Lily Kanter will be honored at Birthright Israel Foundation’s annual San Francisco fundraiser, Shaping Our Jewish…
On Sunday, November 12, 2023, San Francisco donors attended our Show Up for Israel event supporting Birthright Israel Foundation. The event was chaired by Nancy Grand and honored Lily Kanter for her dedication to Birthright Israel’s program.
The evening’s five speakers built a strong case for supporting Birthright Israel. We hope that their words and experience inspire our community’s philanthropists to get involved with our mission. Birthright Israel plays a vital and unique role in rebuilding and rebinding our communities. Right now, Birthright Israel alums and young Jewish adults are participating in Birthright Israel Onward’s volunteer program to assist with food rescue operations. We commend these young adults on their eagerness to help the land and people of Israel during this time.
When the war is over, we must be ready to fill the streets of Israel with young adults from around the world.
Highlights from the Speakers
Rabbi Ryan Bauer: Rabbi Bauer gave us permission to move forward after Shloshim since October 7 and lit three candles in honor of the IDF, in memory of the 1,400 victims, and in solidarity with the 220+ hostages. He left one candle unlit as a symbol of the Jewish future — with poignance, Rabbi Bauer challenged us to “squeeze the darkness as hard as we can and light the Jewish future by supporting Birthright Israel.”
Lily Kanter: Lily Kanter, the evening’s honoree, shared her personal journey, connection to Israel, and commitment to Jewish Peoplehood, welfare, and education. In addition to her message of hope for the Middle East, she made two requests: that everyone give as much as possible at this time of great emergency and to revitalize and strengthen our Northwest Ambassador Council.
Jordyn Tilchen: Jordyn Tilchen, an extraordinary alum of Birthright Israel, described how Birthright Israel allowed her to step into the Jewish story and changed the trajectory of her life. With 55,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram, Jordyn founded a Jewish Multimedia company that provides young adults with resources about Jewish identity and Israel. She thanked our donors for “understanding the correlation between exposure to Israel and unapologetic Jewish pride. None of my accomplishments would have been possible without that eye-opening 10-day trip that I didn’t even want to go on in the first place.”
Howard Zack: Howard Zack introduced Lily with love and gusto and summed it up: “All of us can and must ensure that Birthright Israel remains a centerpiece of the Israel that will emerge from the war: a foundation of Jewish identity.”
Photos from the Event
