Preserving a
44 SARASOTA SCENE | JANUARY 2018
philanthropy
SIMONE AND ROBERT KNEGO AND THE
JEWISH FEDERATION’S
YOUNG LEADERSHIP CABINET
One of the best ways to
guide the destiny of the
next generation is to play a
prominent role in the course
it takes, which is exactly
why Simone Knego, with the
support of her husband Robert,
has dedicated herself to the
Jewish Federation of North
America’s Young Leadership
Cabinet.
“I got involved with the
through two other friends who
were also involved,” Simone
said. “I loved it from the
beginning. The organization
does a great job building
leaders and I’ve enjoyed taking
active leadership roles each
year with Cabinet.”
Cabinet is the Jewish
Federation’s elite leadership
training program for people
ages 30-45. Simone is its
incoming chair as well as
a member of the Jewish
Federation of Sarasota-
Manatee’s board of directors.
She is also chair of the
Jewish Federation’s Israel@70
Ethiopian-Israeli Hip Hop
Concert and Cultural Day
scheduled for February 17-18,
2018 and has traveled with
her husband on philanthropic
missions to distant countries.
Simone said Cabinet’s aim is to
attract young, successful business
and philanthropic-minded Jewish
professionals seeking to enrich
both their lives and those in
the Jewish community through
education, skill development
and programming designed to
deepen the understanding of
local, national and community
needs.
“Cabinet also reaches out to the
global needs of Jews all around
the world,” she said. “I’m in
charge of young leadership for
North America versus other roles
I’ve had, such as being in charge
of the study mission. Each year,
Cabinet goes on a study mission
somewhere in the world. The
year I led it, we went to Berlin
and Israel. It’s a way to see the
Jewish community in a country
where dollars from the Jewish
Federation of North America are
going.”
BY STEVEN J. SMITH H
eritage