JEWISH TIDEWATER
Women’s Division begins the 2022 Campaign Year with diverse and exciting events Amy Zelenka
Ruby Lions learn what is taking place throughout the Jewish world The roar of the Ruby Lions could be heard throughout Virginia Beach as United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s women donors giving $10,000 or greater to the Community Campaign gathered to hear from the newly placed CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) at the home of Martha Glasser. JDC’s first woman CEO, Ariel Zwang, brought greetings from JDC’s professionals around the world, as well as from the beneficiaries that Tidewater’s Campaign dollars help and assist in communities near and far. She spoke about her own personal and professional journey which brought her to her new role—after a lifetime spent leading professional non-profit social service organizations. Zwang took the Ruby Lions on a journey around the Jewish globe to discuss the kinds of challenges that are presenting themselves and which are being
exacerbated by rising antisemitism in seemingly every corner of the world. She also spoke about the emerging challenges posed by the sunsetting of Claims Conference funding, and JDC’s efforts to illustrate the need for continued funding in places that were ravaged by the Nazis and later by Communism. While it’s clear that the challenge of taking care of Jews in need (and of Jewish communities at risk) are great, hearing Zwang talk about the work that she and her colleagues are doing on behalf of the Tidewater community and other Federations who support the JDC, gave the ladies in the room great confidence in the ability to meet the challenges. As Zwang continues to learn and employ her creative problem-solving skills, the JDC will surely continue to improve Jewish life around the world, and it was gratifying for the Ruby Lions who heard her that day, that this Federation continues to play a role in making that happen.
And while on the topic of strong, women leaders… A small group of women’s division leaders met with special guest Ellie Cohanim. A Senior Fellow with the Center for Security
Chef Deanna Freridge instructs participants in the finer points of charcuterie.
14 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
Ariel Zwang, new JDC CEO, meets with Ruby Lions Martha Glasser, Shari Friedman, Stacy Brody, Women’s Cabinet co-chair Mona Flax, UJFT Campaign chair Laura Gross, Women’s Cabinet co-chair Barbara Dudley, Annie Sandler, UJFT chair-elect Linda Spindel, and Jodi Klebanoff.
Policy, Cohanim also hosts a weekly newsmagazine show, Global Perspectives with Ellie Cohanim for the Jewish News Service (JNS) and serves as a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum focusing on U.S. foreign policy. Cohanim previously served as U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at the U.S. Department of State, by appointment of the President of the United States and the U.S. Secretary of State. Cohanim was the State Department’s first Iranian-born Envoy, and she led diplomatic initiatives which resulted in forging groundbreaking partnerships in the Arab world to combat antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and Islamophobia. She also persuaded
Debbie Wilson and Shari Berman.
the first-ever Muslim faith group to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, all as part of the Abraham Accords efforts. Cohanim talked about her early childhood—coming to the United States as a refugee in the immediate aftermath of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, assisted by HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). The family had to completely re-build their lives, and it left an indelible impression. Years later, that experience would lead Cohanim to accept a position with the U.S. government which enabled her to fight the kind of antisemitism from which her family had fled when she was a child. Cohanim also spoke of her immediate past role as Deputy Envoy and her myriad experiences working with foreign counterparts in an effort to improve the treatment
Ellen Wagner designs her board.
