HEADLINES
LOCAL Phoenix hosts 50th anniversary of Lion of Judah conference
SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
M ore than 1,000 women gathered in
Greater Phoenix Dec. 11-13, for The
Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA)
Lion of Judah conference, which celebrated
its 50th anniversary of the Jewish women’s
philanthropic movement started by the late
Norma Kipnis-Wilson and Toby Friedland in
Miami, Florida, in 1972.

The group was founded to recognize
women who contribute $5,000 or more
annually to their Federation in their own name.

At that time, $5,000 (equivalent to $27,500
today) was the cost of resettling a family of
four from the Former Soviet Union to Israel,
according to a JFNA spokesperson.

“This conference is about empowered
women who are Jewish philanthropists, the
Lions of Judah, of the Jewish Federations of
North America. We have not been together
since COVID began and we are 1,200 strong
who are learning, singing, sharing what it is to
be a powerful woman who believes in giving
back,” Dana Keller, chair of the board of the
Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, told
Jewish News.

“Celebrating Women’s Empowerment,”
the opening plenary featured high-powered
and celebrity speakers and panelists, including
former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords from
Arizona; U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning from
North Carolina; and Katie Couric, journalist
and author.

“This year’s conference is an opportunity
to celebrate this unbelievable cadre of women
leaders who are touching countless lives and
strengthening Jewish communities around
the globe through their collective giving,”
said Carolyn Gitlin, chair of National Women’s
Philanthropy of The Jewish Federations of
North America.

The conference included sessions and
dialogue around issues facing the Jewish
community such as justice and equity,
communal belonging, responses to
antisemitism, access to reproductive health
and socially conscious giving.

Sheila Katz, CEO of National Council of
Jewish Women (NCJW), was a panelist in a
session focusing on the consequences of the
U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this summer to
overturn Roe v. Wade. She also addressed issues
facing women and families more generally.

“Some of the negative things happening
around the assaults on reproductive rights,
around the impact of COVID on moms and
families, especially as the world tried to open
back up before childcare was accessible, are
some of the reasons people turn to NCJW.

We are a voice pointing out some of these
challenges and what it means to open up a
workforce when it’s not quite ready for women
and families,” she told Jewish News.

Katz arrived in Phoenix soon after attending
a Biden administration roundtable on
antisemitism led by Douglas Emhoff, the
Jewish second gentleman.

“You can’t exist as a Jewish organization and
not focus on antisemitism. So even though
NCJW’s priorities tend to be in the space of
women, children and families, we also have to
focus on antisemitism because we’re unable to
do our work unless we address the challenge it
presents,” she said.

Sigal Kanotopsky, Jewish Agency for Israel’s
Northeast regional director, also spoke at the
conference and told attendees a bit about her
personal story growing up in Ethiopia and
making her way to a Sudanese refugee camp
with her family before making aliyah in 1983.

The Jewish Agency’s mission is to further
Israel’s engagement by connecting people of
all ages to Israel while simultaneously building
Jewish identity.

“Thirty-nine years ago, I was on the other
side of the globe and now I am in this position,
helping other Jews fulfill their dream of being
in Jerusalem,” she said.

She found the conference inspiring “as a
woman, as a Jew, as an Israeli” because it was
an opportunity to meet new friends and spend
time with old ones. Being part of a chain of
NCJW CEO Sheila Katz speaks at the NCJW AZ
brunch event on Sunday, Dec. 11, ahead of the Lion
of Judah Conference’s plenary.

COURTESY OF SYDNEE SCHWARTZ/GOOD EYE! MEDIA
women is a privilege, she said.

“My story is our story.”
Fifty-eight women from 58 Federation
communities received the 2022 Kipnis-
Wilson/Friedland Award, which recognizes
female leaders who embody the spirit and vision
of Lions of Judah through a commitment to
tzedakah, tikkun olam and community service.

Lions of Judah have collectively raised more
than one billion dollars to aid vulnerable Jews
around the globe, and today over 18,000
“Lions” are making high-impact gifts through
their philanthropy. JN
For more information, visit jewishfederations.org.

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JEWISH NEWS
JANUARY 6, 2023
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