The first woman and the youngest person to serve as White House Press Secretary, Dee Dee Myers, will keynote the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s annual Lion of Judah Luncheon at 10:30 am on February 11, 2010 at the Polo Club of Boca Raton. And ensuring this powerful event’s top distinction for years to come, Marleen Forkas has become the first to endow a Chair which will generously underwrite the cost of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s top caliber Lion Luncheon speakers in perpetuity.
South Palm Beach County’s Jewish community should be in good hands for some time to come, as 24 of the most caring and dedicated young local leaders have embarked on a new and unique leadership journey. The Federation's NextGen is designed to cultivate emerging leaders—providing the resources, insights, inspiration and relationships they will need to take the reins of Jewish community governance. Together, they are preparing to meet our Jewish community’s challenges over the next five to ten years.
The Federation’s most philanthropic women will be thanked on January 28th at the first Crown of Judah Luncheon just for women. Clarice Pressner, who founded the Crown of Judah Division 20 years ago, is being honored. Luncheon Chair Lisa Mintz is hosting the event in her lovely home. The keynote speaker will be Alan Dershowitz, a most distinuished Harvard law professor, defender of individual liberties and Jewish causes, author and media personality.
Seventy years ago the steamship St. Louis arrived at the port of Miami with more than 900 Jewish refugees seeking a safe haven from the growing persecution in Europe. The St. Louis became a “ship of destiny,” carrying the fate of millions of others with a clear message to Adolf Hitler: Jewish people were expendable. On December 14, joined by 34 surviving SS St. Louis passengers from across the globe, and by local neighbors who bear personal witness to the Holocaust, 400 guests of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County gathered at the Federation’s west Boca Raton campus to commemorate this watershed historical moment.
