CELEBRATING PHILANTHROPY

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County logo in white.

In appreciation of your generous support of Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, we invite you to join us for Celebrating Philanthropy on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

This year, we are proud to pay tribute to Richard A. Friedman with the Jeanne Levy Community Leadership Award, Federation’s highest honor.

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Special Guest Speaker

Debra Messing

Actress, Producer and Activist

Honoree

Richard A. Friedman

Jeanne Levy Community Leadership Award Recipient

Chairs

Josephine & Jason Kalisman

Honorary Chair

Steven Tananbaum

Be Part of the Celebration

Thank you for your leadership gift of $100,000 or more to Federation’s unrestricted 2026 Annual Campaign.

Registration for the event is now closed.

Choose how you’d like to be recognized through Celebrating Philanthropy:

Complimentary Silver Tribute Ad – our thanks for your Annual Campaign support.

Upgraded Tribute Package – available at the Platinum and Gold levels; includes tickets and represents an additional philanthropic gift.

Please note, all ads submitted from this point forward will be featured exclusively in our Digital Tribute Journal, to be distributed after Celebrating Philanthropy.

For more information, contact Kimberly Hickey at kimberly.hickey@jewishpalmbeach.org or 561.242.6642.

See the leaders and philanthropists powering Jewish Palm Beach—today, tomorrow and forever.

For more information, contact Kimberly Hickey at kimberly.hickey@jewishpalmbeach.org or 561.242.6642.

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

Logo for the Stacey & Mark Levy Center for Israel & Overseas, a program of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. The logo features a stylized white menorah on the left and text to the right.
Federation's Mosaic logo in white.

BBYO

Camp Szarvas

Ethiopian National Project

Hillel of Broward & Palm Beach Counties

Hillel Central Florida

Hillel at Florida State University

Hillel International

Hillel at University of Florida

Honeycomb 

inSIGHT Through Education

JCC Budapest

JELF (Jewish Educational Loan Fund)

Jewish Federations of
North America

Jewish Grandparents Network

KAVOD SHEF: Survivors of the Holocaust Emergency Fund

Keshet

Magen David Adom

March of the Living

Masa Israel Journey

Maslan

Mem Global (Moishe House)

Ogen

OneTable

OneTable Together

Shalom Hartman Institute

SparkIL

Stand Up to Jewish Hate

Tzfat Kabbalah Center

United Hatzalah

Ziv Medical Center 

CORPORATE MEMBERS

Debra Messing

Actress, Producer and Activist

Debra Messing is an Emmy Award-winning Actress, Producer, and Human Rights Activist, best known for her Emmy & SAG Award-winning role as “Grace Adler” on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series “Will & Grace.” Messing has been honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Women In Film’s Lucy Award, The Gracie Allen Award, American Comedy Award, among 50 more nominations.

In the wake of the atrocities committed on October 7th, Debra has used her platform to be one of the strongest, clearest and most informed voices advocating for Israel, the end of hate and misinformation and the release of the hostages. She spoke at the March for Israel in D.C. and traveled to Israel in December 2023 to bear witness to the massacre and meet with hostage families and survivors. She has been traveling around the country speaking and Executive Produced the documentary, “OCTOBER 8,” about the explosion of antisemitism since October 7th.

Richard A. Friedman

Jeanne Levy Community Leadership Award Recipient

Richard A. Friedman is a transformative leader who has shaped Jewish life in the Palm Beaches and beyond. He is Co-Chair of Federation’s groundbreaking Palm Beach Center to Combat Antisemitism & Hatred and, together with his wife Susan, is a Founding Community Visionary.

They have helped define a bold vision for the community’s future. He previously served as Honorary Chair of the Jewish Palm Beach Leadership Circle, a group of committed philanthropists whose generosity helps meet the community’s urgent needs.

Rich is Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Mount Sinai Health System in New York, founder of the Friedman Brain Institute and Secretary of Brown University.

He has served on the board of Central Synagogue in New York City, and in leadership at UJA-Federation of New York, which honored him with its Wall Street Division’s preeminent recognition for commitment to the Jewish community.

In his professional life, Rich is Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. For more than two decades, he led Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division, guiding its growth until 2019. He joined the firm in 1981 and became a partner in 1990.

Rich earned his BA from Brown University and his MBA from the University of Chicago. His leadership inspires all who seek to strengthen Jewish Palm Beach.

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