From the Desk of Jeri Zimmerman

The monthly column of Jeri Zimmerman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley

Something magical can happen

As we get ready to celebrate 10 years of PJ Library in our community (Oct. 24), we should all be excited that we are providing a gateway opportunity for our youngest community members to connect within our Jewish community. This dynamic project, created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, an…

Here for Good

The holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are our individual and communal opportunities to mark the transition from the past year to a new year. As I think about beginning a new Jewish year, it is an opportunity to reflect on the past year(s) and a beautiful time to renew our commitment t…

This was our moment

On June 30, we closed the 2021 Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. As I reflected on the year that passed, I was reminded by the astounding dedication of all those who helped to make our campaign a success during this unprecedented and challenging pandemic year. Our campaign slogan, “This is…

Standing with Israel

I usually try to keep up with the news on Israel, and I am always heartened by the “good news” in the areas of innovation, medicine, high-tech and culture. More recently, and particularly this past weekend, I found myself reading everything I could possibly find about the current Israeli…

In her shoes

As we celebrate women in HAKOL this month, I wanted to share some thoughts about leading Jewish women whose stories inspire me. It is most difficult to narrow it down to just a few, when you consider how many there are who fit that role and whom we hold in high esteem. For example:

We begin…