Like all members of the federation family, members of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Women’s Division believe that every Jew is part of, and responsible for, a larger community that includes our families, extended Jewish community and the family of Jews worldwide.

Nowhere was this more evident as 15 members of our community traveled to Washington, D.C., Oct. 17-19 to attend the 2004 International Lion of Judah Conference held by United Jewish Communities, the umbrella organization of 155 Jewish federations and 400 independent communities across North America. We were joined by 1,400 women from North America, Argentina, Brazil, France, Israel and the former Soviet Union, among others.

Lions of Judah are women dedicated to Jewish philanthropy through their federation’s annual community campaign, a campaign of the Jewish Agency for Israel, or Keren Heyesod, which supports Jewish communities beyond North America and Israel.

Driven by our passion to make a difference and to build our Jewish future, we were invigorated and inspired by a dazzling array of conference speakers and workshops on “philanthropy in action” — including aging, Jewish poverty at home and abroad, anti-Semitism, campus activism, spirituality and a host of other issues.

Members of each community bonded and felt a connectedness that truly made us proud not only to be Jews, but also to give in our own name, with hope and pride, to a cause that has never been more relevant.

While the Lion’s $5,000 minimum commitment to MJF’s Annual Community Campaign may seem to set us apart, many Lions, like myself, remember a time when we never imagined that we would attain this level of giving.

As we reflect on our personal and collective philanthropic paths, we are proud, as conference speaker First Lady Laura Bush told us, “of the example we set to others of caring, good works, and powerful and positive philanthropy” and of what women can achieve “with faith, with hard work, and with a whole lot of chutzpah.”

Whether as a Lion of Judah or other donor to our Women’s Campaign, our “roar” is loud and powerful. “Women are vital to the struggle for freedom and the preservation of peace,” Bush added. “Each of you demonstrates your power as mothers, as community leaders, as activists — and also as women. And, like your ancestors, who came first to this country 350 years ago, your greatest power is the ability to inspire a new generation of women and girls.”

Women’s giving is indeed the essence of the future. According to UJC, last year women represented 30 percent of all donors; and last year in Milwaukee the Women’s Campaign raised 27 percent of the funds for the 2004 Community Campaign. I am proud to be a part of that future, to mentor other women as they develop their leadership and philanthropic potential, and to do my part, with Women’s Campaign chair Idy Goodman, for the federation’s 2005 Community Campaign, now under way.

I could not agree more with speaker Theresa Heinz Kerry, who told us that “what philanthropy teaches is that a spirit of generosity and connection and mutual respect does not require us to sacrifice ourselves. Rather, it reminds us that, in being for others, we’re also for ourselves. In strengthening and respecting others, we strengthen and respect ourselves.”

There is much in our world to set right, and I am privileged to be part of an endeavor that celebrates our individual and collective ability to doing just that and to carrying on our tradition of tikkun olam — repairing the world — for the generations that follow.

Marlene Lauwasser is president of the Women’s Division of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.