WEST HARTFORD, CONN. (September 17, 2018) – Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford’s largest annual event, HINENI: “Here I Am” – An Evening of Voices and Visions, will focus on the amazing collective impact that is possible when communities work together in times of need. HINENI will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 4, 2018, at The Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Drive, West Hartford.

Speakers will share personal stories of how Federation and the Jewish community rallied together to promote healing and recovery after three major American crises. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teacher Ivy Schamis and MSD parent and Federation professional Allison O’Mara will discuss the aftermath of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Yael Ross, a young mother from Houston, Texas, and Harold Gernsbacher, an entrepreneur and Federation volunteer from Dallas, will discuss their experiences in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. And Darlene Wolliston of Capital Region Education Council will discuss efforts to resettle Caribbean families in Greater Hartford after Hurricane Maria.

More than 400 men and women are expected to attend HINENI. The evening begins with a cocktail reception and kosher dinner at 5:30 p.m.; the program and dessert will follow at 7 p.m. Proceeds from HINENI benefit Federation’s 2019 Annual Campaign, which supports programs and services that touch nearly 15,000 Jewish households in Greater Hartford as well as international programs that provide humanitarian assistance, education and training to Jews and their neighbors in 60-plus countries worldwide.

HINENI is co-chaired by Shari and Michael Cantor, Alisha and Ron Cipriano, Kathy and Ron Fishman, Nancy and Jay Gershman, and Judy and Ron Schlossberg. 

Sponsors of HINENI include Platinum Sponsors Manchester Funeral Home and Shipman & Goodwin; Gold Sponsors Bank of America, Hartford Distributors Inc., The Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, Hoffman Auto Group, the Judie and Coleman Levy Family, J.P. Morgan Securities, NEFCO, People’s United Bank, Pullman & Comley, Reid and Riege, Retirement Visions, TD Bank, Trinity Health of New England/Saint Francis Care, United Bank Foundation and Weinstein Mortuary.; Silver Sponsors The Arlene M. Lipton Memorial Fund, CohnReznick, Hartford Hospital, KeyBank, Simsbury Bank and Webster Bank; Bronze Sponsors Connecticut Lighting Centers, Farmington Bank, Marcus Insurance Agency and Professional Business Insurers; Media Partners The Connecticut Jewish Ledger and Hartford Business Journal; In-Kind Sponsors Buds in Bloom and J. Fiereck Photography; and Table Sponsors Jewish Family Services Tara's Closet.

To learn more or to register, please visit bit.ly/Hineni2019RSVP or contact Simone Singh at 860.727.6101.