On Thursday, Nov. 17, a group of Lion of Judah and Pomegranate level donors gathered at the home of Drs. Debra Luffer Atlas and Pierre Atlas to honor Federation and Newfields volunteer Barbara Leventhal and meet Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, the new President and CEO of Newfields.

Barbara Leventhal was honored at the International Lion of Judah conference in December as a Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland (KWF) award winner. Past KWF honoree Winnie Goldblatt shared that Barb has led the community
in many ways, chairing the Endowment Committee, serving on many other Federation committees and also passing on her values to her kids. She said it was very meaningful to have her daughter, Lisa Weinstein, a former Young Leadership chairperson, in attendance at the event.

After honoring Barb, the group had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Burnette, who has been in her role at Newfields for less than 6 months. Burnette shared her personal and professional story, including her passion for education and belief that Newfields plays a central role in educating and engaging the diverse communities that make Indianapolis their home. She spoke about the shared Jewish values of philanthropy and tikkun olam, making the world a better place, and is excited to partner with the Federation on programs such as Latkes and Lights and other opportunities that might develop.

Finally, Annual Campaign Co-Chair Dr. Jennifer Schwartz shared an update about the Federation’s Annual Campaign and acknowledged the philanthropic leaders in the room who have stepped up their giving this past year. She was excited to share that in the past 2 years, there have been five women upgrade their existing Lion of Judah gifts, 10 new Lions of Judah and 13 women became new donors at the Pomegranate level.

Many thanks to the planning committee of Winnie Goldblatt, Debra Atlas, Gigi Marks Felsher, Mollie Tavel Kaback and Karen Rothbaum for their support in planning the event.