Bonnie Squires is a communications and fundraising consultant who has had experience with universities, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses. She was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2006, and her friend and classmate from Penn, Maury Povich, was the keynote speaker. She is the Board Secretary for the Philadelphia Jewish Voice.
She writes a weekly opinion column in the Main Line Times, the oldest and largest suburban weekly newspaper. She is a photojournalist as well for publications like thePhiladelphia Public Record, and the Los Angeles Jewish Observer. Her op-eds also appear in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and other news papers in other cities and states.
She is a long-time advocate for social causes like early childhood education, erasing the stigma of mental retardation and mental health, breast cancer research, and other worthwhile causes.
Politics has been a life-long passion of hers, and she has served for decades as a committee person, as well as having run for office.
For several years she hosted a live call-in talk show on radio station WHAT-AM, dedicated to building bridges between African Americans and Caucasians in order to find solutions to society's pressing problems.
She loves both her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and her adopted school, Temple University, where she worked as a top administrator for many years.
Bonnie and her husband live in an historically certified English Village home in Lower Merion Township.
She was recently inducted into Governor Ed Rendell’s Best 50 Women in Business in Pennsylvania.
Sen. Constance Williams (left), Museum chair of the board, happily greeted Mary Hurtig (center) & Judge Phyllis Beck (right)
— article and all photos by Bonnie Squires, Society Editor
The Philadelphia Museum of Art held the opening reception for the Great and Mighty Things: Outsider Art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection exhibit, but a lot of "insiders" were there. The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz fabulous collection of self-taught artists attracted lawyers, politicians, corporate leaders and art-lovers. The Bonovitzes have pledged the collection as a gift to the art museum, making this one of the pre-eminent outsider art collections in the country. More than two dozen artists, from painters to carvers to ceramicists, are represented in the exhibition, and 200 pieces are on display. The Bonovitzes have spent thirty years collecting pieces of outsider art and Black folk art.
No, the award-winning actor and star of Broadway and film, Hugh Jackman, is not Jewish, as far as we know, but we could not resist including him, backed up by maestro Yannick Nezet-Seguin, on the stage of the Academy of Music.
— article and all photos by Bonnie Squires
When the Academy of Music and The Philadelphia Orchestra held their annual Concert and Ball on Saturday, January 26, 2013, Jewish philanthropists and supporters of the arts were prominent on the scene. Their businesses, corporations, and family foundations were listed and depicted in the gorgeous program journal, where charities, schools, colleges, and other worthwhile community endeavors are photographed and sponsored.
The volunteers and executives in charge of the mammoth event were far-seeing enough to have booked Hugh Jackman as the main talent far in advance of his nominations for his role in "Les Miserables," for the Golden Globe award (which he won), the SAG award and the Academy Award. Jackman's energy and passion in rendering numbers from shows he has performed in, like "Carousel," as well as his role as Jean Valjean, inspired maestroYannick Nezet-Seguin and the orchestra to match Jackman's verve.
Presenting the Marian Anderson Award to award-winning actor James Earl Jones were (l to r) Terrence Howard and Phylicia Rashad, who had starred with Jones earlier this year in the Broadway revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"; Pamela Browner White, chair of the Marian Anderson Award Committee; Jones; and Phladelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Photo: Bonnie Squires.
— by Bonnie Squires
One of the top cultural events in Philadelphia each year is the Marian Anderson Award gala and concert at the Sidney Kimmel Performing Arts Center. This year's recipient was James Earl Jones, and a star-studded cast of performers was assembled for the occasion.
Jones was selected for his superior acting talents on stage, film and television. A decorated performer with Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Grammy awards, Mr. Jones has also been recognized with the National Medal of Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center Honor, a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Oscar from the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Several members of the Philadelphia Jewish community had personal connections to Jones, like Christina Saler, a vice chair of the gala, who traveled with Jones when he was the voice and the face of Verizon television commercials. And Shirley and Richard Hahn, who have made some films with Jones, were there with Shirley's mother, Lynne Honickman, a benefactor of the gala.
(left to right) Jeremey Kaplan, Cortnee Doll, Melanie Simon and Liza Mitgang, all students who have returned from studying at the Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Program at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, attended the recent Philadelphia Chapter Tribute Brunch held by the American Associates of BGU of the Negev. Photo credit: Bonnie Squires.
— by Bonnie Squires
American Associates, Ben Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU), held its Philadelphia Chapter 40th Anniversary Tribute Brunch, honoring Charlotte and Dr. Carroll Weinberg, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Sunday, November 11. More than 170 friends and supporters of AABGU came to celebrate the 40th anniversary of AABGU, including six American students who have spent either a semester or an entire year at the Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Program at BGU.
Sam and Connie Katz, co-chairs of the Philadelphia Chapter of AABGU, presented the Tikkun Olam Award to Charolotte and Dr. Carroll Weinberg for their decades of supports for the university.
The family of the late Harry Dozor, founder of AABGU, Dr. Rick Dozor, his mother Shirley Dozor and his son Harry Dozor, named for his late grandfather, received a special Dreidel sculpture award for their continuing support.
Ambasssador Barukh Binah, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC, delivered the keynote address.
Israeli Consul General Yaron Sideman is welcomed to the American Friends of Ben Gurion University of the Negev reception in his honor by hostess AImee Katz and her daughter Kathy Katz-Hall. Photo by Bonnie Squires.
— by Bonnie Squires.
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, held a reception to welcome the new Mid-Atlantic Region Israeli Consul General, Yaron Sideman. Aimee Katz, of Bala Cynwyd, hosted the event, with Julia and Steve Harmelin, Esq., serving as co-hosts. Derek Gillman, President and CEO of the Barnes Foundation, spoke briefly about his pride in the fact that limestone from the Negev had been selected as the building material for the new museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Sideman had served previously in Lagos and in the New York Consulate. He told the large group assembled about cooperative ventures between America and Israel, going on right now, particularly with military forces.
The Consul General talked about Israel's concerns, regarding the Arab Spring and the unrest and uncertainty in the region. During a question and answer period, he spoke of Turkey's trying to gain favor with other Muslim countries, asserting that the break in relations between Israel and Turkey was initiated by the latter.
Arlen Specter and his wife, former City Councilwoman Joan Specter, enjoyed the Barnes Foundation opening gala this past May a few months before Specter learned his cancer had returned for the third and final bout. Photo: Bonnie Squires
Barack Obama and Joe Biden attend a press conference welcoming Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party at the White House April 29, 2009. Photo: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images.
Sen. Arlen Specter and Gov. Ed Rendell during Specter campaign rally in Philadelphia, May 15, 2010. Photo: AP.
Sen. Arlen Specter was carried in a flag-bedecked limousine from Temple Har Zion to his eternal resting place at his family's plot in Shalom Memorial Park. Photo: Daniel Loeb.
— by Bonnie Squires
Har Zion Temple was the site of the funeral for Senator Arlen Specter, and the thousands of people who poured into the main sanctuary, which had to be opened up to include the ballroom behind it, represented a cross-section of America.
Judges and lawyers and U.S. Attorneys and academics and heads of charities and former Specter staffers by the score populated the seats at Specter's funeral. Candidates and former candidates from both sides of the aisle came to pay tribute to a mover and shaker who according to every speaker, did the right thing, the fair thing, even when voting for President Obama's stimulus package would cost him his seat in the Senate.
Specter's influence crossed political boundaries, racial differences, and economic backgrounds, as evidenced by the huge diversity of those in attendance to pay their respects to Joan Specter and her family.
Federal officials, past and present, like Senator Bob Casey, former Senators Ted Kauffman and Harris Wofford, and former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies; state officers, including Governor Tom Corbett; federal and state judges; leaders of academia; and hundreds and hundreds of other notables, like Gwen Goodman, former executive director of the National Museum of American Jewish History, and Lee Ducat, founder of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Ducat nodded as each speaker mentioned Specter's passionate defense of funding for cancer research and stem cell research, even when various Presidents decided to cut funidng of the National Institutes of Health.
Chief among the notables, however, was Vice President Joe Biden, who teared up as he spoke about Arlen Specter, his dear friend, who always was there for him, especially in times of personal crisis.
Biden and Specter seved in the U.S. Senate, and Biden said in his remarks that he knew he had spent more time with Specter than anyone else in the sanctuary, sitting with him in the Senate and especially in the Judiciary Committee meetings and hearings.
Biden also let people know that he had foregone campaign stops in two critical swing states, Colorado and Nevada, to pay tribute to his dear friend at Har Zion Temple.
President Obama that very morning had ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff on all government properties, military bases, embassies, etc., in the nation and around the world, to salute Senator Arlen Specter on the day of his funeral.
But the people asked to speak by Joan Specter were close personal friends, like Biden. Like Ed Rendell. Like Flora Becker, widow of Judge Ed Becker. Like Judge Jan DuBois. Like Steve Harmelin, Esq. Like Shanin Specter's long-time law partner, Tom Kline. Like Shanin Specter, the Senator's son, and two of Arlen's four grand-daughters.
Perhaps most remarkable, in all of their praise of Specter's fairness and acumen, was the telling of how, less than two weeks before his demise, Specter insisted on teaching his class on the Constitution at Penn Law School. I guess that was why Penn President Amy Gutmann was also in attendance.
Probably half the people in the throng owed their careers to Arlen Specter, either through having been hired by him when he was either District Attorney, or having been appointed by him when he chaired the Judiciary committee.
Although each of the speakers, including life-long friends Flora Becker, Judge Jan DuBois, attorney Steve Harmelin, Governor Ed Rendell, Specter's son Shanin, and Vice President Biden shared wonderful anecdotes and memories of Specter, going back to Penn undergraduate and Yale Law School days, it was two of Specter's granddaughters who made the greatest impact. Sylvie Specter, by the way, is a friend and classmate at Penn of Biden's own granddaughter.
Sylvie and Perri Specter told us that their grandfather had spent two weeks before his passing, working on yet another book - one that was a memoir with photographs from his amazing collection. They announced that the family plans to complete the book and have it published, joining the array of Senator Specter's other remarkable books.
Rabbi Kieffer, Rabbi Knopf and Cantor Vogel of Har Zion contributed to the testimonials, making this a remarkable send-off for a remarkable man.
Honorees Bob and Shelby Ford are joined by Gwen Borowsky and Arlene Silver at the National Liberty Museum awards reception and dinner., where the Fords were honored for their devotion to glass sculpture and their support of the museum and its mission. Photo: Bonnie Squires
— by Bonnie Squires
What do you do when your world-class glass scupture collection outgrows your residence? If your name is Irv Borowsky, you buy an historic former bank building in Philadelphia and transform it into the National Liberty Museum. You commission Dale Chihuly to create a four-story glass chandelier which indicates the flame of revolution and the fragility of freedom. And then you hold an annual Glass Art Weekend & Auction Gala, and you honor supporters of the museum who are themselves connoisseurs of glass sculpture. This year's awards reception and dinner honored Shelby and Bob Ford and Inna and Alex Friedman. Artist Therman Statom, who does unique things with glass, was also honored.
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies hosted a fundraiser for Democratic Congressional candidate Dr. Manan Trivedi, with Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL, as the keynote speaker. Michelman recounted her own personal story of trauma and humiliation back in the late 1960s, before Roe v Wade, when she had to appear before a board of male gynecologists and then receive a letter of permission from her estranged husband in order to receive a therapeutic abortion.
Even though Trivedi's district no longer includes Lower Merion, he is still a favorite of Democratic supporters there.
Photo by Bonnie Squires: Dr. Manan Trivedi, talks to Dayle Steinberg, head of PA NARAL; host Marjorie Margolies; and Kate Michelman at a reception in his honor.
Chair of the Philadelphia Museum of Art trustees, the Honorable Constance Williams, joins His Excellency François Delattre, the French ambassador to the U.S., and Michael Scullin, Esq., Honorary French Consul in Philadelphia. Photo: Bonnie Squires.
— by Bonnie Squires
Jules Mastbaum, the Jewish philanthropist who, in the early 20th century, created and donated to the City of Philadelphia his fabulous collection of Rodin sculptures and the "jewel box" of a museum to house it, would have been very pleased with the number of Jewish philanthropists who turned out on September 15 for the Rodin Gala and fundraiser.
Mastbaum, who made his fortune as a movie theater mogul, spared no expense in having his "jewel box" of a Beaux Arts museum designed and built to house his collection.
Remarks Yesterday by the President at the Franklin Institute
Well, it is good to be back in Philadelphia. (Applause.) It is good to be among so many good friends, including Benjamin Franklin — one of my favorite Founders. (Laughter.) I have to admit, I had to restrain myself because this is such an amazing facility, and just wandering around I started reading about all kinds of American history and that the Dead Sea Scrolls were here. (Laughter.) Staff was saying, Mr. President, you have some other stuff that you have to do.
There are a couple of acknowledgments that I want to make. First of all, you've got one of the best mayors in the country, Mayor Michael Nutter is here. (Applause.) You've got a couple of the finest members of Congress in Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah. (Applause.) And you've got somebody here who's been one of my dearest friends and one of my favorite people who has always had my back, and he and I share a lot in common — we both pretend to play basketball, even though we're way too old. (Laughter.) We both married up and we both have extraordinary daughters. He happens also to be one of the best members of the Senate that we have — Bob Casey is in the house. (Applause.)
So I'm here not just because I need your help — although I do. (Laughter.) I'm here because the country needs your help. When you think back to 2008, a lot of you were involved in that campaign. You didn't get involved because you thought Barack Obama was the odds-on favorite to become President of the United States. Let's face it. (Laughter.) That was a long shot. The reason we came together was because we shared a belief in the basic bargain that built this country; the idea that if you're willing to work hard, if you're willing to take responsibility, that in this country you can make it. That you can find a job that pays a living wage, and you can save and buy a home. You can send your kids to college so they do even better than you did. You can retire with some dignity and some respect. The idea that no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, no matter what your faith, no matter who you love, that in America you can make it if you try. (Applause.)
Senator Arlen and Joan Specter admired the Barnes Foundation galleries which are exact replicas of the galleries on Latch's Lane in Merion.
Gala celebrates inauguration of New Philadelphia Campus designed by Tod William Billie Tsien Architects
Star-studded event raises more than $3.7 million. Proceeds support the care and preservation of the world-renowned Barnes Collection.
— by Bonnie Squires
Among the hundreds of movers and shakers who delighted in the Barnes Foundation Gala and celebrated the opening of the museum's move to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway were many Jewish philanthropists who donated to the $200 million project.
Bonnie Squires greeted Brian Williams as he arrived for the cocktail reception.
Brian Williams, who anchors the NBC network nightly news, served as master of ceremonies for the dinner, following a lavish cocktail reception inside the museum. The galleries with hundreds of fabulous Impressionist paintings collected by Albert Barnes were open for the gala guests.
The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Court also included an additional set of galleries for visiting exhibits. The first exhibit is dedicated to the life and times of Albert Barnes, including letters to Barnes from some of the artists whose works he collected.
Delaware Governor Jack Markell (center) was featured speaker at the recent Jewish Leadership Series luncheon. Hosted this time by the law firm Cozen O'Connor, the Jewish Leadership Series brings together professionals interested in politics and elected officials. Seen here with Governor Markell are (left to right) Michael Bronstein, the organizer of the event, and Israeli Consul General Daniel Kutner.
— by Bonnie Squires
The latest in the Jewish Political Leadership Series luncheons, organized by Michael Bronstein, featured Delaware Governor Jack Markell, with the law firm of Cozen O'Connor hosting the event.
A bi-partisan group of Jewish leaders, including the Israeli Consul General Daniel Kutner and several elected officials in Philadelphia and the suburbs were among the attendees.
Governor Markell expressed concern about the state government budget cuts in education, contrary to the initiatives and philosophy of the Obama administration. He pointed out previous working relationships at the federal level, where President Reagan worked with Democrats to pass legislation, and where Bill Clinton worked with Republicans to further his administration's objectives.
David Eisner, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, admires the 1975 simultaneous Springsteen covers of TIME and NEWSWEEK magazines, part of the new exhibit, "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen."
— by Bonnie Squires
The National Constitution Center is the only venue to host the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's must-see exhibition, From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, outside of Cleveland, where the exhibit has been housed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. The first major exhibition about the American songwriter will run at the Center from February 17 to September 3, 2012.
The opening reception attracted 1100 friends and supporters of the Center, including the Honorable Joan Specter, who serves as Director of Major Grants for the Center, and her husband, Senator Arlen Specter. Mayor Bob Johnson, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, was also in attendance and greeted the guests from the bandstand.
The B Street Band entertained party-goers with rousing Springsteen renditions, and the food was typical boardwalk-seashore variety, including hot dogs, pop corn, cotton candy, and hamburgers.
Major movers and shakers in Philadelphia's economy were among the 1500 supporters at Saturday night's 155th Anniversary Academy of Music Concert and Ball, including (left to right) Ron and Rachelle Kaiserman, Robert and Caroline Zuritsky, and Renee and Joe Zuritsky.
For the first in 140 years, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, now has two Democratic Commissioners, making the Honorable Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards the first Democrats to hold the majority posts. In addition, both Shapiro and Richards are Jewish, another historic first for the county seat in Norristown. Shapiro had served for years as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, once serving as Deputy Speaker, and Richards had served as chair of the Whitemarsh Township Board of Commissioners.
The award-winning documentary, Paper Clips, was shown Sunday, at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley, and Sandra Roberts, the eighth-grade teacher from Whitwell, Tennessee, who supervises the project, spoke to several hundred Har Zion Hebrew High School students, parents, friends and community members. Seen here welcoming Ms. Roberts are (left to right) student Seth Selarnick, his mother Nancy Selarnick, both of Penn Valley; Ms. Roberts; and Norman Einhorn, co-principal of Har Zion's Hebrew High School.
Ms. Roberts was asked by her principal in the late 1990s to create an after-school project to each tolerance and understanding, particularly in light of the lack of diversity in their small-town middle school. When Roberts learned that her students just could not fathom what 6 million would be, in studying the Holocaust and the extermination of Jewish communities in Europe, she challenged them to come up with a collection of 6 million somethings so they could touch and feel the enormity.
The students did research and learned that Norwegians wore paper clips on their collars during Wolrd War II as a way of showing quiet sympathy for the Jews who were perishing in concentration camps. So Whitwell students began writing letters to famous people, journalists, companies, asking everyone to donate a paper clip in memory of someone lost in the Holocaust.
The Holocaust Project mushroomed, and an article in the Washington Post really helped launched the project. The film, which was done about ten years ago, criss-crosses the country, raising awareness and teaching students and their families to work to stamp out prejudice.
On Thursday, November 17, meet the Montgomery County Coroner himself, when he visits The Franklin Institute to discuss real-life CSI. Known for his entertaining style and fascinating tales, he'll delve into the vast differences between his role in crime-solving and how it's portrayed on the popular television shows. Guests are encouraged to come early and tour CSI: The Experience in advance of the event. Dr. Hofman is pictured here inspecting one of the "crime scenes" on display at The Franklin Institute as part of the CSI: The Experience exhibit.
Leslie Richards and Josh Shapiro were ecstatic with the response of fellow Democrats as they announced that they had received a call from Bruce Castor conceding the election, making the Democrats the winners of the Montgomery County Commissioner majority seats for the first time in history. For 140 years, the Republican party had dominated the suburban Philadelphia county's politics, but November 8, 2011, became an historic day, as the Democrats won the county-wide election with comfortable margins.
This is also a historic election in that both Shapiro and Richards are Jewish. Preliminary figures have Shapiro with 87,965 votes and running-mate Ms. Richards at 86,014, to Bruce Castor's 76, 635, and Jenny Brown's 74,983. Castor is an incumbent Republican county commissioner, and Brown is a Lower Merion Township Republican commissioner. The top three vote-getters, Shapiro, Richards and Castor, will be sworn in January in Norristown.
Liberty Medal award-winner Secretary Robert Gates and David Eisner, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center
Presenting the Liberty Medal to former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates were SFC Dana Graham of the Liberty USO, Anthony Odierno, representing the Wounded Warrior Project, and David Eisner, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center.
After a lifetme of public service, in the CIA, and ending with serving as Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Robert Gates was awarded the Liberty Medal on September 22 at the National Constitution Center. The word "liberty" took on added meaning as David Eisner, the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, had invited Iraq war veteran Anthony Odierno, representing the Wounded Warrior Project, and SFC Dana Graham of the Pennsyvalnia Army National Guard, representing the USO of Pennslvania and Southern New Jersey (Liberty USO), to present the actual Liberty Medal to Dr. Gates.
(left to right) Ken Kaiserman, long-time Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) board member and past president, was congratulated on his being honored at the 35th anniversary gala by Mayor Michael Nutter and CBS3's Pat Ciarrocchi, who served as auction host.
-- by Bonnie Squires
The Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) dazzled hundreds of supporters with its 35th Anniversary celebration Gala, honoring long-time board member Kenneth S. Kaiserman of Kaiserman Company, Inc., and PTC Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik on Monday, June 6 at 6PM in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt at the Bellevue. Governor Ed Rendell served as master of ceremonies, and his son Jesse beamed approvingly from the first table down front.
In addition to the honorees, Rendell praised Suzanne and Ralph Roberts, and Carl Dranoff, the developer of Symphony House, which houses the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, the permanent home of the Philadelphia Theatre Company.
The evening featured appearances by multiple Tony- and Emmy-award-winner Tyne Daly, star of the upcoming revival of Terrence McNally's Master Class on Broadway; Broadway and film star Kathleen Turner, who starred in PTC's world premiere of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins; Tony Award-winner and frequent PTC performer John Glover; Quentin Darrington, star of the recent revival of Ragtime; and the glorious voice of Alexandra Silber.
Philadelphia Israeli Consul General Daniel Kutner held a celebration of Israel's 63rd anniversary at the National Museum of American Jewish History, and hundreds of area residents and VIPs turned out.
Mayor Michael A. Nutter (left) joined Consul General Daniel Kutner (right) for the celebration.
Sam Katz, Rabbi Aaron Landis, Councilman Jim Kenney, and Joseph Zuritsky (left to right) were among the people who came to the National Museum of American Jewish History to celebrate Israel's 63rd anniversary.
Confetti rained down on philanthropist and Drexel trustee emeritus James E. Marks at the dedication of the new Intercultural Center named for Marks. The James E. Marks Intercultural Center is located on the northwest corner of 33rd and Chestnut Streets and welcomes all University students and alumni, regardless of religious traditions, humanistic beliefs, or cultural values. The Center embraces the University's broad definition of diversity, which includes socioeconomic status, ability, political beliefs, racial and ethnic background, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Bonnie Squires, president of Squires Consulting, was honored by the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival at its recent New Filmmakers Festival at the Gershman Y, for her 25 years as vice-chair of the PJFF and her role in creating the New Filmmakers Festival. She is seen here with Louis Coffey, Esq., chairman of the board of the Gershman Y, who made the presentation.
Al Berger and Carol Auerbach, husband and wife, each heads up a private family foundation. The Auerbach Agency at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia was founded by Auerbach when she lived in Philadelphia. Now, as a board member of the Jewish Funders Network, she divides her time between New York City, Seattle, and Jupiter, Florida.
For the twenty-first year, the Jewish Funders Network convened its annual international conference, this time in Philadelphia at Loews Hotel. The theme this year: What's Your Story? The Power of Narrative to Drive Change.
Andy Goodman, the keynote speaker, entertained the audience while transmitting very important points, about how to inspire others to support the various philanthropies represented by the 315 attendees.
Dorit Straus shared the story of her chance encounter on a New York subway with the famous violist Joshua Bell, learning that Bell was the proud owner of a Stradivarius violin which had once belongs to an earlier generation's highly regarded violinist, Bronislaw Huberman, who had a dream of creating an orchestra in Palestine. Huberman managed to collect hundreds of professional musicians, saving them from the Nazis, and eventually establishing the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
David Eisner, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center (NCC), today joined filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick and Corporation for Public Broadcasting President Patricia Harrison to announce collaboration to foster a national conversation about "Civility and Democracy."
Lower Merion Commissioner Cheryl Gelber hosted a notary and petition-signing party at her home. Seen here are (left to right) Montgomery County Coroner Walter I. Hofman, M.D.; Rep. Josh Shapiro, candidate for county commissioner; Joe Foster, MCDC vice-chair; and Jill Stein, co-chair of the LM-Narberth Democratic Committee.
Today the president of the Jewish community in Tunisia, Roger Bismuth, informed AFP (Agence France Press) that no anti-Semitic act has been signaled in Tunisia since the start of the popular revolution.
Cautioning against a rumor that surfaced on Tuesday regarding a fire in a synagogue, Mr. Bismuth declared "at no time were the Tunisian Jews either a target of attacks or targets of foul comments during this revolution."
The chief of the Tunisian Jewish community, which numbers 1600 persons, stated a "formal denial" of "a rumor describing a fire in a synagogue" on Monday evening in El Hamma, near the coastal town of Gabes (south east). He added that "There is no synagogue in El Hamma. There is a mausoleum for a great Rabbi, which is a site of pilgrimage. Monday night several buildings in the region were the target of vandalism and the guard house of the mausoleum was vandalized and a few chairs stolen."
The Jewish community in itself was not a target. He explained that "A building of the UGTT (the main Tunisian labor union) was vandalized, and so were other buildings."
A panel of prominent legal observers took part in a discussion focused on legal industry trends and the future of the profession on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at Philadelphia Bar Association headquarters in Philadelphia. The program, Law & Reorder: Legal Industry Trends & the Future of the Profession, focusing on the book by the same name, written by Deborah Epstein Henry, Esq., was co-sponsored by the Association's Large, Mid-Size, and Solo and Small Firm Management Committees; the Women in the Profession Committee; and the Bar-News Media Committee.
The program featured an interview by Comcast television's Lynn Doyle with Deborah Epstein Henry, author of Law & Reorder. Henry is the founder of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. Following the interview, Doyle moderated a panel discussion with Henry; Carol Ann Petren, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, CIGNA Corporation; JoAnne A. Epps, Dean, Temple University Beasley School of Law; and Abraham C. Reich, Co-Chair, Fox Rothschild LLP.
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Sen. Constance Williams (left), Museum chair of the board, happily greeted Mary Hurtig (center) & Judge Phyllis Beck (right)
— by Bonnie Squires
Remarks Yesterday by the President at the Franklin Institute
So I'm here not just because I need your help — although I do. (Laughter.) I'm here because the country needs your help. When you think back to 2008, a lot of you were involved in that campaign. You didn't get involved because you thought Barack Obama was the odds-on favorite to become President of the United States. Let's face it. (Laughter.) That was a long shot. The reason we came together was because we shared a belief in the basic bargain that built this country; the idea that if you're willing to work hard, if you're willing to take responsibility, that in this country you can make it. That you can find a job that pays a living wage, and you can save and buy a home. You can send your kids to college so they do even better than you did. You can retire with some dignity and some respect. The idea that no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, no matter what your faith, no matter who you love, that in America you can make it if you try. (Applause.)
— by Bonnie Squires
-- Bonnie Squires
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