24 | MARCH 16 • 2023
OUR COMMUNITY
I
n honor of International Women’s
Day, Masa Israel Journey is proud
to recognize 12 remarkable Jewish
women for their leadership and com-
mitment to advancing a brighter future,
including Detroit philanthropist Jane
Sherman.
Sherman is a longtime leader in Jewish
philanthropy, acting in executive and
board member roles for several essential
community organizations, from Detroit
to Israel. Jane was founding chair of the
Young Women’s Leadership Cabinet and
a founder of the Israeli Forum. She was
a vice chair of UJA and UJC for many
years, and served as chair of the United
Israel Appeal.
She has held many leadership roles
at the Detroit Federation, including
Women’s Campaign chair and presi-
dent, first woman chair of the General
Campaign and vice president of
Federation.
She was a member of the Board of
Governors of the Jewish Agency for
Israel for more than 25 years and is now
an honorary board member. She is a
member of the Jewish Agency Executive,
where she chaired the Israel Department,
Youth Aliyah and Allocations, and was
first chair of Project Renewal. She is cur-
rently chair of the Max M. and Marjorie
S. Fisher Foundation.
She serves on the board of the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra and Aspen Music
Festival and School. Jane and her hus-
band, Larry, have led more than 50
missions to Israel and are intimately
involved in Fisher Flight, a program to
train future campaign leadership of the
Federation.
She has won numerous awards includ-
ing Detroit’s highest honor, the Fred M.
Butzel Award. She is a recipient of the
Herb Garon Young Leadership Award,
Israel Bonds Leadership Award, Sylvia
Simon Greenberg Young Leadership
Award as well as having been made an
honorary citizen of Ramle, Israel.
“Over my 60 years of involvement with
the global Jewish community, I have had
the privilege to take part in a number of
groundbreaking initiatives, from being
the first female campaign chairman in
Detroit to starting Youth Futures in my
kitchen and seeing it grow to a national
Israeli program,” Sherman said. “But of
all my accomplishments, I’m particularly
proud of starting Fisher Flight and see-
ing it blossom into a program that has
produced several campaign chairs, fed-
eration presidents, Jewish Agency board
members, and millions of dollars for the
Jewish world. It is an honor to be chosen
as one of the women for Masa, which I
believe will guarantee the future of our
Jewish world.”
AMAZING WOMEN
Masa is committed to helping young
Jewish adults realize their potential
while also connecting to their heritage,
in hopes to inspire the next generation
of Jewish leaders and empower women
across the globe.
In addition to Sherman, other hon-
orees include Amy Albertson, Jewish
advocate and educator; Meara Ashtivker,
New York director of PJ Library; Heidi
Gantwerk, president and CEO of the
Jewish Federation of San Diego County;
Shiri Madar, CEO of Habonim Dror;
Lori Palatnik, founding director of
Momentum; Danit Peleg, 3D print-
ed digital fashion designer; Rachel
Sasiene, manager of the Israel Action
and Addressing Antisemitism Program
at Hillel International; Emily Schrader,
CEO of Social Lite Creative, jour-
nalist, and video host and producer;
Veronica Siegel, Jewish educator; Adeena
Sussman, cookbook author and culinary
consultant; and Mandie Winston, CEO
of United Jewish Israel Appeal.
For more about the honorees, visit
masaisrael.org/inspiring-women-23.
Organization honors 12 Jewish women for
International Women’s Day.
Masa Israel Journey
Celebrates Jane Sherman
“IT IS AN HONOR TO BE CHOSEN AS ONE
OF THE WOMEN FOR MASA, WHICH I BELIEVE
WILL GUARANTEE THE FUTURE OF OUR
JEWISH WORLD.”
— JANE SHERMAN
Jane
Sherman