March 20, 2006

(San Francisco, CA) — San Francisco resident and community leader Miriam “Mimi” Gauss will be honored with the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award at the International Lion of Judah conference in Washington D.C. this September, which celebrates Jewish women philanthropists and activists making a difference in the global Jewish community. A Lion of Judah is a woman’ philanthropist who makes donations of $5,000 or more to the annual campaign of the Jewish Community Federation of her choice. The Kipnis-Wilson/Freidland Award honors one woman from each community who embodies the spirit and vision of the Lion of Judah through a commitment to tzedakah (righteous acts) and tikkun olam (repairing the world). The award was established in honor of Norma Kipnis-Wilson and Toby Friedland, founders of the Lion of Judah initiative over 30 years ago.

A beloved and committed lay leader for the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, Gauss has been involved with the Women’s Alliance division for over 30 years and became a Lion in 1987. She represented the Federation on the board of the United Jewish Communities national woman’s philanthropy board, and served the Federation’s first Lion of Judah Endowment chair from 1994 to 2004. She has also chaired various committees and served on the Federation’s Board. Gauss has participated in over 20 trips to Israel as part of the Federation missions and is a member of the Federation’s Israel & Overseas Committee.

The Jewish Community Federation is the central organization for fundraising, planning, outreach and leadership development for Jewish communities in San Francisco, the Peninsula and Marin and Sonoma counties. In FY 2004-05, the Federation’s annual campaign allocated $16.9 million to some 60 agencies providing social services, educational and cultural programs in the Bay Area, in the U.S., Israel and elsewhere in the world. In fiscal year 2005, the Federation’s Endowment Fund, with assets exceeding $1.05 billion, provided more than $215 million for a variety of grants, seed projects and emergency needs. For more information, call 415.777.0411 or visit www.sfjcf.org.