Women health-care workers carve out niche in Maimonides
By Dr. Karen Dacey Maimonides Society
“I’ve been hoping for something like this for 10 years,” said one participant in the roundtable discussion of women health-care professionals on Sunday, May 7, at the JCC. This summit of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s Maimonides Society brought together nutritionists, nurse midwives, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, psychologists and physicians. The morning was planned and moderated by me, Dr. Andrea Goldsmith, nurse practitioner Margo Lightman, and art therapist and bereavement counselor Lauren Rabin. The brunch started with a welcome from Goldsmith,
who framed the morning as an opportunity to foster camaraderie and community. Dr. Zach Goldsmith, president of Maimonides (and Andrea’s husband), shared the mission of the society. I asked the 15 participants to consider how the society and the greater community can support them in their work and, in turn, how they can contribute to the larger mission of the Jewish Federation. Lightman spoke about the importance of women working in health care and cited studies that show improved health outcomes for patients when women are an integral part of the healthcare team. Rabin then led the women in a focused group discussion, drawing on feedback from participants. The participants spanned generational lines, with
clinicians who have been in practice 20-plus years and others who are earlier in their careers, facing challenges such as balancing work with raising a young family. Many of the participants liked that space was carved out for women to support women professionally. Some believed the organization can look inward to its members for support and outward to the larger community as a service to those in need. Outpatient clinicians were happy to connect with colleagues who are not otherwise a part of their dayto-day life. Others were happy to reconnect with the Jewish community after a hiatus. One participant expressed appreciation for the childcare that was provided for this event as essential to her being able to attend. All in all, the participants were excited about
shaping the future of the Maimonides Society with diversity, inclusivity and warmth. Jeri Zimmerman, executive director of the Jewish Federation, encouraged the women to build on the strong foundation established at this event. The Federation wants to respond to the needs of the community and understands that female clinicians are an integral part of it. The participants all agreed with Zimmerman’s sentiment that a strong Federation makes for a strong Jewish community, which can then attract other Jewish individuals and families to the Lehigh Valley. The morning was a success in capturing the essence of female clinicians in the Lehigh Valley and carving out a niche
the JCC. While contributions to the program are typically limited to businesses, the Lehigh Valley Jewish Foundation has created a Special Purpose Entity (SPE), the Lehigh Valley Jewish Scholarship LLC, to allow individuals access to the state-offered tax credit. The SPE acts as a separate entity whose sole mission is to provide needs-based scholarships to the JDS and JCC. “This is a fairly straightforward program that provides a win-win situation for all involved,” said Julia Umansky, director of gift planning and EITC at the Jewish Federation. “Let’s say you owe $10,000 in state taxes as an individual tax payer. You apply to the Jewish Foundation’s SPE to be
a contributing member and send a $10,000 check to the entity. This money is distributed to the local schools the Federation supports, and you receive a 90% state credit — a 90% state tax credit in this situation. It’s that simple.” Since participating in the Pennsylvania EITC program, the Jewish Federation has been able to distribute over $3 million in scholarships benefitting low-income families of the JCC and JDS. Since the establishment of the SPE in 2019, it has raised and contributed over $700,000 in scholarship money to local schools. This equates to over $630,000 in tax credits being applied to individual contributors. The deadline for first-time business participants is July 1,
and Umansky is available to walk you through the application process to make it easy and straightforward. You can contact her directly at julia@jflv.org or 610-821-5500, ext. 331. For individuals, there’s almost always an opportunity to participate, and Umansky will help you with this process and any questions you may have. The SPE is always looking for donors in the community to sign up as contributors and it takes contributions on a first-come, first-serve basis. The foun-
for women health-care providers within the Jewish community. The feedback from it will shape future planning and growth within the community. Within days of this summit, two women health care professionals joined the society. For information about joining, contact Dr. Zach Goldsmith at zach.g.goldsmith@gmail. com or Aaron Gorodzinsky at aaron@jflv.org. Dr. Karen Dacey, a former president of the Maimonides Society, is an ophthalmologist with the Valley Eye Group in Bethlehem who specializes in cataract surgery.
Fund kids for Jewish school just by paying taxes — really!
By Julia Umansky Director of Gift Planning and EITC
It’s true! Individuals and businesses can direct their personal and/or business taxes — money you would need to pay anyway — toward Jewish school scholarships. Here’s how it works: Eligible taxpayers can receive tax credits of up to 90% through Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program for contributions to a scholarship organization. In the Lehigh Valley, the Jewish Federation serves as a local supporting organization administering EITC scholarship monies to the Jewish Day School and
dation encourages you to communicate with your tax adviser to determine your estimated taxes before making your contribution to the SPE. For more information, application forms and step-by-step instructions, you can also visit jewishlehighvalley.org/ eitc.
MAIMONIDES SOCIETY Community Celebration
& ANNUAL MEETING
Happy Hour
JOIN THE JEWISH FEDERATION for an Israeli-style picnic at the JCC to celebrate our 2023 award winners, leaders and volunteers!
THURSDAY, JUNE 8 6:00 P.M. @ THE JCC
Register at jewishlehighvalley.org/calendar
5:30 - 7:00 PM WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023 GRILLE 3501 SCAN TO REGISTER
SCAN TO REGISTER
HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JUNE 2023 7
