March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. Each Friday during March, we are casting a spotlight on a woman leader who helped to transform Jewish Buffalo and Western New York.
This week we cast a spotlight on Leslie Shuman Kramer, a resolute community leader, former attorney and a committed advocate and fundraiser for many causes, especially the fight against cancer.
Born in 1961 in Buffalo and educated in the Williamsville school district, Leslie’s trip to Israel at 14 inspired a lifelong attachment to Israel and the Hebrew language. She completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University, including a period of study abroad in Israel at Tel Aviv University. After working in Israel and gaining Hebrew fluency, she returned to Buffalo and studied Law at the University at Buffalo. She worked as a lawyer in Chicago and immersed herself in Jewish community activities. She was quickly identified as a future leader, joining the Chicago Jewish Federation’s Young Leadership Board.
Returning permanently to Buffalo in the early 1990’s she joined the family firm, now known as Gross-Shuman. After marriage to Jim Kramer and the birth of their three children, she channeled her legendary energy into a wide range of leadership roles. In the Buffalo Jewish community she held a series of committee and leadership roles on a range of committees and organizations from the JCC Early Childhood committee to co-chairing the education committee at Shaarey Zedek, a forerunner to Temple Beth Tzedek. Board potential was quickly identified and she joined Hillel and Jewish Family Services. Serving both on the board and as VP, she was elected president at the Bureau of Jewish Education, since reimagined as LINK Jewish Buffalo.
Recognizing her leadership skills in other Jewish organizations, the Buffalo Jewish Federation awarded Leslie the Milton and Ruth Kahn Emerging Leadership Award in 2000, and it was through the Federation movement that Leslie made her indelible mark as a transformational leader, locally serving in many roles including as the chair of Women’s Philanthropy, nationally serving on the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) National Women’s Philanthropy board, and ultimately serving as president of the Buffalo Jewish Federation. In 2018, she was awarded the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award by National Women’s Philanthropy given to inspiring women in Jewish communities across North America.
With her strong links to Israel, she was an ideal candidate to help lead missions to Israel in 2012, 2017 and 2018 under the auspices of Federation. Serving as president of Federation from 2018 to 2020 during the start of the Covid pandemic, she maintained and grew connections with Jewish agencies and Jewish organizations as well as Buffalo groups and institutions in innovative ways. While serving as Federation President, Leslie was a strategic and wise force, advocating for the most pressing issues of the day such as helping maintain calm during the pandemic, investing in security and community relations infrastructure, reimagining immersive travel experiences, and designing pipelines and pathways to Jewish engagement and leadership. Of note, was her work to support, convene, nurture, and lift up other female leaders. In the last year of her presidency, Leslie designed and led a retreat for female members of the Federation’s Board of Governors called KOLOT: Bringing our authentic voices (kolot) to leadership.
Apart from her work as a volunteer leader in the Jewish community, Leslie was an active participant in the broader civic life of Buffalo that included volunteerism in Buffalo’s Viva la Casa and Amherst Central School District Board of Education. Having lost family members to cancer, support and advocacy for cancer research became a deep personal commitment. As an avid cyclist she fundraised extensively for the Ride for Roswell for many years and became a part of the Extra Mile Club.
Leslie died at the age of 60 in February 2022, after a courageous battle with cancer. To honor legacy, Buffalo Jewish Federation joined with the Kramer and Shuman families to establish The Leslie Shuman Kramer KOLOT Fund that carries forward Leslie’s dedication to amplifying women’s voices.
Excerpts from today’s Spotlight were written by historian Dr. Chana R. Kotzin, former director of The Jewish Buffalo History Center.
