“What can I do to help Jewish National Fund-USA today?” was the question that first motivated Sharoni Levison to frequent Atlanta’s Jewish National Fund-USA office as a volunteer. She happily made thank-you calls, wrote notes to donors, organized the swag closet, made blue and white Hershey's Kiss goodie bags for events, and directed synagogues to Jewish National Fund-USA for Tu BiShvat. “There was always something to do. And soon, there were other women who came to sit at the table. We just wanted to touch the community and share Jewish National Fund-USA’s vision,” says Sharoni. Her humble desire to help Jewish National Fund-USA has never changed.
Today, Sharoni is Co-Chair of Jewish National Fund-USA’s National Community Campaign with her husband Mike.
Sharoni’s Zionist path was forged at an early age by her parents, especially her father, who was a professional fundraiser for Israel Bonds in Pittsburgh, PA, and later Atlanta, GA, where she and her husband raised their family and still live. She vividly remembers her dad bringing Israel’s Olympic swim team to Pittsburgh after the Munich massacre in 1972. The athletes stayed at her family’s home. For a young girl, having the opportunity to meet young, strong, confident Israelis was an exciting privilege and a demonstration of her family’s connection and commitment to Israel. Sharoni followed up years later by helping to create a commemorative garden for the Munich 11 at the Jewish Community Center in Atlanta.
Everything Sharoni does, she does with the heart and the eye of an artist. She is also a yoga practitioner whose awareness of her position allows her to proceed with resourcefulness and agility.
Her approach to life is summed up by her statement, “I just go for it every time.” It’s with that powerful, results-driven, creative can-do attitude that led her to co-found Women for Israel (WFI) in Atlanta. She was introduced to Roni Wolk, another passionate Zionist and Jewish National Fund-USA supporter (now a member of the National WFI executive board and chair of this newsletter). They spent hours on the phone imagining what WFI in Atlanta would look like. Their first event was held in someone’s beautiful basement. Members of the National WFI team attended. She remembers learning then about the reality of setting financial expectations for their local WFI group, and the value of the national WFI campaign. “We all learn about being WFI leaders from being WFI members… with a lot of support.”
She did not hesitate when asked to be on the Atlanta JNF-USA Board of Directors or serve as Chair for Atlanta’s Community Campaign, which focuses on people who give donations of under $1,000. It’s no coincidence that Sharoni’s passion for Jewish National Fund-USA’s work inspired her husband to get more involved. In 2020, she became National Community Campaign Chair, and her husband Mike began serving as president of Jewish National Fund-USA Atlanta. In 2022, Mike joined Sharoni as her National Community Campaign Co-Chair, a position they still hold today. They’re a great team. Mike brings strategic business skills and CEO experience. Sharoni brings her public relations experience and a vision that can be communicated to lay leaders to help support them and raise money. In their national role, they are responsible for Jewish National Fund-USA Breakfast for Israel events. These are generally large community-outreach and donor-appreciation events that take place across the country. They also oversee the Spring Campaign, which encourages lay leaders to reach out to lapsed donors to say “we’ve missed you, would you consider supporting Israel through Jewish National Fund-USA?”, and Shabbat for Israel, a way to introduce the organization to new potential donors and gather with your community to celebrate the land and people of Israel. Now in its second year, Shabbat for Israel will be held on April 24.
“I’m proud that Atlanta is a great model. It has led the way in developing signature events, including our Breakfast for Dinner, Café Chavurah, and WFI’s Beyond the Blue Box series.” Since moving Atlanta’s breakfast event to dinnertime, they have increased general attendance multi-fold, and more women attend. Their Café Chavurahs are low-cost, simple get-togethers with a Jewish National Fund-USA tie-in, while Beyond the Blue Box events are more robust, richer, and have a $360 minimum annual donation to attend.
Sharoni recalls being very emotional when presented with her WFI Chai (annual giving of $1,800) necklace at a WFI event. Since then, she has become a WFI Sapphire (annual giving of $5,000). To join a WFI giving society, click here. She and Mike have also made significant donations together: the decoration of a bomb shelter in Yad Mordechai and a playground for the community of Arad. She loves “traveling through Israel and seeing the footprints” that she and Jewish National Fund-USA have made. And she takes great pride in the fact that her three adult children are all Zionists.
If you’ve met Sharoni at past events, you may know her as Sharon. Sharoni is a name her family called her. Coincidentally, she accepted her leadership role with Jewish National Fund-USA around the same time that her mom passed away. That’s when she started leaning into being called Sharoni. Now, when she hears someone call her by that name, she says that she hears her mom’s voice, and takes it as a sign that “all of my achievements have been with her on my shoulder.” So, thank you, Sharoni, for all you do.
Written by Jackie Goldstein, Proud President Circle and Sapphire Society Member, National WFI Executive Board, JNF-USA Board of Directors, Atlanta, WFI Steering Committee, JNF-USA Arts & Entertainment Initiative.