RAY AND DOROTHY PACKOUZ

Packouz endowed annual gift decades ago

Should others create legacy? ‘It would be a shame if I was walking this road alone’

By DEBORAH MOON, Jewish Review

article created on: 2011-11-01T00:00:00

More than 20 years ago—before the existence of an Oregon Jewish Community Foundation—Ray and Dorothy Packouz decided they wanted to ensure their support for the Jewish community of Portland and the world would continue in perpetuity.

So they had an attorney establish an endowment fund to pay their yearly pledge to the annual campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

“There are many things they (federation) does to take care of the needs in this community as well as nationally and internationally,” said Ray Packouz of why the couple supports JFGP.

He said the couple has been on many federation missions to Israel as well as Europe where they have seen the food kitchens and other programs to help those in need.

“Without them, so many people would be deprived,” he said.

A first-generation American, Packouz said, “It’s our way of saying thank you for all the good things that have happened to us.”

Packouz said he was born in Portland “and I have the webbed feet to prove it,” alluding not only to the Oregon climate but also to his status as a Duck fan and graduate of the University of Oregon.

Following his graduation in 1943, Packouz joined the Navy, where he rose to the rank of full lieutenant and served in the South Pacific. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in physical therapy, Dorothy joined the U.S. Army and spent World War II working as a physical therapist at an army hospital in south England.

The couple married in 1946 when they both returned to Portland, also Dorothy’s hometown.

The couple raised four children. Their daughters, Nancy Sharff and Carol Spellman, still live in Oregon. One son, Kalman Packouz, is an Orthodox rabbi in Miami and the other son, Ron Packouz, is an insurance firm partner in southern California.

Back when they created their endowment, Ray Packouz said they had no idea if any of their children would remain in the community and continue to support the Jewish federation here.

“We’ve had a strong commitment to charity and a strong connection to federation and wanted to continue to keep the money coming from the Packouz family,” he said of their decision to create the endowment.

“The funds are invested and I handle the investments while I’m here and each year take out the $20,000 (for the federation campaign),” he said. The fund will “continue our annual gift after we are gone.”

Asked if he would encourage others to set up endowment funds to perpetuate their gifts, he replied, “It would be a shame if I was walking this road alone.”

(This is the fifth article in an occasional series about JFGP endowment funds. Legacy Gifts, as endowment giving is often called, can be created in various ways. Those interested in creating a legacy fund at federation can contact Laurie Rogoway at 503-245-6473 or laurie@jewishportland.org. The federation works in partnership with Julie Diamond at the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, www.ojcf.org, when possible to establish funds.)