I have been deeply involved in Jewish and community life in the Lehigh Valley since moving here in the 1990s. Over the years, I have served on numerous committees at the JCC and was PTO President at the Jewish Day School for five years, where I also worked on the gala and silent auction. I later served as PTO President at Barrack Hebrew Academy for three years while my children, lifers at the JDS, continued their active involvement in Jewish education.

Beyond the schools, I have supported a wide range of community initiatives. I have assisted with fundraising for JFS, including serving as host and MC for their fundraiser, and I currently serve on the Federation board, a role I’ve held for the past three years. I am also a proud member of Women’s Philanthropy, and as a Pomegranate, I’ve long been committed to advancing its mission.

My care for the Jewish community extends to my unwavering support and love for Israel. After October 7, I felt an urgent need to act, to stand up and use my voice. To me, this has meant standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves, especially the hostages. Here in America, as we witness what is happening in Israel, it became clear that we must stand up, stand together, and stand strong. That is why we (Tama, Miriam, and I) brought Run for Their Lives to the Lehigh Valley, showing that we will not be silent and that we remain united in hope and action.

Tama has been involved in the Lehigh Valley Jewish community since moving here with Frank in 2007. Tama has served on many Jewish organization boards including the Jewish Day School, JCC, JFLV Women Philanthropy, VISIT Israel Chair, and is a Past President of the JDS and has served on many executive committees and fundraising events. They have three children Hannah, Gabe, and Zach who attended the Jewish Day School and Barrack Hebrew Academy.

Tama previously served as JDS Board President as well as on the Gala committee and Education committee.

She is also a Women’s Philanthropy board member, Past VISIT Israel Chair, and Partnership Together committee member.

"When I returned from a trip to Israel in January of 2024, after meeting many hostage families and visiting Hostage Square, I was compelled to make sure that our Lehigh Valley Community remembered and advocated for the hostages in Gaza. Through conversations with Naomi and Miriam we started many initiatives including hostage displays in and on the grounds of the JCC, yellow chairs in every Jewish institution in the Lehigh Valley and a local Run For Their Lives group who has met every Sunday since February 11, 2024."

When I awoke to the devastating news on October 7, 2023, I was overwhelmed with anger, fear, and sadness. As the weeks and then the months went by, it became clear that the hostages were not being returned and the war was not going to end quickly. It was impossible not to think about them constantly. 

A coffee date with Naomi and Tama, meant simply to share our feelings of distress, helplessness, and empathy for the hostages, quickly turned into something more. We needed to act. Yellow ribbons and Israeli flags, while meaningful, no longer felt powerful enough to convey the urgency of their situation or to remind our community of the human beings still suffering in Gaza.

So together, the three of us committed to launching the Lehigh Valley chapter of Run for Their Lives. Our goal was simple, to raise awareness of the hostages, to keep their names and faces visible, and to remind the world that they had not been forgotten.

We never imagined that our Run for Their Lives group would still be walking every Sunday, nearly two years later, sharing the hostages’ stories, marking their birthdays, pleading for their release, and doing everything we could to keep them in the public eye and on the world’s agenda.