Lea Rabin Award Honoree
Lynn Bider

Lynn Bider has earned Women’s Philanthropy’s highest honor, the Lea Rabin Award. Her passion for philanthropy and outstanding commitment to Sylvia Weisz Women’s Philanthropy, the community, and our Federation are distinguishing hallmarks of her lifetime of leadership.

Lynn points to her participation on a Federation Leadership Mission some time ago as the impetus for the many Federation involvement and leadership roles she would later assume. She is a proud former Sylvia Weisz Women’s Campaign Chair. Since 2015, Lynn has been our Federation’s Caring for Jews in Need Initiative Chair and, before then, was a member of its committee. She currently serves as Committee Chair of Unistream, a Federation partner that works to build underprivileged Israeli teens’ entrepreneurial skills. Another union born out of a Federation partnership, Lynn is also heavily involved with JQ International, an organization that supports a healthy blend of LGBTQ and Jewish identities.

Lynn is the past president of Stephen Wise Temple and, since 1998, has served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee and as the officer in charge of their gala. She also sits on the USC Hillel Board and the Beit T’Shuvah Board of Directors, where she has also served as an officer and Dinner Chair. In addition, Lynn is a Jewish Community Foundation board member. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA and her education degree from USC.

Lynn and her husband Les have been married for over 40 years, reside in Beverly Hills, and have two children and two grandchildren.

Ruby Award Honoree
Claire Marks

Claire Marks is the deserving recipient of the Sylvia Weisz Women’s Philanthropy Ruby Award, presented to a woman who has demonstrated leadership in Women’s Philanthropy and in the wider community. She passionately supports the work of The Jewish Federation both philanthropically and by encouraging others to follow her lead.

Claire is a 26-year member of The Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy Board and sat on the Valley Alliance Board for nearly as long. Her involvement dates back to 1994, when she was the proud chair of the $1, $2, $3 Luncheon, and went on to receive many awards for her outstanding dedication and service. She and her husband Don have served as Federation Major Gifts Campaign Chairs and General Campaign Chairs. Currently El Caballero Country Club Chair, Claire has acted as the Club’s Campaign Chair for the past two years. Her community commitment extends to Providence Tarzana Hospital, where she is a board member, and Valley Beth Shalom, where she sits on the board and has co-chaired its major fundraising event. A former ADL Dinner honoree and Co-President of South Valley Hadassah, Claire has been involved in Lion of Judah outreach for many years and is passionate about engaging new women to support the important work of The Jewish Federation.

She and Don are blessed with daughter Tamara and son-in-law Brian, son Jeff and daughter-in-law Jenny, and four grandchildren Emily, Daryn, Sienna, and Noah.

Keynote Speaker
Eva Kor

Eva Kor is a survivor of the Holocaust, a forgiveness advocate, and a revered public speaker. With the driving message of “never give up” in her actions and talks, Eva is a brilliant example of the power of the human spirit to overcome a life filled with trauma. She is a community leader, champion of human rights, and tireless educator of young people. Even in her eighties, Eva has traveled across the United States and Europe to share her message and led hundreds of people on a journey to Auschwitz. She is one of the few surviving twins still sharing her personal account of the medical experiments supervised by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.

In 1995, Eva chose to forgive the Nazis in an act of self-healing, self-liberation, and self-empowerment and opened CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana with a mission to illuminate the world with hope, healing, respect, and responsibility through Holocaust education. In her message to audiences worldwide, she conveys that forgiveness is an important first step toward self-release from victimhood. It is one step toward repairing the world by helping victims free themselves from perpetrators and remove anger and hatred from their own lives.

$5,000 minimum gift to the 2018 Annual Campaign for Lion of Judah
$10,000 minimum gift to the 2018 Annual Campaign for Ruby
$18,000, $25,000, $50,000 minimum gift to the 2018 Annual Campaign for Chai/Emerald/Zahav

For more information, please contact Sylvia Weisz Women’s Philanthropy at (323) 761-8275 or WomensPhilanthropy@JewishLA.org.

Sylvia Weisz Women’s Philanthropy is a diverse community of compassionate women connected by Jewish values and our support of the work of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.