Stella Nadelberg, MAZON LEFTY Dinner Chair, and
Alex Bennett, Assistant Director of the Makom Teen Program at Temple Isaiah
interviewed by Tammy Habteyes, MAZON’s Senior Outreach Manager
The LEFTY MAZON Dinner at Temple Isaiah (Lexington, MA) is more than a fundraiser—it’s a tradition rooted in community, tzedakah, and tikkun olam. Beginning four decades ago – since MAZON’s founding, the annual dinner was started by Temple Isaiah’s teen youth group, LEFTY. Over the years, the community has raised nearly a million dollars to fight hunger with MAZON. This year, we spoke with teen Stella Nadelberg, the MAZON Dinner Chair, and Alex Bennett, Assistant Director of Makom, about their experiences and the impact of this honored tradition.
Learning Through Leadership
Having grown up at Temple Isaiah, Stella knew about the dinner (“I always had a babysitter that night!” she joked) but didn’t become involved until her sophomore year. “I started in the kitchen, which was really fun because I love cooking,” she recalled. Encouraged by a mentor, she applied for the role of MAZON Chair and was accepted. Now, she faced the challenge of balancing event planning with college applications. “I had never planned a fundraiser before. I’d never planned an event for over 150 people before. I didn’t even plan my Bat Mitzvah—my mom did!” Not only funny, but confident and capable too, Stella knows it was “a big learning opportunity.”
This year’s LEFTY MAZON Dinner took place on Saturday, February 1, 2025, with the theme “Under the Stars,” hosting around 200 guests.
The Power of Relationships
LEFTY teens remain engaged in this tradition because of Temple Isaiah’s commitment to social justice. “The temple has built such a relationship with MAZON over the past 40 years,” Alex noted. “That’s just so special that we actually have a relationship. Like it’s not just like we threw a party one time. Temple Isaiah alone has raised almost a million dollars, and even if people don’t know how much money we’ve raised, it’s a tradition, and we like traditions. We’re very community-minded, very, very focused on tikkun olam and tzedakah. There are [many] opportunities for our teens to fundraise and participate in social action, but after 40 years, it’s so special for our teens to be part of a legacy. ”
“[There’s a] teen in our community who’s parent was in LEFTY, and now they’ve both been a part of the MAZON dinner. And so – this is a term I learned in the URJ camp space – it’s super L’dor v’dorable, the idea of from generation to generation, our teens get to participate in a holy act that generations before them got to do as well.”
First Challah for Hunger Community Chapter
Alex also leads MAZON’s first community Challah for Hunger chapter at Temple Isaiah, combining challah baking with anti-hunger advocacy and Jewish education. “It’s been a positive contribution to our plethora of programs that we offer our teens. It’s something unique that they’re not getting elsewhere.” Alex shared that the chapter has become a space for the youth to “learn about MAZON’s work and the issue of hunger in the US… learn what the challah symbolizes within our tradition and what does Shabbat mean in our tradition and what lessons can we learn from. It has been really powerful to create that curriculum and work with our teens and discuss those topics.”
A Personal Connection
For Alex, choosing to start a chapter at Isaiah began with two challahs baked in a campus apartment. “I love baking. During the pandemic, I started baking challah regularly for my school Hillel. It was like a physical expression of my love and gratitude for my Jewish community that had held me throughout college.” After graduating, she advised a Challah for Hunger chapter at another campus as staff. “Restructuring their board, recruiting more people to attend bakes, talking with other chapter advisors…it was a really cool process. It was really special to me.” In considering how she wanted to grow teen engagement at Isaiah, Alex thought, “What a perfect shidduch. Who doesn’t love baking? Who doesn’t love doing more things for MAZON? Who doesn’t love spending time with their friends and learning about Shabbat?”
It all comes back to family. “My zaide, my grandfather, was passionate about anti-hunger organizations. We often would give him donations to MAZON as gifts.” Starting at Isaiah and learning about the legacy of the MAZON dinner, Alex saw it all come full circle. “I get to support a fundraising dinner for this incredible organization, that all these teens feel so passionate about. They get to dress up and impress their parents and grandparents and know that it’s for a really important cause. With my own personal connection to MAZON – it’s special.” L’dor v’dorable indeed.
Looking Ahead
As Stella heads to college, she sees the lasting impact of her experience. “Knowing how to gather a community to support a cause that people care about is really important, because nothing happens unless you do something about it; the courage and the willpower, that’s the important part” she said. For Alex, the tradition continues. “This dinner is a staple of our community. It’s something that brings people back, year after year.”