Our Woman of Impact profile features a local woman making a notable impact in our community. For this issue, we spoke with Sharon Efron, co-chair of the Israel Engagement Committee at Beth El Temple and a member of the newly formed Women’s Philanthropy Cabinet at Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. A fierce supporter of Israel, Sharon is a supporter of AIPAC, and serves on the Jewish National Fund-USA’s Southern New England Board of Directors. In her professional life, Sharon enjoyed a career as a dental hygienist for many years and remains connected to the industry; she also holds degrees in business and organizational leadership. Sharon now lives in West Hartford with her husband Bob, a local veterinarian. Together, they enjoy time with their son Jay, daughter Dayna, and their families—including four remarkable grandchildren.
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted in December 2024, and may not reflect current events.
How has your relationship with your Jewish identity changed over time?
I grew up in a Jewish home and had a bat mitzvah, but we were more secular and I—sadly—took a break from my religion as a young person. When I decided to get more involved again, it was by choice, which made it more meaningful to me. I spent a few months synagogue shopping in the Hartford area, chose Beth El, and I’ve been quite active there ever since.
You have deep ties to Israel, both to the country and to individuals. How did you establish those ties?
In 2005, my husband and I started hosting stints of high school students from Israel who had won a robotic competition back home and were now competing in Hartford. When these kids live with you for a week, you get to know them quite well. So, following their visits, we’d travel to Israel and their parents wanted to meet us. Over time, we became ‘family,’ with most of them from the town of Misgav, in the north. We have quite a community over there! We’ve also hosted students and have friends from Tel Aviv, so when we’re in Israel, we spend most of our time in the north and then the rest of our time in Tel Aviv or day tripping to Jerusalem, Netiv Ha’asara, or other places we want to see.
My husband and I just made aliyah, so now we’re dual citizens. We’ve also been studying Hebrew for over four years in preparation for this. We’ll be back and forth, as we have for years, with our base in Misgav. It’s very exciting!
How have you helped others make personal connections with Israel?
For years, I’ve been an active member of AIPAC. Since getting involved with them, I’m one of the members working at a bi-partisan political level in Connecticut. I’ve learned a lot, and will always share with anyone how they can help Israel.
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is as apolitical as AIPAC is political, and I also work closely with them on the Southern New England Board. JNF-USA’s goal is to develop infrastructure in the northern and southern regions of Israel to achieve a higher quality of life, as it is so populated in the middle of the country. Because I live in the north, that work resonated with me. It is amazing to watch the infrastructure grow, and JNF was in place to immediately help after October 7, 2023. My husband and I have done volunteer work there in the past year, and we will again in February.
As a part-time travel agent, I love to lead tours around Israel. I get people from all walks of life, but my groups are predominantly not Jewish. I like exposing non-Jews to Israel because we need their support and understanding. I’ve had people who joined to add another country to the list of places they’ve visited. It doesn’t really matter why they want to go; I just want to make sure that they have a great time and understand, support and love Israel. (Maybe not as much as I do, but as close as possible!)
Robin Santiago and I also serve as co-chairs of Beth El Temple’s Israel Engagement Committee. We try to give people exposure to different aspects of Israel that aren’t political. We started a series of Zoom meetings in which we interview interesting people from Israel who have written a book, run a cool organization/business, or we virtually tour wineries, for example. Our next meeting in January will feature a man who runs an organization called Leket, which deals with food inequity. In Israel, they will take prepared but uneaten food, whether [Israel Defense Force] meals or from restaurants, and pass it to the hungry. We’re not allowed to do that in the U.S., but in Israel, they don’t like to see the waste. So, those are the types of people we feature in our “Interviews from Israel.” We also offer “adopt-a-tree-or-vine” programs and get olive oil or wine from Israel—personalized with your name on it!
Tell us about your involvement with the Federation’s new Women's Philanthropy Cabinet.
Evi [Shekhman] and Laurie [Mandell] came up with the idea for this cabinet, and I saw it as such a positive move toward local philanthropy and, with so many members, inclusivity. We’re just starting, so we’re still getting to know each other and establishing our goals. We’re a diverse group: Some of us are very religious and others are secular; some are inclined to be leaders and others are happy to be ‘worker bees’. Ultimately, we’re just a group of local Jewish women trying to make a difference! I am planning on leading—with help—a subcommittee that we are forming. The women involved are so impressive in their passion, knowledge, and skills. I’m also looking forward to our International Lion of Judah Convention in Atlanta in January.
My gratitude to all those involved for this honor! Am Yisrael Chai!