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When former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir's wife Shulamit came to town to address an Israel Bonds event, Siminow arranged for her to meet a local man whose brother had served with her on a mission during Israel's War of Independ-ence.

"It's been an incredible journey," says Siminow, who for personal reasons will retire from her longtime post this summer. "I met people I would have only read about had I not had this job."

But more than the luminaries she has met, the 50-year-old Siminow cites as a highlight of her Bonds tenure the chance to meet and pay tribute to various members of the local community who support Israel with both their wallets and their time.

In particular, she cherishes her memory of "Ladies of the Eighties," an event she helped organize that honored nine women between 80 and 98 for their commitment to the Jewish community.

"These women remembered this day for the rest of their lives, from what I understand," Siminow says.

"I will remember this event for the rest of my life. Older people in the community tend to be forgotten."

As head of the Israel Bonds region covering Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, Siminow has interacted with people of all ages. Her goal: convincing them that purchasing Israel Bonds benefits both themselves and the Jewish state.

The response has depended on a range of factors, from the political climate in Israel — 1991, the year of the Persian Gulf War, saw Israel bonds sold to a record number of buyers — to the interest rates paid on bonds and the U.S. economy.

Still, though Siminow has seen annual campaigns ranging from $13 million to a record near-$23 million in 1988, "the support has been pretty consistent over the years," she says.

"I'm proudest of the fact that I've directed campaigns that have raised more than $175 million" over 18 years.

It's in the fund-raising itself that things have gotten interesting for Siminow, a New York native who worked in the publishing and foundation worlds before joining Israel Bonds here as successor to the late Lou Stein.

Once, when the organization invited sex counselor Dr. Ruth Westheimer to address a fund-raising event, "the older women said they wouldn't come if she talked about sex," Siminow recalls. "The younger women said they wouldn't come if she didn't talk about sex."

In the end, the diminutive Westheimer took care of the conflict in her own inimitable way. She spoke about the sex life of an Orthodox rabbi and his wife.

"She was hysterical and everybody was happy," Siminow says with a laugh.

The generation gap brought to light by the Westheimer appearance is one that Siminow has confronted in various ways.

In her early years at the organization — now in the final stages of a search for her replacement — she dealt with a generation that witnessed the Holocaust and the birth of Israel.

"There's been a switch to trying to connect with a generation that's never known a world without Israel," she says.

What's more, perceptions of Israel have changed dramatically over the past 20 years.

"When I came to Bonds, Israel could do no wrong because it was in the position of underdog," Siminow says. "Now the struggles are much more internal than fighting external enemies. It's no longer a question of survival.

"I'm not saying it's a tougher sale," she adds. "It's a different sale."

Those who have worked with her say the tough-minded Siminow excels at the sale.

"She has a tremendous knowledge of her product," says George Frankenstein, chair of Israel Bonds from 1990-1993.

"She has the ability to press the right buttons at the right time. She has a very good knowledge of her buyers; she knows what to say to whom and when."

Adds Tad Taube, Bonds' 1988 campaign chair: "She has a gentle form of persuasion laced with humor. I think that got her a lot of mileage with a lot of people."

Siminow, an only child who is still reeling somewhat from the experience of losing both her parents during the past year, says she is leaving Israel Bonds because "it's time to say goodbye and give someone else a chance. I just need to explore my life at this time."

Those who know her say they will feel her absence.

"We're going to miss her," Frankenstein says. "She sold lots of bonds at a critical time in Israel's growth. She can look back at her career proudly."