Giving new meaning to the phrase “open tent Judaism,” United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s Division held its annual Lion Tikva Chai Lunch outdoors this year, under a big, wide tent in the “backyard” of the Sandler Family Campus.
Utilizing new, COVID-necessitated technology, Women’s Cabinet co-chair Barbara Dudley broke away from vacation to join the event live on a big screen TV, welcoming participants and bringing greetings from Israel. Together with co-chair Mona Flax, the two opened the event with a brief campaign update then invited Cabinet Executive Committee member Deborah Casey to announce the Federation’s newest milestone women donors and (as happens each year during this event) to call the names of Endowed Lions of blessed memory (LOJEs).
New milestone donors (women who brought their individual Community Campaign giving to new levels of giving since last year’s lunch) include:
•New Emerald Lion ($25,000+)
Jeri Jo Halprin
• New Ruby Lions ($10,000+)
Marcia Hofheimer and
an anonymous donor
• New Lions of Judah ($5,000+)
Lynn Sher Cohen, Susan Cohen, Lisa Delevie, Susan Eilberg, Rachel Feigenbaum, and Ashley Zittrain
• New Chai Society Donor ($1,800+)
Evelyn Hirsch
The Federation’s newest LOJEs (women who created endowment funds at the Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF) to ensure that their Lion gifts benefit the Jewish community in perpetuity) were recognized with their beautiful LOJE Boards. These unique and beautiful boards, created by local artist Perry Deglandon and photographer Steve Budman, express in words and personal symbols, the dedication of our recently endowed Lions, to ensuring the future of this Jewish community for generations to come. New LOJEs include:
• Stephanie Calliott
• Shari Friedman
• Beth Jaffe
• Jodi Klebanoff
• Marcia Moss
• Renee Strelitz
The UJFT and TJF can now boast 47 endowed lions—with the newest being UJFT Executive Vice President, Betty Ann Levin.
The endowed Lions of blessed memory include:
• Dolores Bartel
• Esther Fleder
• Helen Gifford
• Fay Halpern
• Lee Jaffe
• Sofia Konikoff
• Alma Laderberg
• Phyllis Lannik
• Telsa Leon
• Eleanor Rashkind
• Annette Shore
• Joyce Strelitz
• Sylvia Yavner
Cabinet member Stacie Hofheimer Moss next took the stage to welcome and introduce the event’s featured speaker, Israeli-American actress, activist, and author, Noa Tishby, whose new book, ISRAEL: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, was featured during this year’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival.
In a moderated discussion, Moss posed a wide range of questions to Tishby —about the book and about Tishby’s personal journey from young actress and model to worldwide advocate for the Jewish state. Tishby’s message was clear and important. Israel is at risk on the world stage, and we have the collective power and responsibility to advocate. Her response to the question of “…if or when we might next see her on the ‘big’ or ‘little’ screen” was even clearer: “This is what I do now…. I champion Israel and the Jewish people. This is my fulltime job.”
For more information about becoming a milestone giver in the UJFT Women’s Division, contact Amy Zelenka, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s chief development officer, at 965-6139 or azelenka@ujft.org. If interested in setting up an endowment fund at the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, contact Naomi Sedek at nsedek@ujft.org or 965-6109.
-Amy Zelenka