About our Visionary Donors
We are deeply indebted to our visionary donors whose vision for and trust in Chabad NP and Chai Preschool enabled the dream of having a permanent home to come true.
Fran & Bobby Lent
Lent Chabad Center
Jack & Candee Klein
Synagogue Dedication in memory of Asher Lemel and Sedonia Klein
Eva Chernov Lokey
Chai Preschool: Eva Chernov Lokey Early Childhood Education Center
If Eva Chernov Lokey were alive today, she would probably say "it was meant to be" regarding the donation to help build the new Chai Preschool. It was one of her often used phrases, especially when something expected did not happen but later on resulted in something even better happening. In the case of Chai Preschool, not only is the donation is a good thing from the start, it also completes a full circle. When Esty and Yossi first moved to California, Eva was one of the first people they met. She enjoyed having them over to visit, talk about Judaism and show them and their daughter her Judaic collection of menorahs, tzedakah boxes and other items.
Eva Chernov Lokey was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her parents and older brother (and a sister who later died) escaped from Russia during the pograms. Eva was raised in an Orthodox family by parents who worked very hard to provide a home for their family in a new country. Eva received a BA from the University of British Columbia and moved to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley for graduate school. She met her husband, Lorry, and together they had three daughters. Two very strong values in the Lokey household were education and Judaism. The Lokey girls were expected to study hard, do well in school and attend college. Although a Reform household, much of Eva's Orthodox upbringing was clearly reflected in the observance of holidays and Shabbat dinners.
Eva and Lorry taught their daughters the value of giving from an early age. Even before the success of their business, the couple contributed to many causes close to their hearts - almost exclusively education or Jewish oriented. This continued for years, and due to the success of their company, significantly impacted local and national non-profits.
In the years after her divorce, Eva continued to focus her donations to education and Jewish related causes. Many times she even combined the two, such as her donations to both Stanford University and SF State University to fund a Judaic chair and create a Judaic department, respectively.
Eva was also very active both as a contributor and Board member at the PJCC. She enjoyed meeting the teachers at the preschool there where many years earlier her own girls had attended the PJCC "nursery school."
