On Tuesday, January 10, 2023 the women of Jewish Memphis are invited to support Federation’s annual campaign and celebrate Women of Strength at a luncheon and VIP shopping experience. Ricki Krupp and Alla Olswanger-Lubin, two Memphis women who have each made a significant impact in our Jewish community, will be honored during the Impact Luncheon. Second generation jeweler, mother of four, and entrepreneur Freida Rothman will keynote the event.
“Both of these dynamic women have made this community richer in countless ways. In simple terms, Ricki has nourished our bodies and Alla has nourished our hearts,” said Federation board chair Cindy Finestone who, along with event co-chairs Jaclyn Marshall, Debbie Rosenthal, Jody Shutzberg, and Jessica Baum Sukhodolsky, is part of the leadership team planning this exciting event. “Ricki is part of every family simcha in our Jewish community. It doesn’t matter where you affiliate, every Jewish family values and savors Ricki’s challah and desserts! And Alla is known by everyone for her warmth, her smile and her incredible dedication to so many organizations. She has spent her adult life dedicated to our Jewish community – including being a critical resource for Fogelman JFS when dozens of families from the FSU were resettled in the early 1990’s. Now, most nights, she’s at a board meeting or volunteering by making calls for Federation’s campaign. Everyone agrees that she is an incredible leader and advocate for Jews worldwide.”
The event will be held at 11:30 A.M., Tuesday January 10 in the Memphis Jewish Community Center’s Belz Social Hall. There is a $50 couvert, with attendance open to anyone whose household has pledged or commits to pledge $180 or more to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Annual Community Campaign. At the time of this writing, more than 130 tickets had been sold, with orders coming in consistently. Those who wish to attend are encouraged to act fast. Visit our website to learn more and buy tickets.
“The Memphis Jewish community means everything to me, and every day I open the bakery, I feel honored to have my own special role to play here,” said Ricki Krupp, whose Ricki’s Cookie Corner & Bakery has been providing kosher challahs, pizzas, cakes, cookies, and, of course, chipsticks to the city’s Jewish households and beyond since 1980, and from her brick-and-mortar location at Eastgate Shopping Center since 2000. “I think of everyone who comes through our doors as a friend. I’m deeply touched to be honored at this event and look forward to seeing that big room filled with other women of strength.”
“Growing up in Kyiv, Ukraine, my parents always told me not to tell anybody I was Jewish. Every single day we worried about antisemitism and violence. I stood out like a sore thumb with my darker complexion, dark hair, and the dark eyes, but I never really talked about that,” said Alla Olswanger-Lubin, a prominent lay leader and philanthropist whose leadership and generosity has touched almost every corner of the community that first allowed her to live a richly Jewish life.
“What an incredible life I’ve found here,” she said. “I’m so very grateful that I can’t help but give back in any way I can think of. I just love, love, love helping people. It’s because I have always believed in treating people the way I want to be treated. Life is too short not to.”
Event attendees will also hear Freida Rothman’s amazing story, in part inspired by the legacy of four Holocaust survivor grandparents. Immediately following the event, those in attendance can participate in an exclusive shopping opportunity offering the latest inspired designs from Freida’s collection. 10% of each sale will benefit Federation’s Annual Campaign.
“Our annual campaign is so critical to ensuring a vibrant Jewish community,” said Laura Linder, President & CEO of Jewish Community Partners, which manages Memphis Jewish Federation. “This event will bring together hundreds of women from every corner of our Jewish community to celebrate Alla and Ricki and to raise critical funds for Jewish needs here in Memphis, in Israel, and around the world. We’re also excited that Elisheva Massel, Director, Strategic Partnerships at the Joint Distribution Committee, will be joining us to share stories of the impact of our gifts in supporting families across the world.” Under the leadership of the event co-chairs, a host committee representing every corner and age demographic of our community has assisted in planning the details of the event as well as recruitment. The committee includes Maureen Baum, Suzanne Baum, Marion Bessoff, Ellee Breit, Jill Buring, Hallie Charney, Bari Eiseman, Jackie Evans, Janis Finan, Karen Franklin, Marlene Gerson, Shayna Giles, Margo Gruen, Myrna Halpern, Elana Kahane, Karen Karmel, Justin Katz, Lisa Kaufman, Karen Koplon, Barb Lansky, Danielle Lazarov, Debbie B. Lazarov, Emily Lennon, Danielle Levine, Aviva Lewis, Betsy Libby, Sharon Lubin, Lisa Menuskin, Lindsey Reef, Shelley Robbins, Hillary Samuels, Sophie Samuels, Stacy Siegler, Lisa Silver, Audrey Siskind, Jill Steinberg, and Kathy Wexler.