Members of Nashville’s Jewish community enjoyed an evening of celebration and inspiration while also learning about the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville and its ongoing work to support and advocate for Jewish people around the world.
The evening provided an opportunity for the community to meet and get to know the Federation’s new CEO, Judy Alperin, who spoke about her own Jewish journey. “If you’ve learned a little about me already, you know that Jewish community is not just what I do, it’s truly who I am. Working on behalf of the Jewish people has given me a lifetime of meaning, and I’m so honored to move forward and build forward with you.”
Special guest speaker, Alison Lebovitz, an Emmy nominated host, podcaster, and story teller, shared personal anecdotes about her Southern Jewish experiences.
Attendees laughed with her as she talked about Jewish geography. “It’s a simple question, but a complicated response,” she said, “You don’t necessarily get an answer when you ask a Jewish person where they’re from. You get a history lesson.”
Lebovitz shared her first experience visiting Israel on a Federation mission trip. And it was during that trip that she dipped her toes into the fundraising pool. “It was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. First because I was asked at age 14 to solicit my peers for the Federation’s annual campaign.”
That moment was the beginning for her of a lifetime commitment to Jewish philanthropy, something she passed down to her three sons. And at the end, she summed it up. “We are lout and proud. We are a community. Some of you I’ve known for many years…a lot of you I just met tonight. But we all come from the same place. We all come from a place where we were raised to give back…and that community is not just important, it is everything.”
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