Meet Kelly.^* While attending UC Berkeley, Kelly wore a small mezuzah on a chain around her neck as a symbol of pride in her Jewish heritage. Today, having endowed her Federation annual gift, she will proudly wear the Or L’Atid, light to the future, on her Lion of Judah pin—a symbol of her enduring generosity. Kelly, now 70, has been a Lion of Judah (LOJE) for 13 years, which coincides with a traditional age that a girl becomes a bat mitzvah. She celebrated the “bat mitzvah” of her gift by creating a LOJE through a charitable remainder trust with the Jewish Community Endowment Fund.

Kelly has lived in Marin for decades and has been a Jewish philanthropist for nearly as long. She has consistently worked with the JCF Women’s Alliance as well as many other community organizations —here and in Israel. Furthermore, she seeks to set a positive example for her family. Her son and daughter are actively involved in Jewish community and just recently she saw how Jewish values have taken root in the next generation, when her granddaughter called her to request funds for Israel.

^* Please note that names have been altered to protect the privacy of the donors.