We have a rare and inspiring lineup for Sunday evening's program.
Let us introduce them to you.
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Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller
Panelist
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller is the thirty-first Mayor of Newton and the first woman Mayor in Newton's history. From leading her neighborhood association, analyzing Newton's finances on commissions and serving four terms as a City Councilor At Large for Ward 7, Mayor Fuller has passionately served Newton over her twenty-five years of living in the city.
A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business School, Mayor Fuller has decades of experience as a strategic planner in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Mayor Fuller brings a collaborative, strategy-driven approach to managing the City. She emphasizes data-driven decisions, frequent communication, and respect as essential to getting things done in the right way. Her priorities for Newton include proactively developing master plans for village centers and commercial corridors, making our schools the best in Massachusetts, strengthening Newton's financial health, and fixing the roads and infrastructure. Mayor Fuller pays particular attention to children, seniors and those with special challenges.
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Reut Weksler
Panelist
CEO of "Yesodot Lechmicha Dror," an NGO, under the Dror Israel umbrella, that operates dozens of educational, cultural and social projects in Israel with emphasis on working with youth. The NGO established a network of educators' collectives, located throughout Israel, focused on the geographic, social and economic periphery. In 2016, the NGO consisted of 1,350 volunteers and over 150 employees. It received financial support from five government offices, with a total financial turnover of 26 million NIS
.
In addition, Reut is a board member of MAKOM, an umbrella association composed of 14 different organizations spanning every sector of Israeli society. Those organizations represent 200 groups and communities (secular, religious, Druze, Ethiopian, Ultra-Orthodox and more) with over 16,000 members that reach half a million beneficiaries year-round.
Reut is
currently completing a certificate program in Social Justice at Harvard University.
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Lauren Corduck
Panelist
Lauren Corduck founded Oneinforty in the spring of 2017, shortly after being diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer caused by a BRCA gene mutation that she unknowingly inherited from her father. Oneinforty is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of the one-in-forty risk to Ashkenazi Jews of inheriting BRCA gene mutations and provides the support individuals and families need to effectively manage their cancer risk. Prior to founding Oneinforty, Lauren held leadership positions with a number of nonprofit organizations including Solutions at Work--where she served as executive director for more than four years--NeighborWorks America, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and TECH CORPS. She received a graduate degree in nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University. Today, Lauren is in remission and on a mission.
Lauren's passion for social entrepreneurship was sparked thirty years ago while pursuing a bachelor's degree at the University of Wisconsin. After reading that the campus cafeterias were discarding perfectly good food at the end of each day, she teamed up with friends to found Madison Hunger Task Force (MHTF). The student-run nonprofit salvaged day-old food from local restaurants, bakeries and cafeterias and delivered it to area food pantries and homeless shelters. MHTF also helped students design and implement other initiatives aimed at alleviating hunger and homelessness. Through this initial foray into the nonprofit sector, Lauren learned that she could "do well by doing good" and make a career out of nonprofit management. She resides outside of Boston with her husband Robb, two children, Esther and Bram, and schneagle Plum. Lauren enjoys spending time with family outdoors, hiking, cooking and yoga.
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Rachael Cerrotti
Moderator
Rachael Cerrotti is an award-winning photographer, writer and educator. Her work focuses on documenting stories of grief and resilience with a unique interest in family history. Her work has been published by Public Radio International, NPR
, The Boston Globe
, Images & Voices of Hope
, and many other publications worldwide. For nearly a decade, Rachael has been pursuing her long-term project,
Follow My Footprints
, retracing her grandmother's route of displacement during and in the wake of World War II. She is now writing a book about this journey and speaks in communities and classrooms across the country. Recently, Rachael and her vision of telling her grandmother's story through a contemporary lens, was the subject of an award-winning multimedia series produced by WBUR
titled
Beyond Sides of History
.
Visit:
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Becca Rausch
Event Chair
The granddaughter of a Shoah survivor and U.S. veteran, and the daughter of an activist and public servants, Becca was raised in an engaged Jewish household where she was inculcated with a passion for service and social justice, as a Jew and an American citizen. Becca attended Brandeis University as an undergrad, where she held numerous leadership positions both within and outside of Hillel. Soon thereafter, she founded the critically acclaimed Zikukim Israeli Dance Company, now entering its 17th season under Becca's direction; she also served on the Board of Directors for the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston for nearly a decade.
Becca earned her JD from Northeastern University School of Law and her LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall). Her legal career has spanned the private and public sectors, and she has held faculty positions at the Schools of Law at Seattle University and Northeastern University. Her commitment to service brought her to Needham Town Meeting, where she is in the middle of a three-year elected term. A progressive Democrat, Becca is now running for State Senate in the Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex District. As a legislator, Becca will champion progressive values and promote social justice and equity.
Becca lives in Needham with her husband, Lior, their two young children, and a very friendly Goldendoodle. They are active members of Temple Aliyah in Needham, where Becca serves as the co-chair of the synagogue's Temple Tots High Holidays programming and directs the in-residence Israeli dance performance program for children and families.
Becca embodies the characteristics of leadership that underlie the Synagogue Council's work and the initiative we are launching tonight. We are pleased and honored that Becca is chairing this event, and will be a member of the Arev Initiative's Steering Team.
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Dancing Miriam
A tapestry by Bracha Lavee Art Studio. The image embodies the theme and values of our event and of the AREV initiative.
Bracha employed a variety of artistic techniques and discovered the flexibility of felt about forty years ago. The city of Jerusalem and stories from the Bible provide her with endless sources of inspiration.
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5:30-6:45 pm
Check-in and Reception
Light Dinner and "Champagne"
7:00 pm
Program Begins
Dessert to Follow
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