Foundation focuses on legacies

By BY DEBORAH MOON

article created on: 2011-07-01T00:00:00

Legacy was a recurring theme at the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Annual meeting and dessert reception held at Cedar Sinai Park June 15.


The centerpiece of the evening was opportunity to honor Legacy Society honorees Henry and Gerel Blauer. But the event also thanked all members of the Legacy Society, an initiative from OJCF’s 2009 strategic plan to recognize people who have left a gift to OJCF in their wills (many for the benefit of their favorite Jewish organization). Additionally, Steve Laveson was honored for the legacy he created as the foundation’s Investment Committee Chair from 1999-2011.


Even board elections had the flavor of legacy as stakeholders overwhelmingly approved new board member Charles Schiffman, called the midwife of the foundation for his role as its first executive when it was created under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland while he was its head.


In announcing Schiffman’s nomination, OJCF President Eric Rosenfeld said it will be fitting to have Schiffman “help run this beast he helped give birth to.”


Rosenfeld went on to report that in fiscal year 2011: OJCF’s recommended portfolio of approximately 60 percent equities and 40 percent fixed grew by over 11 percent; donor advised funds alone grew from $23 million to $27 million; and funds held for 25 member agencies grew from $13 million to $15 million.


“These increases took place despite the fact that the needs in the community dramatically increased—in fact, OJCF granted more money to our community partners than we took in. Much of that credit goes to our Investment Committee for their sound judgment,” said Rosenfeld.


“We feel we are on good footing to market our services for the good of the community,” he added.


Rosenfeld also announced a change that will make it even easier for people to get into the habit of philanthropy. The foundation has reduced the amount needed to open a donor advised fund from $10,000 to just $1,800.


“Philanthropy is a habit and the earlier you get started the more likely you are to be good at it when you actually have funds to give away,” he said, noting the funds are great for young families or as a gift for bar and bat mitzvahs.


Rosenfeld said that the foundation is working closely with federation to create a Jewish legacy “to increase the amount of permanent funds available for our community to take some pressure off annual campaigns.”


OJCF Executive Director Julie Diamond, now celebrating her one-year anniversary at the head of the foundation, said she was excited that last year the foundation began to advance the goals of the 2009 strategic plan including the kick off of the OJCF Legacy Society. She said the society’s first event will be a panel of advisors and inspirational speakers sometime in the fall.


Diamond spoke about the success of this year’s youth foundation (see story, page 15), itself a legacy of Julia Weiss, who created the OJCYF as her bat mitzvah project nine years ago. She also bid farewell to OJCYF advisor Jonathan Emanuel who is moving to California to serve as a synagogue education director. And she noted the youth foundation was part of Henry and Gerel Blauer’s legacy, since they have supported the youth philanthropists for all nine years.


Turning the evening to the topic almost every speaker alluded to, Diamond said, “We are honored Henry and Gerel allowed us to honor them.”


OJCF Legacy Society Chair Ben Isenberg spoke about the society’s plan to create a book of life “to give people who create a legacy the opportunity to express in writing why their legacy gift is so important to them and important to the community and give a bit of family history.”


Then he introduced Elaine Savinar, a friend of Henry and Gerel for more than 50 years, and Karen Blauer, who represented the couple’s four daughters, to share a bit of the Blauer family legacy.


Savinar spoke of the warm, caring, inclusive couple who are “a team in their life together.”


She noted Henry is a much sought after board member who can “calculate all the figures in his head” and “has a way of summarizing everything at the end of big discussions.”


“When I go to a meeting and see Henry there, I know everything will be OK,” she said.


She said Gerel has served the community in a “quieter way.” She is a master gardener who “lovingly cares for the designated garden at Rose Schnitzer Manor and across the street at Robison (Jewish Health Center).”


Speaking of behalf of herself and her sisters Shemaya and Shoshana Blauer and Janis Blauer-Chima, Karen Blauer spoke of her parents’ “vastly different and effective leadership models.”


“Mom is the quintessential hands-on volunteer who literally works in the trenches, rolls up her sleeves and gets her hands dirty to help,” said Karen, ticking off a long list of Gerel’s volunteer jobs


Turning to the “second half of this matching pair,” she said “Our Dad is an exemplar of what board members should be—building community by setting policies, soliciting what’s amounted to millions of dollars and giving oversight to ensure that agencies stay focused on their mission to deliver measurable and meaningful outcomes.”


“Mom and Dad’s involvement in our community has been a constant, and thanks to their charitable endowment with the Foundation, their support will continue to make a difference for generations to come.”


After heartfelt applause from the audience, Henry took the podium and told people how fortunate he felt to have been persuaded to live in Portland when he got out of the service after World War II.


“I was welcome by the wonderful Jewish community,” he said. “All you have to do is not say no and you are involved.”

Foundation announces endowments during annual dessert meeting


At the OJCF Annual Dessert Reception, Executive Director Julie Diamond spoke about the new endowments created this year from living donors—meaning those who have funded endowments in the present, as opposed to through an estate gift that will occur at the time of their death.


Following are excerpts from Diamond’s comments about funds established in the past year:


Leah and Marvin Nepom Family Endowment Fund for the benefit of Robison Health Center and Congregation Neveh Shalom. Leah and Marv are long time devoted community members with strong ties to both Robison and Neveh Shalom. The entry gates to the Neveh Shalom courtyard are named for the Nepoms. Also, Marv is an estate planning attorney who handled the estate of Arthur Krischevsky and Chuck Karsun, two generous men whose gifts truly changed the landscape for Portland’s Jewish community.


Ze’ev B. and Miriam W. Orzech Endowment Fund for the benefit of Beit Am, Mid-Willamette Valley Jewish Community (see story below). Ze’ev and Mimi were founders of this special community and have supported it in many ways over the years. Now, this fund establishes a source of permanent funding for Beit Am. Ze’ev Orzech has donated all proceeds from his new book “From Aleph to Ze’ev” to Beit Am so that book sales benefit the community.


Oregon Holocaust Memorial Endowment. With the assistance of Oregon Holocaust Resource Center’s Friends of the Memorial and leadership of new OHRC Director Sonia Marie Leikam, the OHRC established with OJCF a permanent endowment fund for the preservation of the memorial. We look forward to supporting OHRC in building this endowment to their goal of $1 million.


The new Gus and Libby Solomon Lecture Fund created by Dick Solomon is an advised fund that will ultimately become an endowment. It will provide the dollars to sustain this lecture series named in honor of Dick’s beloved parents who are well known for their leadership and achievements in our community. The lecture series is presented as part of the Harold Schnitzer Family Judaic Studies Program at Portland State University and deals with topics relevant to the contemporary Jewish experience.


“We pause here to remember and honor the memory of a great and generous man, Harold Schnitzer,” said Diamond.


Diamond then turned to remember “those we have lost who established permanent funds”:


This year, for the first time, distributions were made from the Max Birnbach Charity Fund and Birnbach CGA Endowment Fund. Mr. Birnbach’s generous legacy, part of which will be directed by his sons Gerry and Jack, will support the Robison Jewish Health Center, Jewish Family and Child Service, the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Neveh Shalom, B’nai B’rith Camp, Hadassah Young Judaea, scholarships for Jewish students attending colleges in Oregon, and for the University of Oregon Hillel.


Also, we remember and honor the legacy of Stan Samuels, a truly dedicated member of our community, who through a provision in his will has created an endowment fund at OJCF for the benefit of Jewish Federation’s annual campaign.


“We know these endowments will help secure a bright future for Jewish Portland and continue to bring honor to these special people and their families,” concluded Diamond.