Women of Distinction honored as community heroes

The 2012 honorees, nominated by Pinellas and Pasco agencies, organizations and congregations. More than 300 people gathered at Ruth Eckerd Hall last month as the Jewish Federation of Pinellas & Pasco Counties Women’s Philanthropy honored 28 community members as Women of Distinction.

The annual awards ceremony honored a woman selected by local agencies, organizations, temples and synagogues as one who embodies their mission through her leadership and/or volunteer commitment. For a list of those honored, see page 21.

Guest speaker was filmmaker Kimberly Wetherell, who spoke about her upcoming feature film, Lullaby. Two scenes from the film were acted out by three local actors. The film is about one of Poland’s “Hidden Children” of the Holocaust, and how the child’s family went to great lengths to hide their Jewish identity.

The theme bears resemblence to Wetherell’s life. She talked about finding out that her paternal great-grandparents, the “Wayners” were Jewish and that when they emigrated from Poland in 1915 and registered at Ellis Island as Catholics, they came with a brass menorah and a pair of candlesticks, but hid their Jewish identity. The menorah was only ever referred to in the presence of Wetherell’s father by his mother as their “Polish candelabra.” Wetherell learned this six years ago.

Since then she has moved from Brooklyn back to Clearwater, where she was raised, to develop the film “on location.” She has been invited to join local families for services in several different synagogues and welcomed into homes for Shabbat, Passover, Yom Kippur break-the-fasts and most often, just for coffee, cake and conversation. Wetherell said she has been honored to receive so many others’ stories in return and that several of them have found their way, in one fashion or another, into the subsequent revisions of the screenplay; deepening the personal affect this film will have on the local community.

“My greatest hope is that Lullaby will reflect the richness of the West Central Florida Jewish community that I have come to know on a deeply personal level and project it on screen for the world to see,” Wetherell said.

Participating in the program were Cantor Deborah Jacobson from Temple Ahavat Shalom, Rabbi Leah Herz from Menorah Manor, Federation event co-chairs Ellyn Kessler and Fran Wiggins, and Women’s Philanthropy co-chairs Sally Laufer and Diane Sherman.

Sherman spoke of her son, Sam, who inspired her to talk about the words who, what, where, when, why and how as they related to the annual campaign. “Our pledges ensure that the Federation is able to do whatever is necessary to help, is standing ready when help is needed, wherever help is required, reaching out to those who need us. Why would you not want to take part with your pledge right now to our annual campaign?”