By
Published
December 13, 2013
This week we were thrilled to join Jewish Women International for the 13th annual Women to Watch Gala, which honored ten inspiring leaders, including our very own Lisa Eisen. A full list of this year's honorees can be found here.
As part of the program, the honorees shared their own "pearls of wisdom," addressing topics ranging from economic literacy to spiritual health, breaking the mold and more.
Lisa spoke on the importance, power and potential of linking one's personal destiny to the destiny of the Jewish future. We are excited to share her remarks:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAYKJUbKOVI&w=700&h=280]
Transcript:
I always wanted to be Golda Meir. My best friend Stacy Schusterman shared my aspiration, and together we read Golda's biography while studying in Israel, wore Golda t-shirts and celebrated our 40th birthdays at the Broadway play, “Golda’s Balcony.”
Golda was my heroine: an American Jewish woman who became Israel's prime minister. But it was her commitment to linking her personal destiny to the destiny of the Jewish people and Israel that truly inspired me.
Today, thanks to the vision and generosity of Stacy and Lynn Schusterman–my new American Jewish heroines–I am privileged to feel I can follow in Golda’s footsteps by making my passion for strengthening Israel and building a vibrant Jewish future my life’s work.
With their support, and that of my wonderful family, friends and colleagues, I am able to be my most authentic self, truly fulfilled by serving my higher purpose.
I invite you to join me.
Each of you is the inheritor of an amazing Jewish tradition: a rich, revolutionary intellectual and spiritual heritage, a multi-cultural global people and an ancestral homeland that today is a fount of innovation, vitality and creativity.
Embrace these gifts proudly! Connect to your Jewish community. Bring your family to Israel. Create Jewish memories for yourself and your children. Empower them to own their Jewish identities. Take part in our holy mission of tikkun olam, repairing our world. Relish the great honor and responsibility of being a vital link to the Jewish future.
Tying your personal journey to our collective journey offers self-actualization and fulfillment: an unparalleled sense of belonging to a lineage transcending time and boundaries, the enormous power of serving a sacred purpose and the opportunity to grow as an individual and as a leader.
I am still sporting my Golda t-shirt, and my passion for and optimism about Jewish life has never been stronger. So, my pearl is this: link your personal destiny to the destiny of the Jewish people and Israel.
In building the Jewish future, you yourself will be rebuilt.
