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

