Federation President Leslie Kirby and Partnership2Gether Chair Christie Wiemers co-chaired our recent Women’s Mission to Israel. They share their reflections on the journey of a lifetime! |
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WOW, what a trip! We’ve just returned from our Federation Women’s Journey to Israel, and it was an amazing experience.
Inspired by a conversation with Libby Werthan, longtime Jewish Nashville community member and philanthropist, who described a women’s trip to Israel she took 50 years ago, we started planning the Women’s Journey back in 2020. The trip was postponed three times because of COVID, and there were moments when we thought it wasn’t going to happen. But we are so happy we persevered.
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Our goal was to create an immersive experience that celebrates the impact of women in our tradition while raising awareness, challenging bias, and reinforcing commitment among our participants. Our trip was planned and led by women from the very beginning, from the mission chairs and staff to the trip provider and our local tour guide. We ended up with a diverse group of 15 women ranging from their early 30s to over 80, including members of 4 different local synagogues, half of whom had never been to Israel before. We met with leading female politicians and activists, entrepreneurs, artists, and chefs. We reconnected with old friends in our Partnership2Gether region and made new friends. We laughed and cried and then laughed some more - all the while eating what seemed like nonstop. The bonds we created with each other and to Israel will last a lifetime. The Journey far exceeded all of our expectations, and we can’t wait to go back! |
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Briefing with Israeli Consul General,
Anat Sultan-Dadon
Federation provides many ways to learn about and connect to Israel here from home in Nashville. This Tuesday, November 15th, we welcome Israeli Consul General, Anat Sultan-Dadon to join us for a community briefing from 5:30-6:45 pm. Register to attend HERE to receive location information. Email Deborah Oleshansky for additional information.
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Get Connected
Get Connected makes the dream of traveling to Israel come true for current 10th and 11th grade students. Travel dates are June 6-20, 2023. We are holding two zoom information sessions, November 13 and 30, to learn about this phenomenal program, subsidized by the Jewish Federation, with early bird pricing of $1800 with registration and deposit by December 31, 2022. Register for the info sessions HERE.
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Addressing Antisemitic Incidents at Vanderbilt University
Recently, antisemitic comments made on social media by a member of the Vanderbilt football coaching staff raised serious concerns on campus and in our community. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern of antisemitic incidents that have occurred recently at Vanderbilt. Thus far, Vanderbilt’s administration has not adequately dealt with the increasingly hostile environment for Jewish students on campus. The safety, security, and well-being of Jewish students at Vanderbilt are of primary concern to us. We will continue to engage directly with Ari Dubin, Executive Director, Vanderbilt Hillel, in his efforts to both support Jewish students and pursue appropriate action from Vanderbilt’s Chancellor and campus leaders and will remain vigilant in pursuit of meaningful and effective initiatives from campus administration to address this damaging situation.
Chancellor Diermeier issued the statement HERE.
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Abortion & Jewish Law
Join us for the last event in our three-part Abortion & Jewish Law series. Our final event will include legal experts providing an overview of the Tennessee abortion ban and how the law affects access to healthcare.
Event starts at 7 pm and the location will be disclosed after registration. You can catch up on previous events in the series and register HERE.
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Jewish Federation of Nashville CEO Search Committee Announcement: |
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We are pleased to announce that the search process for the new CEO of the Jewish Federation & Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is now underway. Our first step has been to convene a Search Committee, comprised of a broad group of dedicated individuals that represent the diversity of our growing Nashville Jewish Community. The Search Committee will be undertaking a national search and is charged with identifying and interviewing candidates for this important leadership position.
We are deeply grateful to the following individuals who have generously agreed to serve on the Search Committee: Billy Eskind, Lori Fishel, Amy Goldstein, Steve Hirsch, Aron Karabel, Leslie Kirby, Ellen Levitt, Hayley Levy, Jan Liff, Eric Mirowitz, Mike Shmerling, Cara Suvall, Moshe Werthan, Fred Zimmerman.
We have begun listening sessions with donors to help us identify community priorities and goals for our next CEO. We will continue sessions with additional stakeholders to discuss communal issues in November. Your input is valuable to this process and we encourage you to share your thoughts by emailing the Search Committee HERE. We will be providing periodic updates to the community as the search proceeds.
Thank you for your commitment to the Nashville Jewish Federation and Foundation. We look forward to an engaging process.
Leslie Kirby, Federation President and Search Committee Chair
Fred Zimmerman, Search Committee Co-Chair
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NEW & INCREASED GIFTS MADE ON GIVING TUESDAY WILL BE
MATCHED DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR
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Tzedakah is the cornerstone of our Jewish community. Sometimes we give; sometimes we need to receive. It's okay to ask for help. We are here with confidential resources to lend a hand. Reach out for assistance HERE.
To receive Jewish Nashville obituary notices, email us HERE.
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