COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

Honoring the Past, Eyes on the Future:
Carly Zimmerman New Chair of Women of Vision
What was one of your most meaningful experiences
AS CARLY ZIMMERMAN STEPS INTO her new role as the
in WOV?
chair of Women of Vision (WOV), two things are certain: She
knows her Jewish community, and she is a fierce advocate for
During my first Grant Review Committee meeting, I remember
women’s rights and empowerment.

several members debating and disagreeing fiercely about a specific
“I’m excited, nervous and feel a healthy amount of pressure
grant proposal. The room was tense and divided. I was nervous
to do ‘big things’ in the next two years,” said Zimmerman, who
about what would happen when the meeting ended, but as the
begins her position in September. “I’m inspired to lead because
room emptied out, I watched in surprise as several of the women
of what my mom has taught me and to create a better world for
that were just minutes ago debating each other made plans for
my daughter, Norah, and her generation. I really want to make
lunch and checked in with each other about their families.

them proud.”
This interaction, which I’ve seen repeat time and time again,
Throughout her impressive career as a Jewish communal
has taught me so much about the importance of respectful
professional, Zimmerman served as the Jewish life director of
debate and disagreement in these particularly polarized times.

Hillel at the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University,
Women of Vision is proof that we can and need to be able to work
CEO of Challah for Hunger and, most recently, senior relation- Incoming Women of Vision
together with people we disagree with and have relationships
chair Carly Zimmerman looks to
ship director at BBYO.

outside our own belief bubbles.

empower Jewish women and
While Zimmerman left the Jewish professional world this past girls through grant-making and
work. year to join her family business, Larson Lightning Protection, advocacy Courtesy
What advice has the outgoing WOV Chair Mindy
of Carly Zimmerman
she remains committed to supporting Jewish life as a lay leader
Fortin given you?
of WOV, an affinity group of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Mindy has taught me an immeasurable amount through her actions and mentor-
that transforms the lives of Jewish women and girls through grant-making and
ship, but the quality I will try to carry on is her commitment to social change. In
advocacy. every conversation, she communicates the importance of our social change grant-
In her current role as WOV Grant Review Committee co-chair, Zimmerman,
making and advocacy and keeps us on mission so that we can accomplish our
along with fellow co-chair Amy Cohen, oversaw grant cycles that allocated
goals. I admire her conviction and tenacity, and the way she brings others into our
dollars from the WOV Endowment Fund to innovative programs in Greater
work. I will continue to look up to her and call her often (thanks, Mindy!).

Philadelphia and in Israel.

This year, WOV members reviewed programs in Israel and voted to grant
How do you think this most recent grant cycle went?
$18,000 a year for two years to ELI for a program that creates systematic change
This was a particularly challenging year. Because of the pandemic and the insta-
through educational programming to reduce sexual abuse against women in
bility of the Israeli government and its inability to pass a budget, there was so
the Israel Defense Forces. The group also granted $25,000 a year for two years
much need from NGOs in Israel. Between the Jewish Federation professional
to Mavoi Satum’s program that reduces gender inequality, discrimination and
team, our committee, Amy, Mindy and me, we read nearly 60 proposals, and
abuse in Israel’s marriage and divorce legal system and advocates for more
every one of them was certainly worthy of support. The challenge was balancing
women representation in the courts.

our mission for social change, which takes time, and the request for direct
“My goal is to honor our past and grow Women of Vision’s impact. I look
service that would help people immediately.

Our committee certainly rose to this challenge. I’m very happy with the level
forward to welcoming more members and increasing our ability to make larger
of engagement from our committee members and our overall Women of Vision
grants to organizations in Philadelphia and Israel,” explained Zimmerman,
community, despite our entire process taking place virtually. I’m very grateful
who is also on the WOV Executive Committee and a member of the Women’s
to Amy as well as Rachel Berger and Tali Lidar for their partnership as Jewish
Philanthropy Board. “Social change and grant-making is at the heart of Women
Federation staff.

of Vision, and I’d like to get as many women involved in this process as possible.”
We spoke with Zimmerman to learn more about her and her journey within
WOV. Is there a hobby or skill that you picked up during the pandemic?
I’m one of the many who joined the Peloton world this year, and I’m unasham-
edly obsessed.

Why and when did you first get involved with WOV?
My first involvement was as an applicant to the WOV grant process. In 2013,
I became the CEO of Challah for Hunger, a nonprofit that seeks to end food
What is something people probably don’t know about you?
insecurity, and Women of Vision was the first Philadelphia group to make a
I recently left the Jewish community as a professional and joined my dad in our
significant grant to support our work. The grant from WOV came with so much
family business — Larson Lightning Protection, Inc. I’m learning so much about
more than financial support.

lightning protection systems and spending a lot of time on construction sites.

Many members of WOV became Challah for Hunger’s (and my) biggest
champions and advocates, and a WOV member even joined our board of direc-
For more information about Women of Vision, contact Shara Swift,
tors. I was surprised and flattered to be asked to join a few years later, and it was
Jew ish Federation’s Af f inities & Donor Engagement Manager, at
a very easy “yes” because of the relationships I’d formed with WOV members.

sswift@jewishphilly.org. 16
JULY 15, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



L ifestyle /C ulture
A Twist on Caprese
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
CAPRESE SALAD is the
quintessential summer dish —
ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil,
a drizzle of the best olive oil,
fresh mozzarella — really, it’s
the season in a colorful bowl.

I had fun this week riffing
on this dish, taking it out
of the salad bowl and into a
soufflé. I also experimented
with it as a potato salad, which
was dee-lish. Because it is still
a tad early in the season for
tomatoes, I ended up roasting
them before using, which, as my
husband and most honest food
critic commented, is not very
summery. But it is a good back-
pocket trick for these glorious
orbs if they are less than perfect,
or under/over ripe.

As the harvest arrives in the
coming weeks and we enjoy
this glorious bounty, skip
the roasting step and use the
tomatoes in all their splendor.

CAPRESE SOUFFLÉ
Serves 2
Regular readers may recognize
this simplified soufflé technique
from a previous column. It is
a slightly less-fluffy version,
rather more-custardy, but it is
significantly easier, as it does
not involve separating the eggs
and whipping the whites.

I used the caprese ingre-
dients and a blend of grated
mozzarella and
ground Parmesan, but you could adjust
this according to preference,
or skip the cheese and have a
pareve dish, if desired. It will
be lighter and less salty without
the cheese, so you may wish to
add a pinch more salt to it if
you go that route.

A note on the tomatoes:
If they are at their peak, you
can just chop them and save
the juice to include in the
mixture, skipping the roasting
step altogether. Roasting
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM concentrates the flavor, delivers
a bit more complexity and depth
to the dish and brings a jammier
texture to the tomatoes, but for
a summer meal, you can skip
this if you want.

1 cup roasted tomatoes,
with juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
A handful of basil leaves
(scant ¾ cup), rinsed and
sliced into ribbons
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
¾ cup grated mozzarella
cheese ¼ cup ground Parmesan
cheese Roast the tomatoes: Heat
your oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking dish with parch-
ment and spread the rinsed
tomatoes in a single layer.

Drizzle them with olive oil
and toss to coat. Sprinkle them
lightly with salt and pepper.

Roast them in your oven for
about 25 minutes until the
tomatoes are slightly charred,
bursting and a bit jammy.

If you have more than 1 cup
of less-than-perfect tomatoes
lying around, double or triple
this; these are delightful
tossed over pasta, smeared on
a sandwich or mixed into a
salad. Remove the tomatoes from
the oven and lower the heat to
350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart
baking dish with oil; set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt
the butter and add the flour.

Mix with a whisk to form a
smooth paste. When thick-
ened, add milk and continue
whisking until a uniform and
creamy texture is achieved,
about 2 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk the
eggs with the cheese, tomatoes,
basil, salt and pepper. Add the
milk mixture, and whisk until
blended. Pour the mixture
into the prepared baking dish
and bake for 25-30 minutes
until done — the soufflé will
be puffed up, the center will
be solid and the edges will
be slightly browned, pulling
away from the pan. Serve
immediately. CAPRESE POTATO SALAD
Serves 4
If you read my column
regularly, you are familiar with
my love affair with potatoes.

I am forever seeking ways to
integrate these beloved roots
into my daily meals. Since I
had leftover roasted tomatoes
and a basil plant in my garden
just bursting with leaves, this
seemed like a good experi-
ment to try. And it worked! We
served it with grilled chicken
and a green salad, and it was a
perfect summer meal.

I used red bliss potatoes
because they were on sale at the
supermarket, but any potato
can be used here. Peel if you
wish; I don’t.

8 medium-sized red bliss
potatoes (a little smaller
than your fist)
1½ cups roasted tomatoes
with juice (see recipe
above for technique)
½ cup fresh basil leaves
chopped in ribbons
¼- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Generous grinding of fresh
pepper 1-2 tablespoons of best-
quality olive oil
Caprese soufflé
Rinse the potatoes well,
and cut them into bite-sized
pieces. Place them in a large
pot of water with a pinch of
salt. Bring the water to a boil
Caprese potato salad
and cook for about 25 minutes
until the potatoes are soft when
pierced with a fork. Drain and or the basil will “cook.”
cool. Do not add remaining
Add the tomatoes, basil, salt
ingredients to potatoes until and pepper. Stir. If the salad
they cool to room temperature seems too dry, add a tablespoon
JEWISH EXPONENT
or two of olive oil. Mix again.

Taste for seasoning; add salt
and pepper, if needed. Serve at
room temperature or chilled. l
JULY 15, 2021
17