2015 Herbert Shore Award Winners

Molly Forrest is a transformational leader in the field aging services nationwide. Her actions and vision benefit all of whom she comes in contact with.

Molly joined the Jewish Home as CEO-president in 1996, and has led the Home through the most ambitious expansion in its history, while overseeing a broad diversified development of Jewish Home programs and services for today’s seniors. Combining a potent blend of vision and pragmatism, Molly is working to ensure the Home meets the needs of an aging Jewish society and the budgetary and legislative challenges that accompany that.

During the 1970’s Molly worked in two governmental positions in Oregon. In Lane County she supervised the State’s second largest senior nutritional program, providing meals in 16 locations county-wide with home-delivered meals as needed. Her second position worked with area not-for-profit and for-profit developers of senior/handicapped affordable or subsidized housing assisting in project design and securing HUD or FHA financing. Her work experience includes direct and corporate administration of skilled nursing and residential care facilities and private consulting for senior living.

Upon joining the Jewish Home, a recognized leading provider of comprehensive senior healthcare in-residence services, Molly led in emphasizing that Home programs should create an environment which would support and build bodies, engage minds, and encourage emotional and spiritual expression. Her passion has allowed the Home to see a period of growth and great revitalization.

Under her leadership, the Home has opened multiple centers with important focuses of care, including, dementia, acute psychiatric hospital, retirement community, hospice, palliative care, care transitions and a school of nursing. Currently, Molly is overseeing the development of Fountainview at the Gonda Healthy Aging Westside Campus and the Hirsch Family Campus, the first new Jewish Home campuses in over a generation. The Gonda Campus will be the first physical presence of the LA Jewish Home outside of the San Fernando Valley in nearly 50 years.

She is a recipient of the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California Allan J. Kassin Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal Health Care Leadership Award, and the Jewish Free Loan Association Ben & Anne Werber Communal Service Award. A graduate of Oregon State University, Forrest is active in a variety of community organizations including a past Chair of the Association of Jewish Aging Services, the California State University Northridge (CSUN) Professional Health Care Administration Committee, the CSUN Alzheimer’s Association Center Advisory Committee, the Geriatric Education and Research Organization, and the council of Agency and Federation Executives.

Eli Feldman is a Jewish communal treasure and nowhere more so than in the New York metropolitan area where he oversees MJHS (formerly known as Metropolitan Jewish Health System). In addition to leading one of the nation’s premier senior care health systems, Eli has been invaluable in helping to lead AJAS. Over the years he has served on virtually every committee, culminating in 2005 with his election as its Chair.

As Chair, Eli served with distinction, leading our association and members through difficult and stressful times. Eli always leads by example and, in chairing our Association, he utilized his considerable experience, insight and talents to help forge a better, stronger and more robust organization. And most importantly, Eli is never too busy to return a call for assistance or share an experience.

A unique success story, Eli began his career as an executive assistant and rose through the ranks to become President and Chief Executive Officer of MJHS, a position he held for 36 years. Under his vision and extraordinary leadership, MJHS grew into a $1.1 billion pioneering health system that provides innovative and compassionate services to frail, at risk, and chronically impaired populations, including: rehabilitation and nursing care, hospice and palliative care, health plans, home care, adult day health care, and senior housing. In addition, Eli was instrumental in the creation of The Center for Jewish End of Life Care, a collaboration between MJHS and UJA-Federation of New York. He was also a driving force behind the recently created MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, which promotes access to evidence-based, specialist-level palliative care, whenever and wherever it is needed across the continuum of health care.

As a recognized expert on chronic and long-term care issues, Eli is frequently asked to speak at conferences that focus on aging and managed care. He has been a member of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s highly influential Medicaid Redesign Team—now known as the Value-Based Payment Work Group, co-chair of the Managed Long Term Care Implementation and Waiver Redesign Work Group, and a critical player in the current Medicaid reform movement.

Eli graduated cum laude with a B.S. in business administration from C.W. Post College of Long Island University. He holds an M.B.A. in hospital administration from Wagner College. He also is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dozens of groups have recognized Eli for his enormous contributions to the health care sector, including LeadingAge, LeadingAge New York, Home Care Association of New York State, Inc., Agudah Women of America, and his own alma mater—C. W. Post College of Long Island University. Eli is one of those rare leaders who make a real and lasting difference, and his impact upon Jewish Aging Services throughout North America will be felt for generations to come.