HARTFORD – Judy Zachs of Bloomfield and Boca Raton, Fla., will be honored for her philanthropy and volunteerism on two separate occasions in September.

Zachs will be honored in Hartford on Thursday, Sept. 8 at the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford’s Lion of Judah Annual Celebration dinner. In addition, she will receive the Jewish Federations of North America 2016 Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award at the International Lion of Judah Conference to be held in Washington, D.C., Sept. 11 – 13.

Established in 2004 to recognize outstanding female philanthropists, the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award is named for Norma Kipnis-Wilson and Toby Friedland z”l, who in 1972 created the Lion of Judah program in Miami, Fla. to recognize women who contribute $5,000 or more annually to their Federation in their own name. Today, there are more than 17,000 Lions of Judah worldwide; 135 live in the Greater Hartford area.

“Judy is an enthusiastic supporter of our Women’s Philanthropy program and has served in many capacities over the years,” said Carolyn Gitlin, vice chair of Women’s Philanthropy for Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. “She is among a select group of Jewish women who have played and are playing key roles as creative, committed leaders.”

A social work clinician and women’s group leader, Zachs became a Lion of Judah in 1995 and soon after endowed her gift to Federation’s Annual Campaign gift to ensure her support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford Annual Campaign in perpetuity. “Philanthropy motivates me and has always been a part of my family life,” she noted.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford’s 2017 Lion of Judah Annual Celebration dinner will be held at a private home. Keynote speaker Sandi-Jo Gordon will discuss the Holocaust through artists’ eyes, exploring how Jewish women artists, including daughters of survivors, have chronicled the Shoah by visualizing the personal testimonies of victims and survivors. A retired interior designer, Gordon now offers art lectures and tours for the nonprofit sector.

For more information: (860) 727-6125, mgoldman@jewishhartford.org.