OJCF distributes $178,000 from Karsun endowment

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2010-08-15T00:00:00

Five local Jewish organizations and one national Jewish organization received their first annual distributions last month from the Chuck Karsun Endowment Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation.

A total of $178,000 was awarded to the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Jewish Family and Child Service, Portland Jewish Academy, Congregation Shaarie Torah, the Jewish National Fund in New York and OJCF’s Community Endowment Fund.

Chuck Karsun, who died in 2007, left a legacy through the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation in the form of a $3.5 million endowment.

Foundation leaders said the gift to OJCF’s Community Endowment Fund will have a particularly powerful effect on OJCF’s ability to make a difference, providing an additional $44,500 available to be granted back to the community in the Fall of 2010.

“We are honored that Chuck recognized the importance of the Community Endowment Fund and that he also understood OJCF’s role as a permanent guardian of funds that safeguard the quality and future of our Jewish communal life,” said Eric Rosenfeld, OJCF’s president and chair of the Distribution Committee which oversees the Community Endowment Fund. “His generosity and its impact are inspiring.”

OJCF interim executive director, Julie Diamond, agreed. “This is truly an example of how someone can create a tremendous legacy. Chuck’s example of philanthropy in action should encourage others to follow in his footsteps.”

The deadline for applications to the Community Endowment Fund is Aug. 31.

Karsun’s endowment, which will continue in perpetuity, illustrates how one person can have a vital impact on the greater good of a community and future generations.

Laurie Rogoway, the JFGP’s associate executive vice president, remembers Karsun as “an example of a long-time generous donor who ensured that his legacy would be everlasting.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland will receive the largest of the annual distributions. According to Rogoway, “Chuck’s generosity will enable us to expand our horizons, providing added support for the agencies that depend upon us, and also to look for other ways we can contribute to the community.”

Marian Fenimore, executive director of the Jewish Family and Child Service said, “These funds will be put to good use supporting our mission to serve the most vulnerable people in our community. Chuck was a quiet man in life but he made a huge statement in what he did, and we are extremely grateful to him for remembering us.”

Karsun was best known as a musician and entertainer with the Chuck Karsun Orchestra.

He was deeply involved in the Jewish community during his life. He was a member of both Shaarie Torah and the Eastside Jewish Community of Portland. EJCOP awarded Karsun a lifetime membership, as did the Sisterhood of the Robison Jewish Health Center.

The Jewish Senior Citizens Club dedicated a star in Karsun’s honor at Rose Schnitzer Manor. Karsun was also a good friend of the late Arthur Krischevsky, another community member who left a generous endowment gift to the OJCF that now provides scholarships for Oregon students seeking Jewish learning in the United States and abroad.

For more information on how to arrange a bequest or named endowment for the benefit of your preferred Jewish nonprofit, contact the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation 503-248-9328 or visit www.ojcfgift.org.