Once again, the local Jewish Women’s Foundation’s cutting-edge, hands-on philanthropists have planned a most fitting, innovative program for Granting Wishes, their annual evening of grant award announcements. Women of all ages are invited from throughout the community to view a screening of The Tribe, a powerful and provocative 16-minute film exploration of American Jewish identity through the history of the Barbie doll.

 

A capacity crowd of 200 women who care about improving the opportunities, choices and status of Jewish women and girls - in our own community, in Israel and overseas - is expected at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, March 17, at Boca Rio Country Club, 22041 Boca Rio Road, Boca Raton. They’ll be enlightened and entertained, and they’ll also learn about the Jewish Women’s Foundation’s new grant recipients.

 

They’ll hear in person from The Tribe’s acclaimed filmmaker, Tiffany Shlain, whose honors include being namedone of Newsweek’s “Women Shaping the 21^st Century”.  Groundbreaking Jewish spoken word artist Vanessa Hidary, who performs The Hebrew Mamita in the film, will provide remarkable entertainment. (additional presenter details below)

 

“I am very, very excited about this program,” said Ann Kelman, the evening’s chair. “We wonder about how our Jewish identity is changing as we live in an America so accepting and embracing of religious diversity. The young women we’re featuring convey a proud, confident vibrant Jewish culture. This will be a wonderful experience for women to share with their friends, their mothers, their daughters and their granddaughters.” 

 

Selected by more than 100 film festivals including Sundance and Tribeca, and used in more than 200 educational institutions, The Tribe has been translated into eight languages and won multiple awards. Mixing “old school” narration with “new school” visual style, it is the first documentary to become the #1 most downloaded short film on itunes.

 

“I’m also very excited about the projects JWF will fund to help women and girls in the coming year,” said Kelman. “We offer local women a unique opportunity to be hands-on philanthropists, and to support the causes they care about most. All contributors serve as equal partners in selecting grant recipients, deciding together how to direct their combined resources to have a powerful impact.”

 

From a handful of pioneers in 2003, JWF has grown into a foundation with 67 Trustees of different Jewish backgrounds, interests and ages; assets of $400,000 and total commitments of $670,000. 2010 marks JWF’s fifth grant funding cycle. In 2009, JWF allocated $90,000 for projects including emergency assistance in the South Palm Beach community.”

 

JWF’s areas of interest include abuse prevention of Jewish women and girls; programs that leverage education to create the next generation of strong healthy young women connected to Judaism and their own sense of self; and health and research that advocates for the medical concerns of Jewish women and girls, spotlighting cancers that affect women.

 

The Granting Wishes evening is generously sponsored by Elaine Baker Gallery. Oppenheimer and Boca Raton Community Hospital are the generous sponsors of the Federation’s Dorothy Seaman Department of Women’s Philanthropy.

 

The couvert is $36 pre-paid, $45 at the door; students ages 13-23 will be admitted free of charge with a current student ID. To RSVP, visit  www.jewishboca.org/grantingwishes.  To RSVP or for more information about becoming a JWF trustee, contact 561-852-3120 or jillianr@bocafed.org 

 

The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County serves the Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach areas, raising and allocating millions of dollars each year to meet vital needs locally, in Israel and more than 70 countries worldwide. The Jewish Women’s Foundation is an initiative of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.

 

###

 

 

	Tiffany Shlain

Tiffany Shlain, The Tribe Director, Producer, Co-Writer:
Honored by Newsweek as one of the "Women Shaping the 21st Century," Tiffany Shlain is founder of The Webby Awards, co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, an award-winning filmmaker, and a mother. Her films have been selected at over 80 film festivals around the world, including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam. Her films have won over 20 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes, and have been translated into six languages. Her last two films include The Tribe, and Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness. Tiffany lectures worldwide on the Internet and her filmmaking, and has served as the on-air Internet expert for Good Morning America. Currently, she is the director of The Moxie Institute, an organization that creates media and experiences around social issues using emerging technologies. Tiffany is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow.

 

	Vanessa Hidary

Vanessa Hidary

Actress/Poet/Playwright/Native New Yorker Vanessa Hidary grew up on Manhattan's culturally diverse Upper West Side.  Her experiences as a Sephardic Jew with close friends from different ethnic and religious backgrounds inspired her to write "Culture Bandit," a solo show that chronicles Vanessa's coming of age during the golden age of Hip-Hop and her dedication to fostering understanding and friendship between all people.  Her performances have been aired on HBO's "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry."  She has been featured in The New York Post, Time Out New York, The Jewish Week, Spitkickers.com, The Forward, URB magazine, BUST Magazine, The Los Angeles Times and Lilith Magazine. Vanessa is also a member of the burlesque troupe "Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad."