One of Julie Kantor’s driving forces behind her volunteer work is getting other people involved in giving back.
“The more people you can touch from your work, the better it is… because it all adds up when you work as a team, when you work as a community,” she said.
Kantor has led volunteer efforts in Cincinnati for over twenty years and is one of this year’s winners of the Women of Reform Judaism Women’s Empowerment award.
First established in 2019, the Women’s Empowerment Award honors individuals who amplify the voices of others, particularly women and girls, and promote progressive Jewish values.
“I’m extremely grateful and appreciative to be receiving this award,” Kantor said.
Kantor became involved in volunteer work after reading about a local family that had adopted nine children with special needs. She launched the Home Sweet New Home project, raised more than $500,000 to renovate their home, and rallied the community around their needs.
“They were all about what they had, and I was all about what they didn’t have,” she said. “I just wanted to see if I could help them do what they do a little bit easier.”
Kantor has also run “A Day of Beauty” for 14 years. The program works to lift up and empower residents at the YWCA domestic violence shelter.
“We served lunch, and we had great speakers… but then the rest of the day was all about pampering,” Kantor said. “Whether they had their hair done, their makeup done, massages, manicures — they were being touched in very kind and compassionate ways, which they were not used to.”
“The whole idea behind this day was to make these women feel like they mattered, make them feel like they counted, and try and make them feel whole again,” she said.
She first got involved working with the women’s shelter through a volunteer program through the Wise Temple sisterhood.
At Wise, Kantor spearheads the Rabbi Lewis and Renee Kamrass Social Action Fund, which has distributed over $200,000 to Cincinnati nonprofits.
“Our goal is to go out in Cincinnati and find nonprofits that have strong mission statements—and the right volunteer opportunities to bring back to our congregation, so people will sign up and put a lot of good and kindness out there,” she said.
Her volunteer work was inspired by her lifelong empathy for the underdog and by her father-in-law, who supported her when she began volunteering more. For Kantor, giving back helps her deal with the ups and downs of life.
“There is so much in this world that we cannot control,” Kantor said. “But one thing we can control is what we’ve done for somebody else.”
Congratulations Julie for winning the Women’s Empowerment Award from Women of Reform Judaism. It is good to see all your wonderful volunteer work being recognized. You have helped so many people.
Julie, you are such an inspiration! Congratulations on your award!