Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The Hilton, 333 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco (map)
Registration 5:00 p.m. Program 6:00 p.m.
$90 per person

Attendees are required to make a minimum individual gift of $365 to the 2008 Annual Campaign, payable by December 31, 2008.

Join us at the Power of One

The Power of One dinner is the largest annual gala event for Jewish women in the San Francisco Bay Area. Celebrating and inspiring the power of each individual to make a difference in the world, the fundraising event is attended by more than 1,000 people. A prominent feature speaker reflecting the ideals and values of Jewish heritage and tradition contributes to the generational theme of encouraging women to become more deeply committed to the Jewish community.

The program name is inspired by the life and work of Donna Grazia, a 15th century valiant leader of the Jewish people. Ms. Grazia was a Portuguese aristocrat who lost nearly all her relatives to the Spanish Inquisition simply because they were Jewish. While exiled in Turkey, she wrote about the "power of one woman" to affect positive change within one’s community. Her challenge has inspired us all.  One-by-one and one-to-one, each one of us can also become a "Power of One".

For Table Sponsor or Table Captain information
Please contact Dina Jacobs at dinaj@sfjcf.org or call 415.512.6292.

Our keynote speaker is Dear Abby

 “I was raised to appreciate the importance of giving back to the community, of “healing the world”.  It’s something I learned from my mother.” ~Dear Abby

Dear Abby is the most popular newspaper columnist in the world.  Her wisdom and advice is featured in more than 1,400 newspapers and read by millions daily.  Dear Abby has long been a symbol of trust, compassion and straightforward honesty for a worldwide readership.

Her mother, Abigail Van Buren, originally created the syndicated column in 1956 and the mother and daughter team collaborated for decades.  After her mother’s retirement, Dear Abby took on her mother’s work and famous pen name.

Dear Abby receives thousands of emails every week from a dedicated fan base.  Her reach extends to the world’s leaders with access to Supreme Court Justices, Senators, Members of Congress, Civil Rights Leaders, world renowned doctors, scientists, business executives and even the President of the United States.

2008 Judith Chapman Memorial Women’s Leadership Award presented to Joelle Steefel

It is a special honor for Joelle Steefel to be this year’s Judith Chapman awardee, as the two were childhood friends and worked together for decades cultivating Jewish community leadership.  Joelle is a gracious, wise, nurturing and modest leader.  Leadership of all ages looks to her respectfully as a thoughtful and caring visionary.  To quote one of her nominators, “Joelle Steefel demonstrates tzedakah by serving the Jewish community selflessly but with a sense of direction and purpose”.    

Joelle feels her life is more complete due to her sustained involvement in the Jewish community.  She serves on the National Board of Trustees of United Jewish Communities, The Jewish Community Federation Executive Committee and Board, the Board of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF, and other local and national boards. She and Judith Chapman co-founded the Volunteer Placement Project, now part of Jewish Community Information and Referral.

Her connection to the Jewish people transcends generations and comes from deep within.  This is clear in her co-founding the JCF Women in Leadership Program, many of whose graduates have taken major community leadership positions.  Joelle is also a Past President of the Women's Alliance. 

Her life is filled with the joys of being a devoted mother and grandmother.  She spends her free time with family and friends and loves writing, hiking, tennis, travel and art.

About the Judith Chapman Memorial Women's Leadership Award

Each year, the Judith Chapman Women’s Leadership Fund of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund honors a woman who exemplifies significant and sustained volunteer leadership, and who values her Jewish identity and the importance of tzedakah in her life. Established in honor of Judith Chapman, the award is presented each year at the Women's Alliance Power of One event and acknowledged at the Federation’s annual meeting.

Click here to see all of our past award recipients.

Sponsors