Hineni, here I am. I never would have guessed when I was growing up in Los Angeles that I would move to Milwaukee in 2003 with my husband, newly hired as a biology professor at Marquette University, and my two young daughters. We could have lived so many places, as Ed applied for faculty positions all over the country. How lucky we were to land here.
From the moment we arrived, the Jewish community welcomed us with open arms — from Jewish Beginnings and the Milwaukee Jewish Day School, where we enrolled the girls, to Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid and its kehilla kedosha (sacred community), where I currently serve as a vice president.
I joined the Women’s Division board of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and then the Agency Review Council, part of the volunteer-driven support process through which our community allocates MJF funding to our agencies. Participating in agency site visits, I learned about and saw firsthand the incredible work they do.
This immersion in the Milwaukee Jewish community led to changes in my career path. Little known fact about me: After college, I was awarded a full fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. in French literature and I planned to become a professor. I moved on to a 15-year career in university development, raising money for scholarships so that others could access the educational opportunities I was so fortunate to be given.
After our family spent Ed’s sabbatical year in Belgium, I joined the staff of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation as director of Women’s Philanthropy. To say it is an honor to work on behalf of the Jewish community that has given my family and me so much, raising funds to support our agencies and working with our volunteers to foster community engagement and connection, is an understatement. I’m right where I want to be.
Amy Blumenthal is director of Women’s Philanthropy at the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
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