last word
JEWISH FEDERATION CO-CHAIR
Gail Norry
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
T hough she spends her days at work
committed to Jewish community
growth, the love of Judaism doesn’t stop
at Gail Norry’s doorstep.

The co-chair of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia board balances
her job with hosting Shabbat and holiday
dinners at her family’s Center City home,
welcoming guests and colleagues. The
South Philadelphia Shtiebel member
abides by the principle of “Kol yisrael
arevim zeh bazeh,” that each of us is
responsible for one another.

“It’s building stronger Jewish commu-
nity because we have that sense of
responsibility of taking care of one
another,” she said.

Over the past two-and-a-half years of
Norry’s term as co-chair, which wraps
up later this year, building a stronger
community has been her priority. Norry,
58, helmed the organization through
its hiring of CEO and President Michael
Balaban and the restructuring of its
leadership, such as the hiring of Livvy
DiCaro as chief financial officer.

The Jewish Federation has worked to
be more transparent about finances with
its board and strengthen its fundraising
campaign. The organization is finalizing the
sale of its building at 2100 Arch St., result-
ing in savings of $5 million a year, which
can be reinvested in community interests.

Other parts of the job have had a
profound personal impact on Norry,
such as a March 2022 trip with Balaban
to the Polish border to visit Ukrainian
refugee families aided by the Jewish
Federation’s emergency campaign fund.

“It’s just been a tremendous oppor-
tunity for me to not only see Jewish
communities around the world, but to
see the impact of the dollars that we
raise,” Norry said.

Norry was once on the other side
of the Jewish Federation’s campaigns,
32 MARCH 16, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
giving dollars before getting to see
firsthand the impact. Her Conservative
Jewish upbringing in Cherry Hill, New
Jersey, instilled in her a love of Judaism,
which stayed with her through college.

At the end of 1984 during Operation
Moses, in which the Israel Defense
Forces airlifted 8,000 Ethiopian Jews
from Sudan to Israel, Norry dropped off
her first check to the Jewish Federation
to assist in the mission. It was an auspi-
cious moment in Norry’s life: Not only
was it the beginning of her involvement
in the Jewish Federation, but it was the
moment she met her husband Elliot, the
man who collected that first check.

The couple moved to Philadelphia
when Norry was pregnant with their
first child. She immediately joined what
was then the Jewish Federation’s Young
Women’s Division, now part of Women’s
Philanthropy. She became involved in
the women’s campaign and joined the
National Young Leadership Cabinet.

The role of women in Jewish
Federation’s fundraising projects
remains crucial, according to Norry, not
only in raising dollars for the organiza-
tion, but in creating a network of friend-
ship and mentorship.

“It definitely helped establish the
power of women,” she said. “And I just
feel like it has provided me with a lot of
leadership development.”
Women’s Philanthropy also expands
the impact of Jewish women beyond
the home, where they set the tone for
fostering Jewish practices and values in
their families.

When Norry’s son was diagnosed with
autism at age 3, Norry had to step up
and lead both her family and the greater
community. The Norry family had enrolled all of
their children at Perelman Jewish Day
School, but her son needed accommo-
dations, sometimes additional one-on-
one time with teachers and sometimes
a teaching aide to guide him in social
interactions. Norry, who was asked to be on the
board of the school, met with new
Headmaster Jay Leberman, who came
from a school in Chicago with a special
needs program. They spoke with other
board members and Jewish Federation
leaders who agreed to partner with the
school to create OROT, a special needs
program that would help provide accom-
modations to students with disabili-
ties. The Jewish Federation was the
backbone of the program, and Norry
served as founder and co-chair.

“If Federation had not been there, I don’t
think we would have been able to get the
program started,” Norry said. “It really
shows the importance of having a commu-
nity convener, which I think is an essential
role in a strong Jewish Federation.”
Though she heavily credits the Jewish
Federation, Norry’s work at OROT has
been a valuable lesson to her and is
one she hopes can teach others in
the Jewish community looking to get
involved. “This is just an example for people to
see the impact that any one person can
have,” she said. 1
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com Courtesy of The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
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