Women for Israel Serve Exciting Culinary Experience

Recently, philanthropic “wonder women” united at Congregation Or Hadash in Sandy Springs for Jewish National Fund-USA’s “Friends, Food, and Feeding the Heart & Soul of Israel,” where community members received an authentic Israeli culinary experience while learning how the organization is turning the Negev Desert into an agricultural oasis.

(From left) Jill Asrael, Samantha Weidenbaum, Barbara Kaplan, and Danielle Kaplan Wesley

Co-chaired by Justine Cohen and Dalit Gal, the special Sukkot event, thrown by the organization’s Women for Israel group, featured a live cooking demonstration from Chef Shai Lavi. The owner of “Let’s Eat!” and “The Third Space,” Lavi’s Mediterranean cuisine evoked the vibrant flavors and memories of Israel while celebrating family, community, and soul through food.

Additionally, in keeping with the culinary theme, local lay leaders discussed the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT), a Jewish National Fund-USA supported program in Israel’s south that provides professional agricultural training to students from developing countries in Asia and Africa, empowering thousands of people to create a better future for themselves and their home communities while providing high-quality jobs to the residents of the Central Arava.

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“Many of these countries do not have diplomatic relations with Israel and their people are shocked to discover a thriving nation that has made the desert bloom,” said Atlanta Women for Israel Co-chair Natasha Lebowitz. “AICAT empowers students with new skills and creates over 1,000 goodwill ambassadors each year. They return home as advocates for Israel—a true testament to diplomacy through agriculture.”

(From left) Susan Levin, Mira Bergen, Lori Shapiro, Rachel Finglass

Jewish National Fund-USA’s Women for Israel is a dynamic group of female philanthropists who share a passion for building a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people. To learn more, visit jnf.org/women.

For more information about Jewish National Fund-USA or to learn about upcoming events in Atlanta, visit jnf.org or contact Nicole Flom at NFlom@jnf.org or 404-236-8990 x856.