Brian Seymour, Marilyn Comiter, Ronda Starr, Barry S. Berg
To mark a year of extraordinary impact, leadership, and growth for Jewish Palm Beach, 250 guests gathered at Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Preparatory School for Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County’s 2025 Annual Meeting.
The event, chaired by Scott H. Holtz and Lauren Stuhmer, honored outstanding volunteers, donors, professionals, and corporate members; welcomed new Board of Directors members; and recognized three graduating cohorts from Mandel Center for Leadership Development programs.
The evening also spotlighted the achievements of Federation’s partner organizations, which launched exciting initiatives and helped thousands of people within the community. Highlights include:
• 7,000 hours of mental health sessions provided by Alpert Jewish Family Service
• 2,500 healthy, kosher High Holiday and Passover meals packed and delivered in partnership with Kramer Senior Services
• 82 percent increase in enrollment at Meyer Prep, the Palm Beaches’ only Jewish day school, over the last seven years
• Thousands of teens engaged through the new JTeen program at Mandel JCC
This growth comes from an intentional investment in Jewish Palm Beach, which Federation has been committed to sustaining through the Palm Beach Movement to Activate Jewish Life.
Launched December 2024 at Celebrating Philanthropy, this initiative focuses on meeting people where they are – by age, stage, and neighborhood – engaging them in meaningful Jewish life.
The movement is setting an example for Jewish communities across the nation through initiatives like Jewish Palm Beach’s first cohort of Family and Community Connectors, an inaugural Community-Wide Pride Shabbat in April, and ongoing investments in welcoming programs that unite our community.
This momentum will be further amplified by The Exter Center, a planned state-of-the-art, multi-use space currently in design to be a vibrant hub for Jewish life on the Meyer Prep and Mandel JCC campus in Palm Beach Gardens.
Beyond Jewish Palm Beach, Federation extends its impact to Israel and other Jewish communities in need across the world through the Stacey & Mark Levy Center for Israel & Overseas. Some key achievements include:
• Two dozen graduates of the Mandel Center leadership programs traveled to Cuba, delivering 5,000 pounds of food and medical supplies to an impoverished yet thriving Jewish community.
• Federation celebrated a 30-year milestone with the JCC in Budapest, strengthening ties between Hungary, Ukraine, and Jewish Palm Beach.
• Federation proudly assisted former hostages, supported the rebuilding of 1,000 homes in the Gaza envelope, and continued our 30-year partnership with the TZAHAR (Tzfat, Hatzor HaGlilit, and Rosh Pina) region of Israel.
• Through generous grants to The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Joint Distribution Committee, Federation continues to support vital programs that strengthen Israel, reflecting an unwavering commitment to safeguarding the people of Israel, especially during these challenging times.
Jewish Palm Beach’s global connection continues this summer as 13 local teens join Israeli and European teens at Camp Szarvas in Hungary. In October, a community mission to Israel, chaired by Betsy and Richard Sheerr, will further strengthen the community’s bonds and commitment to the people of Israel.
In other news, Federation shared that Palm Beach County leads the state in antisemitic incidents, underscoring the urgent need for its Palm Beach Center to Combat Antisemitism & Hatred. This year, the center led Community Leaders Study Tours to Israel, fostering allyship across Palm Beach communities. Next month, in partnership with the Palm Beach County School District, the center’s March of the Educators Fellows – local school principals and regional superintendents – will travel to Poland and Israel to prepare them to address antisemitism in their schools.
All of Federation’s work is made possible by passionate community members whose generosity makes Jewish Palm Beach a leading Jewish community in North America.
Thousands of donors are driving meaningful change through Federation’s 2025 Campaign, which ends on June 30. Thanks to nearly 300 volunteer ambassadors and led by Development & Campaign Chair Ronda Starr, $20.5 million has already been donated (as of May 15) to the annual campaign, building strong momentum toward the nonprofit’s $21 million goal. Nearly half comes from Women’s Philanthropy, thanks to the generosity of countless women and the leadership of Marilyn Comiter and Patti Lehrhoff.
Awards and Milestones
This year, Nancy Beren received the Hope Silverman Campaigner of the Year Award, honoring her leadership, philanthropy, and dedication to Federation’s mission. A long-time BallenIsles leader, Nancy co-chairs the community’s Federation Committee, serves on the Women’s Philanthropy Board of Directors, and helped inspire more than 115 donor commitments.
Community leaders Andrew Alminana and Jillian Benson received the Robert S. and Ceil N. Levy Young Leadership Award, honoring outstanding individuals under 45 for their service to our community. Andrew is a graduate of the Emerging Leadership Program (ELP) Cohort 7, Mandel Leadership Institute Cohort 3, and is the incoming Business and Professionals Chair. Jillian, also a graduate of ELP Cohort 7, was recognized for her roles as a Women’s Philanthropy Executive Committee member, Jewish Federations’ National Young Leadership Cabinet member, and co-chair of the Ben-Gurion Society.
During the evening, Jewish Palm Beach honored the legacies of two instrumental leaders who passed away this year: Alan L. Shulman z”l and Judith A. Levy z”l. Both served as Federation Board chairs and led with vision and conviction, leaving a lasting impact that continues to inspire.
The evening concluded with a presentation of the prestigious Debbi Roshfeld Professional Leadership Award to Randee Schneider, Federation’s senior director of campaign strategy and operations. The award recognizes outstanding professional leadership and commitment to enhancing the Jewish community.
