OJCF names new president

By Jewish Review

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The Oregon Jewish Community Foundation named a new president and two new trustees at its annual meeting July 1 at the Lucia Hotel downtown.

Stan Geffen succeeded Stan Blauer as foundation president.

David Lippoff and Eve Stern were approved to succeed retiring trustees Gayle Romain and Roberta Taskar.

Geffen, and past presidents Stuart Durkheimer and Irwin Holzman were also renamed to new terms on the board of trustees.

Geffen is a certified public accountant and a past president of both the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.

“The future of the Oregon Jewish community has to do with what can be raised by this organization. The federation does a fantastic job; there is no competition with the federation,” he said, adding that in today’s philanthropic environment the OJCF has become “important for the survival of the Jewish community.”

As a non-profit, public, community endowment foundation the OJCF currently administers $43.4 million in assets, according to its most recent annual report. That is up 16.8 percent from the previous year.

OJCF Executive Director John Moss credited his out-going president for helping to grow the foundation to its new asset total.

“If there is a leader who gets it,” it’s Stan Blauer, said Moss. “Stan has grown this foundation with a what-else-have-you-got-for-me style of management.”

In his remarks, Blauer credited his predecessor, Irwin Holzman, OJCF trustees and staff for the success of the foundation, which he said is “committed to balance and growth.”

Of the foundation trustees he said, “It’s the best board I’ve ever served on.”

Blauer praised Moss as “a visionary committed to the continuing success of the foundation.”

Two members of the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation, a teen philanthropy group that raises and distributes funds under the auspices of the OJCF, addressed the annual meeting. This year the teens raised and distributed $38,500.

Talia Goldberg said, “OJCYF has given me the opportunity to learn about our community.”

Miles Bugbee thanked Moss for having “given us the leadership we need.”

The OJCF was incorporated in 1990. In addition to developing and administering permanent charitable endowments on behalf of individuals and their families, the OJCF develops, manages and administers endowment gifts on behalf of other Oregon and Southwest Washington Jewish charities.