WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY
Beginning anew, in a New Year By Amy Zylberman JFLV Director of Community Development Starting anew always presents an abundance of opportunities. Starting anew during the month of Elul expands and increases those opportunities tenfold, and it is not lost on me that I get to begin my journey as the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s new director of community development during Elul. I look at Elul as a sort of crescendo we are immersed in until we as a community stand before the piercing blast of the shofar during the High Holidays. How best to experience this crescendo? I believe an answer lies in looking inward, reaching outward. Reaching into my own heart, I know I could not have made a better decision than to have joined everyone here in the Lehigh Valley in this role. From the second my announcement
was made and friends and acquaintances reached out to build bridges for me in Allentown and beyond to reading the Annual Reports from previous years and seeing what a broad difference a tight-knit, generous group can make, I know that my work will add great meaning to my life. That awareness as I set out in this role is enough to make a new year sweet. I am delighted that this work of reaching out is so significant in the work I am taking on here. After my first few meetings with Beth Kushnick, president of Women’s Philanthropy, and other dedicated women taking charge in the Lehigh Valley, I felt a renewed energy and deep sense of purpose - engagement and outreach are pillars that have meant so much to me as a resident of small but strong Jewish communities all my life. When I was an undergraduate in college, I founded my school’s first Hillel. I know deeply the value of having a
space to gather to confidently express myself as a Jew. When that space exists and is set up to warmly welcome others, incredible things are possible. My career trajectory was certainly mapped out after I realized what wonderful things happened for me because of Jewish organizations - now, taking ownership of this work, I cannot wait to find out what destinations lie within the personal maps of our community members. Women’s Philanthropy affinity groups like Lion of Judah, Pomegranates, Newish and Jewish, and the newer Women Empowering Women initiative and Chai club were born out of passion, out of shared values, and a desire to belong to something bigger than one’s self. I will be overcome with joy to see firsthand what brought our community leaders to the table and to recognize how imperative the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley table is itself.
SPONSORED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY’S WOMEN’S DIVISION
welcoming new babies to the Lehigh Valley If you’re expecting, know someone who is, or have a new baby, PLEASE LET US KNOW! Contact Abby Trachtman, 610-821-5500 | abbyt@jflv.org
Handmade Afghans
BY EVA LEVITT
All proceeds benefit projects in Israel:
Food Banks in Israel Neve Michael Youth Village
For prices or to place an order, call Eva 610-398-1376.
All payments are made payable to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY
