War Photographer Headlines JNF Luncheon
The JNF lunch at Temple Sinai was a tribute to women in the IDF and local women who pledged 45 percent of the city’s total donations.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
On May 1, photographer Debbie Zimelman captured the bravery and resilience of women in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as she shared her book, “Women on the Front Lines,” to match the spirit in the room of 160 females devoted to the Jewish National Fund, specifically the Women for Israel division.
Campaign chair Miriam Haviv shared, “Our goal of $900,000 represents 45 percent of Atlanta’s overall goal.”
Event co-chairs Connie Frankel and Barbara Kaplan, both Sapphire members contributing $5,000-plus to JNF, welcomed the group. Relating the strength of IDF women, they called up Robin Lubin, mother of the late Lone Soldier Rose Lubin, who perished in the Old City defending her post. She recited the Prayer for the People and State of Israel.
Next up was (soon-to-be outgoing) Israel Consul General to the Southeast Anat Sultan- Dadon who started by relating the 1948 historic document and language in Israel’s irrevocable charter and recognition statement, “Seventy-seven years ago, this was a culmination of our 2,000-year-long struggle. Jews never lost hope of regaining sovereignty … now Israel is a superpower bringing technology to the world.”
She explained the reality of Oct. 7 with Hamas “not seeking compromise on real issues like Jerusalem or water — but their issue is our very existence!”
Caryn Berzak, Women for Israel Steering Committee, spoke of the tragic death of last year’s dynamic keynote speaker at this very same event, Olga Meshoe, former CEO of Defend, Embrace, Invest Support Israel, who died suddenly.
Staci Libowski, Women for Israel co-chair, shared how JNF is developing a new medical center. “A project, for example, in the north would not just provide lifesaving medical services and care, but also jobs and a transformative powerful circle of impact.”
She then had each woman put on a blue and white neon bracelet, remove it to attach to the others at the table, and compose a more substantial halo over the table.
Guest speaker Zimelman showed fascinating slides from her book illustrating her photographic role of “being a fly on the wall,” having been allowed into extremely secure spaces to observe Israeli women. She established herself initially by pitching a story to Hadassah Magazine, “Suited for Action.”
Her first slides depicted women in prison, where she spent two days a week for a year. Those photos ranged from glam to poignant and pushed us to ponder their crimes. Stunning images followed of IDF soldiers using tents, makeshift showers, guns, tanks, base camp, in the desert, and being assigned an IDF dog for life. Zimelman told of her own experiences like driving three hours into the Negev to interview a soldier who was otherwise engaged and not available. She said, “I just learned to go with the flow.”
She talked about the scariness of sleeping on a top “dorm” bunk with various girls crying and trying to help each other. Then on Oct. 7, women battled in tanks or as rescuers. “They showed that women belonged. They were among the first 70 combat paramedics inside Gaza. They ran into collapsed buildings. One tank unit drove 40 kilometers and eliminated 50 terrorists.”
One of the most fascinating photos was of a geometric looking rock structure that the soldiers assembled each day where they slept like spoons and had special bathroom equipment — not able to “go” outside during the day. She showed a photo of high school girls who gave up their Passover vacations to hyper train and prepared for selection into extremely skilled elite units upon IDF formal drafting.
Zimelman ended by musing, “I was from Rockville, Md. Then I went to Israel at 22 when I was too old to serve in the IDF. I can only imagine what that would have been like.”
Natasha Libowitz, co-chair of Women for Israel, closed the event by saying, “[Donating to JNF] is making a difference to the body and soul of Israel, yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
A bounteous Israeli lunch was prepared by EB Catering with falafel, fries, spicy kale salad, fennel slaw, humus, tahini, Fattoush salad, sweet marinated olives, Moroccan carrots, salmon avocado wraps, chicken shawarma, and ending in Kadur chocolate truffles. Each individual table sign represented an IDF unit.
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