About Our Honorees:
Laurielynn Barnett
Laurielynn Barnett’s life has long been shaped by a deep commitment to community, service, and connection. Raised in Mexico City, she was immersed from an early age in a culture of volunteering and giving back, values that continue to guide her to this day. A member of Congregation Beth El since 1979, Laurielynn has devoted decades of quiet, steady service to the synagogue and the broader San Diego community. While Beth El is one of her primary volunteer homes, her passion for Tikkun Olam extends far beyond its walls, touching countless organizations and individuals throughout the region. Professionally, Laurielynn is both a realtor and a mediator, roles that reflect her ability to listen, support, and bring people together, skills she brings seamlessly into her volunteer work as well. At Beth El, she is a familiar and welcoming presence at Shabbat services, affectionately describing herself as “the most visible anonymous person” in the congregation. Many know her, yet true to her nature, Laurielynn is far too modest to seek recognition or thanks. In fact, this bio was lovingly written by Beth El staff because Laurielynn was too modest to write these wonderful things about herself. Her service includes supporting aliyahs and honors during services, long-standing involvement with the Tikkun Olam Committee where she helps oversee numerous social action projects, and dedicated leadership as a past member of the Board of Directors. Equally meaningful is the behind-the-scenes support she provides, working closely with clergy and staff to ensure the strength and vitality of the community she loves. At the heart of everything Laurielynn does is her family. She is deeply family-focused and readily acknowledges that she would not be who she is without them. Her generosity of spirit, leadership, and unwavering dedication embody the very values this gala seeks to celebrate.
Susan & Jordan Levin
Susan made her way to San Diego as a college student at SDSU in 1986 and found no reason to leave this beautiful city. Before college, Susan lived with her parents and two brothers in Atlanta, Winnipeg, New Orleans and Irvine while her father served as a Jewish Federation Director in those communities. Jordan arrived in America’s Finest City in 1995. After growing up in Kansas City and Wilmette, IL, Jordan attended MIT in Boston and did his graduate work at University of Michigan. He found work on the east coast but had an opportunity to leave the cold and make his way to California. Jordan has worked for several companies in town including Hewlett Packard, Qualcomm and currently Tandem Diabetes Care. In 2000, Susan and Jordan were introduced at a party Jordan was hosting at his home. Not much was said between the two as Jordan was busy talking with other guests at the party. Fast forward 2 years later, Susan and Jordan met up again at a party sponsored by J-date. Jordan asked for Susan’s phone number and after dating for a little under 2 years, they married in San Diego during a sunny Memorial Weekend. In July 2005 they welcomed their daughter Zoe. She became a big sister in 2008 when Joel joined the family. While trying to meet new moms with little ones, Susan began her involvement with Shalom Baby and attended many mommy and me events around San Diego including at Congregation Beth El. While attending a Yom Haatzmaut celebration at the JCC, Susan stopped at the Beth El booth. The membership director at the time told her about a wonderful Beth El program which encouraged young families to join the synagogue. This decision to join Beth El began a beautiful new chapter for the Levin family. Zoe and Joel both went through the Viterbi Torah School, attended youth group events and had their Bat and Bar Mitzvahs at Beth El. Zoe was active in USY, serving as president her senior year of high school while Joel became a regular shofar blower at High Holiday services. Susan and Jordan have created a Jewish home, celebrating Shabbat and holidays with friends and family. Giving back to their community is important. Susan has volunteered in various capacities at Beth El, JCC, G’mach, Camp Mountain Chai and her children’s schools. While Susan and Jordan have wonderful memories watching their kids grow up surrounded by love and support from the Beth El community, they are excited for their continued involvement at Beth El as they embark on the next chapter as empty nesters in the Fall.
Charles T. Rosen
It was a beautiful day in May 1975. I had just finished golf on a three day vacation when my wife, Liz reminded me that we had an appointment with a real estate person. That was the start of our move to Rancho Santa Fe in the end of June 1976. After unpacking and Coming from New York City we now felt it was time to find a synagogue for the coming high holidays. Previous worshiping was at a 100 year old magnificent Orthodox Synagogue in the upper east side of NYC. A world recognized Rabbi and very involved community were exemplary of everything that a Synagogue represented. My search was kind of a culture shock when I first came upon this very large peace of land topped with a small but not very well kept house. How or why I thought this could be a synagogue to this day is still a mystery? Despite bordering on apoplexy I entered the house to find one person and who on a ladder changing a light bulb. I asked to speak to somebody about member ship and was told for me to speak to the President. I asked how to make that contact and he (Phil) introduced himself. To this day I still cannot explain why I decided that this was the perfect please for my family. The best decision I ever made! My professional life was not in only one arena. My first job was with the Playtex Company. The first year was a salesman covering 220 drugstores up and down the Massachuset Coastlune. My products were rubber baby pants, household rubber gloves and another 3-6 different items. After a year they brought me back hom to the 65 floor of the Empire State Building. Over the years I moved to other positions such as Marketing Director of a division and lastly adding Director of Advertising to that division. It was then time to move on and I spent the next 12 years as a member of the New York Stock Exchange. Phil and I became very close friends. We spent a great deal of time working together on some small projects that I had engaged. But much of our free time was devoted to Beth El. I subsequently joined the Board and over time served two separate terms as President. The next many years were devoted to basically taking a large difficult empty lot and creating a complete Jewish complex for worship, education and celebration! We started with 50 families and a $200,000 dollar mortgage. From that I believe today we are a world class community financially enabled and with professional and lay leadership beyond what we could have ever imagined.
Bret Stephens
Columnist at The New York Times. 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner. Former Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post.
Bret Stephens is a columnist at The New York Times and a 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner for Commentary. He previously served as Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Post. Raised in Mexico City, he studied political philosophy at the University of Chicago and comparative politics at the London School of Economics.
Stephens worked for The Wall Street Journal in Brussels, where he primarily covered European affairs, and later became the paper’s foreign-affairs columnist, focusing on global and Middle Eastern issues. He is the author of America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder. In 2022, the Russian government barred him from entering the country for life.
Read more from Bret Stephens HERE.