Rabbi Sherre Hirsch Featured Speaker at Federation’s 15th Annual Spring Lecture

The 15th Annual Spring Lecture sponsored by the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte was held on Thursday, March 14 and featured Rabbi Sherre Hirsch, who offered practical and insightful advice on dealing with the challenges women face combining career and family responsibilities.

The event was co-chaired by Randi Lan and Stacey Schanzlin who led a very talented and dedicated team of volunteers which included Talli Dippold, Jill Halverstam, Sara Kulbersh, Mallory Miller, Elaine Moody, Debbie Porter, Jenny Rosenthal, Lori Rosenthal and Stephanie Townsend. The committee not only worked on the overall planning of the event, but also on securing sponsorships to underwrite the cost of the event.

Many thanks go to our Corporate and Individual Sponsors.
$2500 Sponsors:
Ditesheim Cosmetic Surgery
North Carolina Bank and Trust
Melanie Rowe Catering

$1500 Table Sponsors:
Erica Coblenz and Gabi Gorelick
Jill Halverstam and Randi Lan

$1,000 Sponsors
Aviva Stein, MD/Charlotte OB/GYN
Creative Events
Mallory and Kevin Miller
REACH – Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte

$500 Sponsors
A New You Medical Wellness Solutions
ArtShots Photography
Betsy Klein Jewelry
Brownlee Jewelers
Carolina Facial Plastics
Carolinas HealthCare System
Charlotte Radiology
Deb Strauss, Health and Wellness Consultant with Isagenix
Flora Designs
Friendly Neighborhood Dental
Laxer, Long and Savage
Perfect Image Printing
Piedmont Natural Gas
Presbyterian Urogynecology, William Porter, MD
Jonathan Polsky, L.Ac. and Wenhui Lui, L. Ac., SouthPark Acupuncture
The Brain Trainer

Randi Lan and Stacey Schanzlin welcomed 260 women attending a dinner in the David Silverman Social Hall at Temple Beth El. The room was beautifully decorated with blue, orange and yellow balloons by Creative Events, and the delicious dinner was catered by Melanie Rowe Catering. Mallory and Kevin Miller generously donated all wine for the event. Many thanks go to the 35 table captains for all of their efforts in filling the room!

After dinner, guests moved into the Blumenthal Sanctuary where they were joined by an additional 40 women attending the “lecture and dessert only” portion of the evening. Goody bags, filled with promotional items provided by each of our event sponsors, awaited each guest at her seat. Belk SouthPark, a sponsor of the Federation’s Women’s Professional Network, also donated items for our goody bags.

Randi Lan and Stacey Schanzlin introduced the evening and thanked our sponsors. They were joined on the bimah by four wonderful women who shared their stories of friendships made through their connection to the Jewish Federation. Many thanks go to our wonderful speakers Ruth Goldberg, Roni Fishkin, Betsy Olinger and Mallory Miller. Randi Lan shared her own perspective by saying, “As a recent graduate of the Bernstein Leadership Group, I’ve learned how the Federation builds community among our beneficiary agencies at Shalom Park, connects us to Israel, and builds Jewish identity for our children.”

Stacey Schanzlin introduced our speaker, Rabbi Sherre Hirsch, author of We Plan, God Laughs: What to Do When Life Hits You Over the Head. Sherre Hirsch is known as “the relationship rabbi” and is the spiritual life consultant for Canyon Ranch properties in Arizona and Massachusetts. Her inspirational remarks earned a standing ovation from the audience.

If you would like to get involved or share ideas for the 16th Annual Spring Lecture, please contact Sue Littauer, Development Director at the Jewish Federation.