This month we are highlighting members of the Planning team of the upcoming Belonging Conference taking place on April 24 and 25.  Today, meet Sharon Nosenchuck and Lisa Davidson.

Sharon Nosenchuck is a staff attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services, a non-profit agency that provides civil legal assistance to low income clients.  A member of Congregation Beth Abraham, Sharon said that her participation in planning the Belonging Conference has been a rewarding experience and she is grateful to have had the opportunity to participate. She believes that all those who identify as Jewish or who are exploring Judaism or who have ties to Judaism should be warmly welcomed, in a non-judgmental manner, into the local, national, and international Jewish communities.  

Sharon is encouraging anyone in a leadership role in Jewish Buffalo to attend the upcoming conference. “Conference participants will come together in a non-judgmental forum where all Jews are welcome,” she notes.  “They will take away knowledge & skills that they will be able to use in their organizations to make all Jews feel welcome and to feel a sense of belonging to our local Jewish community and to the Jewish community at large.”

Lisa Davidson is originally from Brooklyn, attended college at the University at Buffalo and stayed in Buffalo after graduation. She has been married to David for almost 40 years and they have two wonderful sons. Lisa retired as a dental assistant after 30 years and now works part-time in a different job that she loves.

Lisa is a long time member of Temple Beth Tzedek (and its predecessor synagogues) and has been involved in many leadership roles since joining in 1992. She has served as Sisterhood President, Board Vice President and currently serves as a board member.

When asked about her role on the Belonging Conference planning team, she says: “My involvement in the Belonging Conference planning stems from my role as chair of the LGBTQ+ subcommittee at TBT. I feel strongly about this issue.”  Lisa is encouraging all members of the Jewish Buffalo leadership to attend this conference to gain knowledge and insights into the reality of the marginalized and excluded members of our community and to help end it completely.

The Belonging Conference is designed to provoke and challenge our institutionally and culturally ingrained ideas around what a Jew looks like, who is a Jew, and who is accepted in the Jewish community, and what it looks like to be welcoming. If you are a volunteer or professional leader of a Jewish agency or congregation, or someone who wants to lead using Jewish values, please join us by registering: here.

For more information about the Belonging Conference, check out our website: https://buffalojewishfederation.org/belongingconference/