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Women’s Philanthropy

Why Get Involved with Women’s Philanthropy?

Women philanthropists are the change-makers and community-shapers of the world. Women’s Philanthropy will ignite your passion for giving, learning, friendship and service.

There are so many reasons to consider making a philanthropic commitment of any amount as a woman in your own name. Doing so provides you with your own identity as an investor in our Jewish community. It allows you to stand up and say “Hineni, I am here”

How to Get Involved in Women’s Philanthropy

Pomegranate

Lion of Judah

Jewish Women’s Foundation

Endowments

Social Action​

By increasing your already generous gift to the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County’s annual campaign, you are:

  • Catalyzing deeper engagement and connecting people with Jewish Life
  • Strengthening the network of community partners and agencies with social services, camp, scholarships, mental health, hunger relief and more
  • Increasing awareness to combat antisemitism and hatred
  • Deepening relationship to Israel and global Jewish peoplehood and so much more
  • We are proud to offer a step up program for you to go from one level to the next.
  • Marilyn Comiter
    Board Chair
  • Patti Lehrhoff
    Board Chair
  • Jill S. Bernstein
    Social Action Vice Chair
  • Jillian Benson
    Engagement Vice Chair
  • Sydelle B. Sonkin
    Jewish Women’s Foundation Chair
  • Diane Herzog
    Legacy Vice Chair
  • Hope Silverman
    Major Gifts Chair
  • Isabel Berg
    Member-at-Large
  • Pamela Comiter
    Member-at-Large
  • Vivian Lieberman
    Member-at-Large
  • Helene Weingarten
    Member-at-Large
  • Ronda Starr
    Immediate Past Board Chair
  • Allie Bar-Or
  • Renee Bearak
  • Nancy Beren
  • Sandra Bornstein
  • Nina Botel
  • Joanne Cass
  • Sheryl Davidoff
  • Deedee Daumit
  • Sara Balas Densen
  • Lisa Zwig Gerstein
  • Stephanie Gitlin
  • Barbara Goodman
  • Penny Greenberger
  • Beth Haspel
  • Liz Herman
  • Mimi Heyman
  • Judy Javer
  • Sandy Kant
  • Francine Katz
  • Michelle Kleiman

  • Jodi Kurtis
  • Caryl Levine
  • Karen List
  • Maxine Marks

  • Anita Naftaly
  • Sue Panitch
  • Barbara Peltz
  • Dayle Rakowsky
  • Emily Schachtel
  • Cindy Schlossberg
  • Dania Schwartz
  • Jennifer Shapiro
  • Denise Silverman
  • Lainey Simonson
  • Emily Singer
  • Linda Teitelbaum
  • Amy Terwilleger
  • Judy Volchick 
Beth Wayne
  • Linda Cortell
  • Benjamin
Cynthia
  • Brown
Amy Jonas
  • Lynn Kaston
  • Bente Lyons

  • Zelda Mason
  • Carol Roberts
  • Sandi Rosen
  • Adele Simon

Meet the Board

Meet the Board

Marilyn Comiter

Board Chair

Patti Lehrhoff

Campaign Chair

Jill S. Bernstein

Social Action Vice Chair

Jillian Benson

Engagement Vice Chair

Sydelle B. Sonkin

Jewish Women’s Foundation Chair

Diane Herzog

Legacy Vice Chair

Hope Silverman

Major Gifts Chair

Isabel Berg

Member-at-Large

Pamela Comiter

Member-at-Large

Vivian Lieberman

Member-at-Large

Helene Weingarten

Member-at-Large

Ronda Starr

Immediate Past Board Chair

Allie Bar-Or
Renee Bearak
Nancy Beren

Sandra Bornstein
Nina Botel
Joanne Cass

Sheryl Davidoff

Deedee Daumit

Sara Balas Densen
Lisa Zwig Gerstein 

Stephanie Gitlin

Barbara Goodman 
Penny Greenberger 
Beth Haspel
Liz Herman
Mimi Heyman
Judy Javer
Sandy Kant
Francine Katz
Michelle Kleiman

Jodi Kurtis
Caryl Levine
Karen List
Maxine Marks

Anita Naftaly
Sue Panitch 
Barbara Peltz 
Dayle Rakowsky
Emily Schachtel
Cindy Schlossberg 
Dania Schwartz 
Jennifer Shapiro 
Denise Silverman 
Lainey Simonson 
Emily Singer 
Linda Teitelbaum 
Amy Terwilleger 
Judy Volchick 

Beth Wayne
Linda Cortell Benjamin

Cynthia Brown

Amy Jonas
Lynn Kaston

Bente Lyons

Zelda Mason
Carol Roberts
Sandi Rosen
Adele Simon

Interested in Learning More?

Please contact Melissa Hudson, Vice President of Women’s Philanthropy, at 561.242.6653
or Melissa.Hudson@jewishpalmbeach.org

Pomegranate

The pomegranate is an ancient symbol that carries with it the concept of Judaism for generations. The pomegranate itself contains 613 seeds, equating to the number of commandments in the Torah.
You can show your support for the Jewish community by giving at the Pomegranate Level, which is $1,800 or more to the Annual Campaign in a woman’s name. You are then eligible to purchase a beautiful silver pomegranate pin to wear with pride to show your support.
Are you already giving at the Pomegranate level?  We invite you to add a “seed” or Ruby to your pin for every $250 increase you make.

To learn more, contact Kimberly.Hickey@jewishpalmbeach.org

Lion of Judah

Take pride in your leadership alongside thousands of other dynamic women dedicated to making a difference. By making an annual commitment of $6,000 or more in the Palm Beaches we draw strength and inspiration from fellow Lions, and let the world hear your collective roar. This is your platform to be a driving force in the current needs locally and shaping the future of our Jewish community.

Are you already a proud Lion of Judah?  We invite you to learn about our Step Up Lion program to respond to the increased needs by changing your-eye color.  

By increasing your already generous gift to the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County’s annual campaign you are:

  • Catalyzing deeper engagement and connecting people with Jewish life
  • Strengthening the network of community partners and agencies with social services, camp scholarships, mental health, hunger relief and more
  • Increasing awareness to combat antisemitism and hatred
  • Deepening relationship to Israel and global Jewish peoplehood and so much more

We are proud to offer a Step-Up program for you to go from one level to the next. 

Jewish Women's Foundation

The Jewish Women’s Foundation (JWF) is a network of women united to enhance the lives of women and girls. Committed to fostering enduring social change, we aim to advance the status of all women and girls locally and globally.  We envision a world where gender is not a barrier to safety or success and where all women and girls have equal social, political, economic and religious opportunities. Through strategic and impactful grant-making, JWF empowers our trustees to be advocates, leaders and decision-makers.

Join JWF to have a direct impact on where your philanthropic investment goes. A JWF trustee membership is a tax-deductible contribution of $2,000 per year for three years (totaling $6,000), or $1,000 per year for three years (totaling $3,000) if you’re under 40. As trustees, members are empowered to actively participate in grant-making, serving on committees, reviewing proposals and voting on programs they believe will have the greatest impact. Each trustee has the flexibility to choose their level of involvement in the grant-making process.

If your organization is interested in applying for a JWF grant, we will be accepting Letters of Intent (LOIs) from July 10, 2024, to September 9, 2024.
To learn more, please contact Shari Mac Keen, Director of the Jewish Women’s Foundation, at jwf@jewishpalmbeach.org.

Endowments

How do you want to be remembered? Lions of Judah are women who make individual gifts of $6,000 or more to Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign. With a minimum gift of $120,000 you can perpetuate your gift and create a Lion of Judah Endowment Fund in your name. The annual spendable portion of the Lion of Judah Endowment Fund is used each year to make a grant to Federation’s Annual Campaign FOREVER.

Did you know that you do not have to be a Lion of Judah to make a profound difference in our community long into the future?

To learn more about leaving a lasting impact, please contact Rachel Berg, Executive Director, William A. Meyer Jewish Community Foundation, at 561.242.6612 or Rachel.berg@jewishpalmbeach.org

Social Action

In partnership with the Dorothy & Sydney Kohl Jewish Volunteer Center, Women’s Philanthropy is proud to host Nourishing Knowledge packing parties to address two critical needs in our community – a lack of financial resources to purchase school supplies and provide non-perishable food items for students at Palm Beach County Title 1 schools.

To learn more about Women’s Philanthropy’s commitment to social action, please contact Kimmie Hickey at Kimberly.Hickey@jewishpalmbeach.org

Sustain Your Giving

Your pledge helps power the unrestricted Annual Campaign, supporting the full range of programs and services that strengthen Jewish life. Fill out the form below, and a member of our team will follow up to complete your pledge.

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