Category: People

  • Adam Lazarov: A Lifestyle of Leadership and Philanthropy

    Adam Lazarov: A Lifestyle of Leadership and Philanthropy

    Pictured are Memphis Jewish Federation Annual Community Campaign donors Jami and Adam Lazarov, along with their two children, Sonia and Audrey. Photo by Jen Howell. “Jewish Memphis is a safe haven and a strong community that my children will always be able to turn to,” said Adam Lazarov. “Supporting it…

  • Abby Cassius: My Teen Israel Experience

    Abby Cassius: My Teen Israel Experience

    Abby Cassius, pictured right, daughter of Melinda and Lyn Cassius, is a senior at White Station High School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to offset the costs of her NCSY/ JSU/The Jewish Journey program in Israel. All rising high school juniors…

  • Chloe Bullard: My Teen Israel Experience

    Chloe Bullard: My Teen Israel Experience

    Chloe Bullard, daughter of Samantha and Brian Bullard, is in eleventh grade at DeSoto Central High School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to offset the costs of her NFTY L’Dor V’Dor program in Israel. All rising high school juniors and seniors…

  • Shayna Giles: A Mentor in the Making

    Shayna Giles: A Mentor in the Making

    “What’s really cool about Federation is that it has its hands in every part of the Jewish community,” said Shayna Giles, one of the younger donors to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Annual Community Campaign. “It’s not just Conservative, Reform, or Orthodox, and they don’t just help with one specific need in…

  • A Shabbat Message from Debbie B. Lazarov: Who am I?

    A Shabbat Message from Debbie B. Lazarov: Who am I?

    By Debbie B. Lazarov About three years ago, I was inspired by a younger woman who had recently returned from a Memphis Jewish Federation MOMentum Moms’ trip to Israel. She said it changed her life. Since I had retired ten years prior, I had been searching for something that would…

  • Jewish Community Partners Strengthens Memphis Jewish Community with Promotions and New Hires

    Jewish Community Partners Strengthens Memphis Jewish Community with Promotions and New Hires

    Jewish Community Partners has recently on-boarded and promoted several professionals to further empower Memphis Jewish Federation and the Jewish Foundation of Memphis. Melinda Lejman, Steven Holman, and Lorraine Wolf have joined in key positions, while Sheri Gadberry, Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein, and Sarah VanderWalde have received much-deserved promotions. Guided by its recently…

  • Sam Canales: Leadership Through a Jewish Lens

    Sam Canales: Leadership Through a Jewish Lens

    “Federation supports the institutions that have supported my family for generations and it means something to me to be a part of that,” said Sam Canales, a recent graduate of The University of Georgia and, at 22, among the younger donors to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Annual Community Campaign. “It’s an…

  • Five Young Jewish Leaders Represent Memphis at BBYO Leadership Retreat

    Five Young Jewish Leaders Represent Memphis at BBYO Leadership Retreat

    Pictured from left to right: Jonas Kannady, Alex Agranov, Morgan Schrier, Abby Cassius, and Evan Schrier are seen posing together for Memphis BBYO’s annual leadership photo for 2021. “When I moved to Memphis, right before the start of my 9th-grade year, the first thing I did was join BBYO. I…

  • Stanley and Dot Bilsky – A History of Helping

    Stanley and Dot Bilsky – A History of Helping

    “You can help people by yourself, but if you work with Memphis Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Memphis you can do so much more, you can impact so many more people,” said Dot Bilsky. “They find people that I don’t even know who need help. To me it’s a…

  • A Summer in Israel to Remember

    A Summer in Israel to Remember

    Pictured from left to right: Jordan Infeld, Gabe Freedman, Drew Harris, Jacob Shapiro, Louis Reagler, Jack Benjamin, and Michael Hirsch are seen posing at the Tel Aviv Port statue. “The most inspiring part of my Israel trip was spending two nights in the desert,” said Michael Hirsch, a senior at…