Message from Our CEO 

Wow! Elluminate’s Convening 2025 was truly amazing! During that dynamic and engaging day, we looked squarely at some of the challenges we face and issues we are passionate about as women — in the U.S. and in Israel. Our goal was not to overwhelm but to ground us — to prepare us for the work that must be done. 

At the event, we heard about efforts to stop human trafficking, to promote food justice, and to strengthen Jewish communities. We learned how this past year women have lost federal governmental protections in many areas, yet we were reminded again and again that change is possible. People are winning legal and policy victories, building programs, feeding communities, advocating for new policies — every single day.

Elluminate members are already making change! 

Those who attended the Convening stepped into their own power as change agents to pursue justice. Elluminate not only empowers Jewish women leaders, but also our Board, our donors, our Visionary Circle members who are leaders in their own communities, with the power and courage to be change agents at a moment when we need you desperately. We need your moral courage. We need your voices. We need your leadership in advancing justice.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving with all of its meaning, we invite you to join us in our journey to elevate, train, and support Jewish women leaders and build our global Jewish women’s network. Are you ready to take action?

Warmly, 

Melanie Roth Gorelick

CEO, Elluminate

Elluminate’s Convening 2025: Bold Leadership + Collective Impact — was a powerful, energizing and inspiring day of connection, learning, and commitment to social change. The room was full of 200 Jewish women leaders, advocates and philanthropists deeply engaged in addressing current challenges and devising solutions through a Jewish and gender lens … creating a vibrant Elluminate space.    

The Convening focused on timely and critical issues — examining new policies resulting in the rollback of women’s rights and protections, rebuilding Israeli’s civil society post-wartime, ending Human Trafficking with a focus on survivors, creating a culture of belonging, ensuring food equity and justice, and so much more … all important to us as Jewish women change makers. 

Our speakers and Collective members shared their solutions to today’s pressing issues, demonstrating the power of women’s leadership and the fact that together, we can make a better world based on our Jewish values. Our day created a path forward with strategies and next steps, honoring our Convening 2025 theme: Bold Leadership + Collective Impact. 

This month, Elluminate’s Collective Leadership Advancement Program welcomed the ten members of its current cohort for a two-day retreat in New York. The Retreat focused on the role of community building and storytelling, strengthening essential skills for women CEOs leading social impact organizations. Following the Retreat, Collective members attended a VIP reception with Elluminate leaders. The week culminated with their appearances at Elluminate’s Convening 2025, where each leader served as an expert presenter in a featured panel discussion.

To learn more about Cohort 7, click the link to watch the video.

Engaging the Next Generation of Social Justice Leaders

Thursday, December 11, 1:00 PM ET

Featuring: Cheryl Cook, CEO of Avodah

Click Here to Register



Elluminate’s webinars highlight the leaders in the Elluminate Collective, our signature leadership advancement program, and their organization’s impact.

Since 2019, Elluminate has supported women leaders founding and running organizations working to end human trafficking, amplifying survivors’ voices, protecting children, and driving legal and policy change. Other organizations supported by Elluminate include Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT), Free to Thrive and ATZUM (in Israel), and others focused on eradicating domestic violence, rape and assisting with related trauma.

In October, Elluminate organized an intimate and powerful conversation with two extraordinary Jewish women leading the fight for reproductive freedom in the U.S. and Israel. The programs took place in New York and Westchester. The speakers included:

• Julie F. Kay, internationally recognized human rights lawyer and Co-author of Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom
• Dina Shalev, Executive Director of Lada'at (Choose Well), which promotes reproductive rights and healthy sexuality in Israel, and the founder of the Israel Coalition for Reproductive Rights

Julie and Dina shared their courageous work on the frontlines and reflected on how Elluminate plays a vital role in fueling this kind of bold leadership. 

Ready to Take Action? You are invited to join Elluminate as we elevate, support, and train Jewish women visionary leaders and build a global network for social change with a gender lens.  

• Join Elluminate’s Visionary Circle: Shape a more just and equitable world by helping to choose the Jewish women leaders in The Collective—empowering Jewish women who are driving global change. To learn more and register, contact Eva Stern, Director of Strategic Initiatives, at eva@elluminatewomen.org.
  
• Join an Elluminate Roundtable—choose the area that matches your passion:
• Mentoring Women Leaders: Support Jewish women leaders at every stage of their professional journey.
• US-Israel Women's Connect: Strengthen partnerships with Israeli women leaders and explore current issues shaping women's equality and advancement.
• Transforming Philanthropy Circle: Join a space for Jewish women philanthropists dedicated to growing the resources and reach of women’s empowerment.
  

For more information, contact Pamela S. Goldstein, Chief Development Officer, at pamela@elluminatewomen.org.

Taking place on April 29, 2026, at Cipriani's in NYC

As we approach the end of the calendar year, we hope you will consider making a tax-deductible gift now to support Elluminate, as we strive to empower feminist Jewish women leaders and philanthropists to advance equity and social justice. 

Year-End Giving & Tax-Smart Options

• Gifts made by December 31 may be eligible for federal income tax benefits.
• If you are age 70½ or older, you may be able to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly from your IRA to Elluminate—this can satisfy part or all of your required minimum distribution and may reduce your taxable income.
• You can also give through your donor-advised fund, employer match, or recurring monthly gift to deepen your impact.
• Tax laws related to charitable giving are evolving. Tax legislation in 2026 will cap the maximum federal tax benefit at 35%—making gifts this year especially valuable from a tax-planning perspective. 

Because everyone’s situation is different, we encourage you to consult your tax advisor or financial planner to understand how a year-end gift or QCD to Elluminate can fit into your overall tax strategy.

Your generous support of Elluminate will enable us to continue standing with feminist Jewish women who are changing the world.

Elluminate empowers feminist Jewish women leaders and philanthropists to advance equity and social change.

elluminatewomen.org