Lawrence through the ninth grade. She graduated from Elmont Memorial High School. Her college degrees were earned from Boston and Adelphi universities.

Founded by Solomon in 1893, the National Council of Jewish Woman is the oldest, major Jewish women’s group in the U.S. The volunteer organization promotes child welfare, women’s rights and reproductive freedom. It has headquarters in Manhattan, Washington, D.C. and Israel, and 90,000 members in more than 135 sections in about 500 communities. The Peninsula section was founded in 1936.

“I feel completely honored being looked at and respected by those who came before me. I am very touched, very humbled, very excited,” said Knopf, who was involved in the NCJW-Peninsula Section for 10 years and served as president from 2009 to 2012.

The former educator who taught at the Marion Street Elementary School in the Lynbrook district for 15 years of her 27-year teaching career, launched these programs in her tenure as section president. Clean Start: Cleaning supplies were collected and packaged, donated to the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, then given to women who completed a program and were going into their new residences. Thrift shop voucher program: Vouchers for free merchandise at the NCJW thrift store in Lawrence for people in need. Care kits: A collection of personal items packaged in bags decorated by elementary schoolchildren and given to women’s shelters.

“Teamwork and making a difference are a major part of my philosophy,” Knopf said. “Those programs strengthened our community services department.”