Carol Jaffe will receive top Lion of Judah award

Carol Jaffe, a long-time Tampa resident, will receive the prestigious Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award at this year’s International Lion of Judah Conference, Nov. 7 - 10 in New Orleans.

As the Tampa Jewish Federation’s nominee, Jaffe will be honored among a select group of women representing their communities as leaders in philanthropy and volunteerism.

The award, inaugurated in 2004, is a tribute to Lion of Judah founders Norma Kipnis-Wilson and Toby Friedland of Miami. The Lion of Judah program was established to recognize women who give a gift to their community Jewish Federation of $5,000 or more in their own name each year.

Tampa boasts more than 60 Lions, and has welcomed two new Lions to the 2011 Campaign already.

Jaffe made her first Lion gift on a Federation mission in 1998, and since that time has been immersed in community life. She has served as a Tampa Jewish Community Center & Federation board member, a founding member and leader of the 1818 Philanthropic Circle (Tampa’s first charitable giving group), and Lion of Judah and Women’s Philanthropy chairs.

She lent her leadership abilities as a cochair to the Federation’s successful Annual President’s Dinner (together with fellow lion Alice Rosenthal), and has currently turned her attention to being an active board member for the Hillel of the Suncoast, which operates at USF, University of Tampa and other Bay area college campuses.

Jaffe is also active at Congregation Kol Ami. She and husband Mark have two children, Susannah and Adam, and two grandchildren, Maya and Ellie.

The International Lions of Judah Conference will bring together women from around the world to celebrate philanthropy and leadership. More than a dozen Tampa Lions have already registered for the event.

“This is such a great opportunity for us to grow and bond as a community,” said Joyce Tawil, Tampa’s Lion of Judah chair. “We make so much possible with our philanthropy, and being together with hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of like-minded women is surely a powerful experience” she said.

The International Lion of Judah Conference will run in tandem with the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America Nov. 7-9 in New Orleans. Both gatherings will feature some of today’s most well known political and spiritual leaders, authors and thinkers.

Registration for the both programs and more information is available at www.jewishfederations.org. Community members interested in finding out more about the Lions program should contact Emilie Kuperman, director of development, at emilie.kuperman@jewishtampa.com.