Thanks to JITC Media Awards’ Main Sponsor: Hashem

In 2019, I got the insane idea that we should go to Lincoln Center for our 6th All-Star awards. Everyone told me how challenging it would be, but I didn’t believe them. The planning and fundraising kicked our butts, but the event was magical.

The audience left hardly able to find words to express how they felt. We thought we would grow from there, but then Covid hit, then we built our Hollywood Bureau, then 10/7 came. We knew it was time to combine our All-Star & Jewish Media Awards. I realized that our first Lincoln Center event was a dress rehearsal before we invited Hollywood.

As I signed on the dotted line I had to steal myself for all the stress and anxiety that was coming my way. We have an incredibly dedicated team, but what we took on was more complex and costly than we ever imagined. I told Hashem we will take a big swing for kiddush Hashem if He gets us the money and puts the pieces in place. The amount of Divine Providence that came about in terms of how the show turned out and which celebrities we partnered with is more than I have space to write here.

On a mundane level, I was struggling to find a dress. A gold dress kept popping up on my feed and I wondered if it was a sign that I should dress like the JITC lady. My 14-year-old son told me that I should get a Jewish star purse. I looked online but couldn’t find any. Then, in a couple days later out of the blue @glamjudaica messaged me and asked if she could make me a custom Jewish purse. I asked if a star was possible and she said “sure!”

At our 2019 All-Star awards I came to the event wondering if we were going to cover the cost and then someone I didn’t even know brought an $18,000 check.

As this event drew closer I asked Hashem “will You be here to cover us like You did last time?” Well starting on Friday, an additional $35,000 of sponsorships came in besides ticket sales. I believe we have even turned a profit. Why do I share such personal information? Because taking risks in order to make the world a better place is worth it even if it’s terrifying. Take risks and trust in Hashem. We can all shine like stars.

Photo by Getty Images

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Allison Josephs

Allison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City has been involved in the field of Jewish Outreach for over twenty years and is the Partner in Torah mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. She was named one of NJOP’s Top Ten Jewish Influencers and one of the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36. Allison has been quoted or written about in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People Magazine, NYPost, Daily News, TMZ, The Daily Beast, and Hollywood Reporter. She has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including CBS, ABC, Fox5, TLC, Associate Press TV, and NPR; her articles have appeared in publications including The Washington Post, JTA, Jewish Week, Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and Kveller. Pearson Education, the largest textbook company in the world, produced a video segment on Allison’s life for the Judaism chapter of their textbook. She is a sought-after international lecturer whose corporate clients include Con-Edison and NYU Langone and hosts a weekly podcast on the Nachum Segal Network. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Philosophy and lives with her husband and four children minutes from the George Washington Bridge.