The International Lion of Judah Conference

Monday, November 8

Tuesday, November 9

6:30 am Registration

7:00 am Breakfast

8:00-9:00 am Thinking It Through: Preparing for a Morning of Service to the New Orleans Public Schools
Doing service work requires preparation: Before we go into the New Orleans schools for our literacy project, we’ll hear from an eminent thinker, philanthropist, educator and others who will offer important background information on the project and frame our work in the larger context of effective communal service.

Speakers: Carol Asher, New Orleans Lion and Representative from a ReNEW Charter School; Shifra Bronznick, President, Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community; Julie Russin Bercow and Leslie Dannin Rosenthal, International Lion of Judah Conference Co-chairs; Marcie Greenfield Simons, Director, The PJ Library© of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

A note of thanks: We are deeply grateful to the The PJ Library© and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation for making today's entire service program possible through their extraordinary donation of time, books, backpacks and other resources. 
 

9:30 am  Buses depart

10:00-11:30 am The Gift of Reading: A New Orleans Service Project
The research is clear: children who read regularly do better in school, and owning their own books gets kids excited about reading. But low-income children have few, if any, books of their own at home. Today, we'll take a small step toward changing that as we deliver backpacks filled with high-quality books to elementary school children in two underfinanced public schools. In addition, each of us will read with a young child, sharing our enthusiasm about books and, equally important, our attention and warmth.

12:00 pm Return to hotel

Speakers: Jon Rosenberg, CEO, Repair the World; Rabbi Joanna Samuels, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community; Julie Russin Bercow and Leslie Dannin Rosenthal, International Lion of Judah Conference Co-chairs; Lori Klinghoffer, President, National Women's Philanthropy.

2:00-3:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS                                                                 
Note: Except where indicated, breakout sessions repeat from 4:00-5:30 pm.                                        

Meet the Authors
(This session will not repeat.)
 

Three prominent women writers will give voice to unique journeys of connecting to Judaism through cultural identity, fictional exploration, and self discovery and reflection.

Moderator: Alice Viroslav, Co-chair, National Young Leadership.

Speakers: Stephen Kiernan, author, Authentic Patriotism: Restoring America’s Founding Ideals Through Selfless Action; Liel Liebowitz, Co-author, The Chosen Peoples: America, Israel, and the Ordeals of Divine Election; Rabbi Naomi Levy, founder of NASHUVA: The Jewish Spiritual Outreach Movement, and author, To Begin Again and Hope Will Find You.

Why Empowering Israeli Women — Jewish and Arab — Is Important to Building a Peaceful and Prosperous Israel  
(This session will not repeat.)

Meet representatives of an Israeli and North American foundation and NGO leaders who are working in partnership to build a better Israel.  The group will discuss innovative education, economic development and other initiatives that are empowering women to transform their families and communities, bringing hope for a positive shared future.  The discussion will focus on how women’s philanthropy can make a difference in Israeli Arab society and help create a path to peace and prosperity for all citizens of Israel.  

Moderator: Carol Smokler, Ph.D., South Palm Beach, NWP Past President and Founding Chair, JFNA Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society.

Speakers: Alisa Robbins Doctoroff, Chair, UJA-Federation of New York and Member of JFNA’s Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society; Ronit Segelman, Deputy Director, Partnership, Rashi Foundation; Vivian Silver, Co-Executive Director, Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development.

WE ARE! NextGen
Meet the Future of Women's Philanthropy
(This session will not repeat.) 

In the next five years, $13 trillion in assets will be handed down from one generation to  the next.  How do we work with the next generation of philanthropists to ensure their individual and family commitment to these causes?  While it can be a heavy burden to follow in the footsteps of philanthropic parents and grandparents, learn from some prominent women who are working to "keep it in the family" and continue to impact positively on society.  You will meet the experts as well as some Next Gen philanthropists who are paving a new path and creating innovative opportunities for this “Now” Generation. 

Facilitator: Lynn Schneider, Board Chair, Medical Development for Israel, Inc. and Yeladim Shelanu--Our Children's Foundation on behalf of Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Director, Helen and Irving Schneider Foundation.

Speakers: Sharna Goldsecker, Vice President, The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies; Stacy Oberman Siwak, 2010 Young Leadership Award Winner, Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Fisher Flight Program Participant; Michelle Waranch, Director, Emerging Leaders and Philanthropists, UJA-Federation of New York.  

How Will Health Care Reform Affect Our Women?
Identifying the Issues, Readying for Change 

Women have made great strides in advocating for more attention and resources to the health issues that affect us. Under the recently enacted Health Care Reform Act, new issues will undoubtedly arise. How to identify these issues and address them in our communities  is one of the subjects we will discuss with help from the former US Supreme Court law clerk who founded Sharsheret, a national organization that provides resources and support for young Jewish women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer.

Moderator: Susan Arnovitz Plasker, Atlanta.

Speaker: Rochelle Shoretz, Executive Director, Sharsheret.

Jewish Action on the Environment

Thinking about how you can green your Jewish community? Horrified by the Gulf oil spill? Want to make a contribution to a clean, healthy, safe world? Building a sustainable future is a spiritual and practical challenge–just the kind that Jews are great at taking on. Join us to find out what works and what resources are available to you in the Jewish community. Learn how Federations are going green, combining agriculture and Jewish communal life, and advocating for clean energy and sustainable policy in the U.S. and Israel.

Moderator: Judy Altenberg, Colorado.

Speakers: Daniel Blain, Senior Vice President, Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland; David Krantz, President and Chair, Green Zionist Alliance: The Grassroots Campaign for a Sustainable Israel; Jakir Manela, Founder and Director, Kayam Farm at Pearlstone; Sybil Sanchez, Director, of COEJL, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. 

It’s easy to give in to cynicism when faced with the violence and hatred of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Even among Jews, those with different opinions have begun to attack each other with unprecedented venom. At this session, you'll meet leaders of two organizations that reject cynicism and that have had genuine success in helping long-time enemies recognize each other's humanity.

Moderator: Pamela Palat Wexler, New York.

Speakers: Dindy Weinstein, Director of Individual Philanthropy, Seeds of Peace; Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Encounter.

We ARE, WE CAN, WE TEACH
The Power of Women in Transforming Education in Israel

Today's Israeli education system faces a number of challenges, not least of which is the poor status of teachers, many of whom are female. Yet it is this very "female power" that is crucial to improving many parts of the educational system--from schools serving disadvantaged groups and minorities, to elementary, secondary and university systems. Investing in innovative educational programs is a key way to strengthen the State of Israel.

Moderator: Rani Garfinkle, South Palm Beach.

Speakers: Professor Zipora Libman, Kibbutzim College of Education; Ambassador Gabriela Shalev, Israel's First Woman Permanent Representative to the U.N., and Incoming Head, Ono Academic College.

Religious Pluralism in Israel: Why We Should Care
While Israel is undergoing an unprecedented renaissance of creative Jewish religious expression, the situation in practice is quite complex. The conversion issue, arrests of women praying at the Western Wall, and Supreme Court cases on gender-segregated busing are just a few examples of how the nexus of politics and religion threaten important freedoms. Learn about the latest developments in Israel, why they are happening, and how we as North American women are impacted by them. Explore the implications with leaders from Israel and North America.

Facilitator:  Rebecca Caspi, Senior Vice President, Global Operations, and Director General, JFNA Israel Office.

Moderator: Ann Baidack Pava, Hartford.

Speakers: Fran Gordon Immerman, Executive Producer and Lyricist of "Sacred Rights, Sacred Song," Board Member, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Past Chair, Cleveland-Beit Shean Region Partnership 2000; Tehila Nachalon, Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, Chair, Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah; Roni Yavin, Executive Director, Beit Midrash Elul.
 

From Storm to Strength: Jewish Women and the Rebuilding of the New Orleans Jewish Community
(This session will not repeat.)

Following Hurricane Katrina, the Jewish Women's Archives partnered with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life to conduct 85 in-depth oral histories with members of the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the Gulf Coast Jewish communities. This session will bring together several of the women interviewed, asking them to reflect, five years later, on what gave them the strength to triumph over tragedy and rebuild their vibrant community.

Moderator: Vivian Cahn, New Orleans.

Speaker: Prof. Karla Goldman, Sol Drachler Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan; Carol Wise, New Orleans, Board Member, JWA.

Strong Women and “Lipstick” Leadership 

If the term "lipstick leadership" strikes you as a throwback to a pre-feminist era, you're wrong. Lipstick leaders are powerful women who proudly acknowledge that their success comes from the unique qualities and sensitivities they have as women. This session, developed by young women at Tel Aviv University’s Sofaer International MBA program, offers a chance to discuss these inspiring leaders and the challenges women face today in terms of power, home, family and work.

Moderator: Jill Namm, Los Angeles-Valley Alliance.

Speaker: Erin Kopelow, Admissions Director and Marketing Coordinator, Sofaer International MBA Program; Laura Buyanovsky and Simona Burbacki, Alumni, Sofaer Internnational MBA Program.

You Can't Take "It" With You:
What Will Your Legacy Be?

There are so many ways in which we leave a legacy for future generations. Indeed, everything we do as Lions will leave such a legacy. In this session, you'll hear from prominent Jewish activists--including one of the world's most renowned Jewish leaders--about the kinds of legacies they hope to leave the Jewish People. This session will inspire you and move you to think meaningfully about the kind of legacy you want to leave.

Moderators: Sharon Weil, Portland, and Debra B. Silversmith, Colorado.  

Speakers: Shoshana Cardin; Author and Activist; Saundra K. Levy, Executive Director, Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana; Sarah Davison, Baltimore; Sandy B. Lenger, Board Member, National Women’s Philanthropy.

Businesswomen and Politics: A New Road To Success? 

Join us for a look at the new phenomenon of women from business entering politics. How is this situation different from past models? Does it hold greater opportunities for women? And how are the situations different and similar in the U.S. and Israel?  

Moderator: Susan K. Stern, New York.

Speakers: Dr. Rachel Adatto, Member of Knesset and Former Deputy Director General, Shaare Zedek Medical Center; Michal Yudin, Founder, Director and Chair, WePower; Ann Lewis, President, No Limits Foundation, Former White House Director of Communications.

4:00-5:00 pm Zahav Reception (by invitation only)
Meet in Hilton lobby to walk together.

4:00-5:30 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Earlier breakout sessions are repeated from 2:30 pm series (excepted where noted), plus:

Slim Peace: Diet for A Peaceful Planet
Peace through weight loss? That was the premise behind Yael Luttwak's 2007 film, "A Slim Peace." Luttwak made headlines by bringing together Palestinian and Israeli women in a weight loss/nutrition group. Since the film, she has run many such groups through her organization, Slim Peace Groups. This is no fairy-tale story of enemies learning to love each other through dieting, but a clear-eyed effort to give women accustomed to hating each other the chance to meet in a positive environment that, if nothing else, will help them lead healthier lives.

Moderator: Judy Schlossberg, Hartford.

Speaker: Yael Luttwak, Filmmaker, Founder and Co-Director, Slim Peace Groups.

How Will Health Care Reform Affect Our Women?
Identifying the Issues, Readying for Change 

Women have made great strides in advocating for more attention and resources to the health issues that affect us. Under the recently enacted Health Care Reform Act, new issues will undoubtedly arise. How to identify these issues and address them in our communities  is one of the subjects we will discuss with help from the former US Supreme Court law clerk who founded Sharsheret, a national organization that provides resources and support for young Jewish women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer.

Moderator: Susan Arnovitz Plasker, Atlanta.

Speaker: Rochelle Shoretz, Executive Director, Sharsheret.

Jewish Action on the Environment

Thinking about how you can green your Jewish community? Horrified by the Gulf oil spill? Want to make a contribution to a clean, healthy, safe world? Building a sustainable future is a spiritual and practical challenge–just the kind that Jews are great at taking on. Join us to find out what works and what resources are available to you in the Jewish community. Learn how Federations are going green, combining agriculture and Jewish communal life, and advocating for clean energy and sustainable policy in the U.S. and Israel.

Moderator: Judy Altenberg, Colorado.

Speakers: Daniel Blain, Senior Vice President, Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland; David Krantz, President and Chair, Green Zionist Alliance: The Grassroots Campaign for a Sustainable Israel; Jakir Manela, Founder and Director, Kayam Farm at Pearlstone; Sybil Sanchez, Director, of COEJL, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. 

It’s easy to give in to cynicism when faced with the violence and hatred of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Even among Jews, those with different opinions have begun to attack each other with unprecedented venom. At this session, you'll meet leaders of two organizations that reject cynicism and that have had genuine success in helping long-time enemies recognize each other's humanity.

Moderator: Pamela Palat Wexler, New York.

Speakers: Dindy Weinstein, Director of Individual Philanthropy, Seeds of Peace; Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Encounter.

We ARE, WE CAN, WE TEACH
The Power of Women in Transforming Education in Israel

Today's Israeli education system faces a number of challenges, not least of which is the poor status of teachers, many of whom are female. Yet it is this very "female power" that is crucial to improving many parts of the educational system--from schools serving disadvantaged groups and minorities, to elementary, secondary and university systems. Investing in innovating educational programs is a key way to strengthen the State of Israel.

Moderator: Ann-Louise Kleper, South Palm Beach.

Speakers: Professor Zipora Libman, Kibbutzim College of Education; Ambassador Gabriela Shalev, Israel's First Woman Permanent Representative to the U.N., and Incoming Head, Ono Academic College.

Religious Pluralism in Israel: Why We Should Care
While Israel is undergoing an unprecedented renaissance of creative Jewish religious expression, the situation in practice is quite complex. The conversion issue, arrests of women praying at the Western Wall, and Supreme Court cases on gender-segregated busing are just a few examples of how the nexus of politics and religion threaten important freedoms. Learn about the latest developments in Israel, why they are happening, and how we as North American women are impacted by them. Explore the implications with leaders from Israel and North America.

Facilitator:  Rebecca Caspi, Senior Vice President, Global Operations, and Director General, JFNA Israel Office.

Speakers: Fran Gordon Immerman, Executive Producer and Lyricist of "Sacred Rights, Sacred Song," Board Member, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Past Chair, Cleveland-Beit Shean Region Partnership 2000; Tehila Nachalon, Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, Chair, Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah; Roni Yavin, Executive Director, Beit Midrash Elul.

Facebook 101:
Making Social Networking Work
Learn how to integrate social networking into your marketing strategies in order to build your community and voice, engage the Next Gen and raise more money. Topics will range from setting up events, the difference between Facebook groups and friends, and basic privacy issues. With 600 million users worldwide, this powerful giant can help immensely with fundraising and marketing--if you know how to use it. 

Speaker: Patti Neumann, Social Networking Chair, National Women's Philanthropy. 

Strong Women and “Lipstick” Leadership 

If the term "lipstick leadership" strikes you as a throwback to a pre-feminist era, you're wrong. Lipstick leaders are powerful women who proudly acknowledge that their success comes from the unique qualities and sensitivities they have as women. This session, developed by young women at Tel Aviv University’s Sofaer International MBA program, offers a chance to discuss these inspiring leaders and the challenges women face today in terms of power, home, family and work.

Moderator: Jill Namm, Los Angeles-Valley Alliance.

Speaker: Erin Kopelow, Admissions Director and Marketing Coordinator, Sofaer International MBA Program; Laura Buyanovsky and Simona Burbacki, Alumni, Sofaer Internnational MBA Program.

You Can't Take "It" With You:
What Will Your Legacy Be?

There are so many ways in which we leave a legacy for future generations. Indeed, everything we do as Lions will leave such a legacy. In this session, you'll hear from prominent Jewish activists--including one of the world's most renowned Jewish leaders--about the kinds of legacies they hope to leave the Jewish People. This session will inspire you and move you to think meaningfully about the kind of legacy you want to leave.

Moderators: Sharon Weil, Portland, and Debra B. Silversmith, Colorado.  

Speakers: Shoshana Cardin; Author and Activist; Saundra K. Levy, Executive Director, Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana; Sarah Davison, Baltimore; Sandy B. Lenger, Board Member, National Women’s Philanthropy.

Businesswomen and Politics: A New Road To Success? 

Join us for a look at the new phenomenon of women from business entering politics. How is this situation different from past models? Does it hold greater opportunities for women? And how are the situations different and similar in the U.S. and Israel?  

Moderator: Betty Kane, South Palm Beach.  

Speakers: Dr. Rachel Adatto, Member of Knesset and Former Deputy Director General, Shaare Zedek Medical Center; Michal Yudin, Founder, Director and Chair, WePower; Ann Lewis, President, No Limits Foundation, Former White House Director of
Communications. 
 

6:30-10:00 pm  FREE TIME: EXPLORE NEW ORLEANS!

10:00-12:00 am  A Taste of the Tribeca Film Festival
Check out one of the great films premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

• The Infidel

• Meet Mahmud Nasir (Omid Djalili), loving husband, doting father and something of a “relaxed” Muslim. Does he pray five times a day? Of course! Well, usually...Does he fast every day of Ramadan? Who's counting anyway? He may not be the most observant, yet in his heart he is as Muslim as they come. After his mother’s death, however, a discovery turns Mahmud's world upside down. He learns that not only was he adopted at birth…but he’s Jewish, and his real name is Solly Shimshillewitz! As Mahmud tumbles headlong into a full-scale identity crisis, the only person he can turn to is Lenny (Richard Schiff), a drunken Jewish cabbie who agrees to give him lessons in Jewishness, starting with how to dance like Topol.

• The Trotsky

  An unusually intense teenager gets the idea that his name defines his destiny in this offbeat comedy. Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel) is a young man who discovers that his birth name is the same as that of Leon Trotsky, the celebrated Russian revolutionary. This coincidence leads Leon to believe that it is his destiny to follow Trotsky’s path as closely as possible —which is a bit difficult when you have rich parents and attend an upscale private school in Montreal.

General Assembly: Closing Day (Learn More)