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.

A Meet the Jewish Federation’s
New Campaign Chairs:
Michele S. Levin and Bill Glazer
s a new Annual Campaign year starts,
the Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia is coming out of the gate
strong with its campaign co-Chairs Michele S.

Levin and Bill Glazer at the helm.

Announced as the new chairs in August,
Glazer and Levin bring with them a wealth of
experience to champion the critical work and
impact the Jewish Federation makes locally, in
Israel and around the world.

Following in the footsteps of immediate past
campaign Chair Sherrie Savett, the two will
build upon her tremendous success of raising
critical dollars for Jewish education, social ser-
vices and Israel engagement. And should the
need arise for emergency dollars to be raised
to meet an immediate need, they will lead that
effort as well.

These communal needs are of no surprise
to Levin and Glazer, who are deeply con-
nected within the Jewish community, in addi-
tion to being prominent figures in the Greater
Philadelphia business community.

Glazer founded Keystone Development +
Investment in 1991, which has grown to a
full-service real estate operating enterprise. He
has invested and developed millions of square
feet of properties, many of which have changed
the landscape of the Greater Philadelphia area.

In addition to a very busy work schedule,
Glazer also prioritizes time to lend his expertise
to nonprofit boards and participate in many
professional organizations.

“It was an honor to have been approached early
in my career to help create the Jewish Federation
Real Estate affinity group,” said Glazer, a founding
member and a JFRE Executive Board member.

“I’m proud of all that JFRE has accomplished
over the years, bringing leaders in the real estate
industry together to learn, network and make a
philanthropic impact in the world.”
Levin is the president of MSL Consulting
Group, specializing in executive coaching, stra-
tegic planning and leadership development, and
is a coach for BetterUp. She has also made a mark
within the local and national Jewish community.

10 SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Bill Glazer
Courtesy of Bill Glazer
Levin serves on the Jewish Federation of
Greater Philadelphia’s Women’s Philanthropy
Board, and she is the chair of the Negev Now
Network and an alum of the Jewish Federations
of North America’s National Young Leadership
Cabinet. She is a past president of Jack M. Barrack
Hebrew Academy and, most recently, co-chaired
the Head of School Search Committee.

“I have enjoyed a long and fulfilling volun-
teer leadership career threading through much
of the Jewish community,” said Levin, who
is also on the board of trustees at Har Zion
Temple and previously served on the national
board at Americans for Ben-Gurion University
and board of Jewish Learning Venture. “The
coveted role of campaign co-chair is an oppor-
tunity for me to bring together my passion for
the global Jewish community and interest in
strengthening Jewish engagement in Greater
Philadelphia.” Levin’s professional experience will prove
useful in her efforts to engage with others who
care so deeply for the Jewish community and
want to make a difference.

“I want to see the Philadelphia Jewish com-
munity significantly increase its support of
our local Jewish community, the global Jewish
community and the state of Israel,” she said.

Levin and Glazer are eager to get started.

Glazer is confident that the Jewish Federation
is well positioned to be a priority among Jewish
philanthropists. “I’ve accepted this position so that I
may help board co-Chairs Gail Norry and
David Adelman unlock the potential of the
Philadelphia Jewish community and to elevate
the Jewish Federation’s perception and stand-
ing among Jewish philanthropists,” Glazer
explained. “I look forward to igniting a passion
for giving within others in the community.”
*** Michele S. Levin
Courtesy of Michele S. Levin
Join Glazer and Levin in doing good that
goes everywhere. Visit jewishphilly.org/
donate to learn more.




YOU SHOULD KNOW ...

Lori Salkin
HEATHER M. ROSS | STAFF WRITER
Courtesy of Lori Salkin
M atchmaking isn’t always a straightforward process. Setting
up two people who share the same values is a full-time
job, as professional matchmaker Lori Salkin knows well.

Salkin, 40, is a relationship expert, dating coach and senior match-
maker at SawYouAtSinai.com and YUConnects.com and has been for
more than 10 years.

Her first match was struck in college when she set up her brother
with her roommate. Since then, Salkin has been responsible for 55
marriages. Matchmaking takes up most of Salkin’s day and some of her nights,
but she still manages to find plenty of time to spend with her family
and invest in her community. She serves on the board of directors
at Kohelet Yeshiva and the Union Fire
Association in Bala Cynwyd.

“I don’t sleep much. I don’t have
much free time. I tend to work until
midnight or 1 a.m. every day. I don’t
have time to watch TV anymore,”
Salkin said.

But matchmaking is her passion,
and the successes make everything
worth it.

“I enjoy what I do. It’s very, very
fulfilling to know how many couples
I’ve brought together. These people
become your family — you hold them
when they cry, celebrate with them,”
Salkin said.

Since the start of the pandemic,
many have turned to dating apps to
find companionship. While nearly half
of all U.S. adults have used a dating
site or app, only 12% reported being in
a committed relationship or marriage
with someone they met through a dat-
ing app, according to a 2020 survey by
Pew Research Center.

“Everybody was in a complete state
of panic that they wouldn’t meet some-
body. The opportunities were so dimin-
ished with everybody in lockdown,”
Salkin said.

According to Salkin, a major differ-
ence between traditional matchmaking
and apps is that most dating profiles
read like a list of facts: how tall some-
one is, how old they are, what they like
to do and where they’re from.

Salkin said those bios lack personal-
ity, and that the best way to get to know
someone is to talk to them.

“Matchmaking is more personal: It
tells you about their heart, their soul
and their strengths,” she said.

That’s not the only gap in dating
apps, according to Salkin.

“In-person meetings really make the
difference,” she said, “You learn a lot
more about them and get a real sense
of who they are.”
For Salkin, the process starts
when she reads a client’s profile on
SawYouAtSinai.com. She then calls
them and gets to know them. Those
initial conversations typically revolve
around their personality, past relation-
ships and the reason they’ve sought out
a matchmaker or dating coach.

She also spends a lot of time talking
with parents.

“Your parents know you best. They’ve
known you your whole life; they have
information I may not have,” Salkin
said. Talking to parents helps Salkin get
a better idea of values and desires her
clients have.

“I think about shared values. We each
have a set of values. People talk about
the common background or common
interests, but it’s not the shared back-
grounds; it’s the shared values that
people mix up with backgrounds,”
she said.

When it comes to love, there’s a
lot to learn from older generations,
Salkin said.

“The way our parents did it and our
grandparents did it was right. Sit down
face to face and get to know somebody
without going through all their social
media. The way to meet someone is to
talk to them, not Google search them,”
she said.

Salkin found love that way at Boston
University. She was selling tickets
for an event, and her future husband
bought one from her. The next day,
he sent her a message via the student
portal and asked her to go for coffee.

Salkin wasn’t quite sure who he was,
as she had sold a lot of tickets that day,
but she was willing to give it a chance.

Salkin arrived early to their
would-be date, and so did he. But when
he arrived, Salkin had second thoughts
and stood him up at the last minute.

A day later, he messaged her, and they
ended up rescheduling and going on
several more dates.

During one date, they were walking
Salkin’s family dog when it hit her.

“Something clicked in my brain. I
realized I like this guy. I got all ner-
vous. What am I wearing? Why am I
holding a dog?” she said.

Now, they’ve been married for 17
years and have four children.

Salkin shared some wisdom about
what you can look forward to in a last-
ing partnership and how it gets better
with time.

“When it comes to true love, to
engagement, to the wedding night,
your love continues to grow and get
deeper and deeper,” Salkin said. JE
hross@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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