The first annual Convening of The Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York (JWFNY) will take place Sept. 17th, as business leaders, journalists, social entrepreneurs and others gather to recognize Jewish women change makers, and explore issues facing women as they create impact in their communities and around the world.

The inaugural Convening is one pillar of JWFNY’s commitment to support Jewish women social entrepreneurs addressing some of the most intractable global challenges, and elevating awareness of their individual and collective impact and the particular issues they face as women innovators.

“JWFNY is unique as a philanthropic organization focused exclusively on enhancing the recognition, standing and capacities of Jewish women as social entrepreneurs and leaders,” said Jamie Allen Black, CEO. “This first-ever Convening is a prime opportunity for the community and our sector to learn about their work and the issues surrounding their pathways to positive, sustainable change.”

The Convening on Sept. 17 takes place 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place in New York. A full program, list of speakers, and registration form is at www.jewishwomen.org/initiatives/convening.

Among the speakers will be Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Thomas Friedman of The New York Times; Liz Elting, Co-Founder of TransPerfect and one of Forbes “Richest Self-Made Women”; Ann B. Friedman, Founder of Planet Word; Ruth Messinger, former President and current Global Ambassador of American Jewish World Service; Tamar Manasseh, Founder of MASK (Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killing); and Barbara Tober, President of Acronym and Chair Emerita of the Museum of Art & Design.

Besides formal and informal networking opportunities, the Convening will feature presentations and panel conversations on such topics as support for women social entrepreneurship on college campuses, gender harassment and abuse, and the arc of innovation.

In addition, the ten members of JWFNY’s recently announced first class of social entrepreneur grantees, known as The Collective, will speak about their atypical approaches to a range of social issues, from drastically lowering infant mortality rates in Africa, to ending rampant sexual abuse of female and LGBTQ inmates in American penitentiaries, to fighting global sex trafficking.

The Collective is one element of JWFNY’s redirection, announced last year, toward investing in Jewish women showing both promise and potential to make great impact on some of the most daunting societal issues and challenges, and whose successes stand as inspiration to other women and girls to view their communities and the world through a similar lens.

Each member of the Collective is receiving three years of capacity building and general operating support, professional development funding, skills-building opportunities, and access to a formal and dynamic network of Jewish women visionaries for idea exchanges, support and collaboration.