Meet Jackie Shelton-Miller
Women's Philanthropy Spotlight
Women’s Philanthropy (WP) empowers women and ignites their passion for meaningful giving, service and leadership within the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund to secure the vibrancy and well-being of the Jewish Community.
Each month, the WP staff highlight a woman who is doing great work in our local Jewish community. This month, they have selected Jackie Shelton-Miller. Jackie is a member of the Federation’s Board of Directors and this is her third and final year as Women’s Philanthropy Lion of Judah Chair. She began her Federation involvement many years ago as Chair of the Young Adult Division of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation.
In Jackie's own words:
The work of the Federation touches my soul.
Delivering daily meals to home-bound Jewish seniors in strife-ridden Ukraine. Reaching out to hundreds of young adults at the Fillmore in San Francisco with the “Big Mitzvah,” an evening to have fun and to help others through philanthropy. Helping children in the Bay Area with special needs through the Friendship Circle and INCLUDE, a partnership between Jewish LearningWorks and the Federation. I am deeply moved by the way our Federation makes a difference in people’s daily lives through tzedakah and tikkun olam.
My participation in Women’s Philanthropy has connected me to the work of the Federation. Best of all, it has connected me to many incredible women of all ages who share my passion for this work. I am fortunate to have many inspirational mentors, both lay leaders and Federation professionals (you all know who you are!). I wish to mention specifically Anne Bear, z”l, who was an incredible example of connecting us to one another as we connect to the work of the Federation, and Franny Green, my Women in Leadership mentor and the first San Francisco Federation female president.
It is a gift to be part of a vibrant, healthy and diverse Jewish community and one that I do not take for granted. As the child of survivors, I have always felt that it is both a privilege and a responsibility to make the world a better place, within the Jewish community and beyond. My dedication to the Federation and WP is one small way of giving back.
One of Jackie's favorite Passover recipes:
These cookies, chock full of chocolate chips, are so delicious, I always get asked to make them numerous times during Pesach. They are so tasty that I also make them during the year, using flour instead of matzoh cake meal!
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, by Marcy Goldman)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine, plus 2 extra teaspoons margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Passover vanilla sugar (regular sugar is okay)
1/4 teaspoon salt 2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups matzoh cake meal
1/4 cup matzoh meal or finely ground walnuts
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and/or margarine with the brown sugar, honey, vanilla sugar and salt. Add the eggs and blend very well. Fold in the cake and matzoh meal or ground nuts. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop onto the baking sheets in large tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Press down with the back of a wet spoon to flatten. Bake until slightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. These cookies are fragile just after baking but firm up as they cool. Cool well on the baking sheets, or chill in the refrigerator for easier handling.
