Women’s Spring Events Photo Roundup

This spring, the women of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia had a full slate of events that were meaningful, informative and fun — and we have the pictures to prove it!

At January’s Professional Networking Event, women of all ages mingled and noshed, then heard from featured speaker Leslie S. Richards, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Transportation and the state’s highest-ranking Jewish female elected official.

Event Co-Chair Melissa Landay, guest speaker Secretary Leslie S. Richardson and Event Co-Chair Julie Gubernick

Shari Seitz and Kelly Dalsemer

Throughout the spring, Women’s Philanthropy hosted over a dozen opportunities to do mitzvot together, including delivering food with JRA, baking challah with Challah for Hunger and sorting clothing donations for Our Closet – Powered by JFCS. They also visited the Abramson Center for Jewish Life to do a craft project with the older adults who live there.

In April, Women’s Philanthropy’s Pomegranate-level donors (who contribute a minimum of $1,800 annually to the Jewish Community Fund) headed to Manayunk’s Platform Thirty for an event inspired by our communities’ remarkable women. The event featured Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, who is breaking the mold as one of the few female Jewish Orthodox leaders.

Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter shares her story of becoming ordained in the Orthodox community. She plans to open her own woman-led synagogue in South Philly this fall.

Women’s Philanthropy Chair Jodi Miller, Event Co-Chair Ruthi Cohen, Guest Speaker Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, Event Co-Chair Jackie Kaiser and Women’s Philanthropy Campaign Chair Tracy Gordon

Jill Hampton, Mary Relles and Sarah Vogel

Kathi Gubernick, Robin Robbins, Debbie Wilk and Joy Wilf Keiser

Beth Brand, Fran Orkin and Women’s Philanthropy Vice Chair Amy Wittenstein

Joining forces with the Israeli-American Council, our women socialized and heard from physician-turned-entrepreneur Dr. Ayala Laufer-Cahana, whose lifelong passion for healthy living and preventative care led her to co-found an innovative healthy beverage company.

Iris Hami, guest speaker Ayala Laufer-Cahana and Women’s Philanthropy Chair Jodi Miller

Becca Fischer and Cindy Bregman

Nearly 200 women turned out for the Jewish Federation’s annual Women of Vision Spring Advocacy Luncheon, held at Har Zion synagogue in Penn Valley. This year’s theme, “A Woman’s Mind: Emotional Well-Being” allowed guests to hear from author and mental health advocate Amanda Stern about her struggle with an anxiety disorder.

Marcy Shoemaker, Advocacy Co-Chair Marilyn Lieberman, guest speaker Amanda Stern, Women of Vision Chair Marcy Bacine and Advocacy Co-Chair Eileen Dwell

The audience listens to remarks from Amanda Stern

Rosalie Goldberg, Robin Brandies and Karen Model

Elissa Hassman Waldstein, Andrea Gottlieb, Resa Levinson and Melissa Blatstein

Barbara Malamut and Joy Gordon

To learn more about Women’s Philanthropy, click here. To learn more about Women of Vision, click here. Want to see even more event photos? Click here.