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FOUNDATION
.Foundation Happenings
Life & Legacy - Supporting a strong Jewish tomorrow
By Robert Nomberg president & ceo richmond jewish foundation
Thank you to the 375 local donors who, over the last four years, have promised to create 529 legacy gifts to support our Richmond Jewish community. These future gifts are estimated to provide an additional $20 million in endowments for Jewish Richmond.
These generous commitments are part of a collaborative nation-wide endowment building e ort, the goal of which is to provide future fi nancial stability in our community.
Our local LIFE & LEGACY partnership includes 10 Jewish organizations and congregations – Chabad of Virginia, Congregation Beth Ahabah, Congregation Or Ami, Congregation Or Atid, Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, Jewish Family Services, Keneseth Beth Israel, Rudlin Torah Academy, Temple Beth-El and Weinstein JCC – along with Richmond Jewish Foundation and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. During the past four years, these partners have been provided with training, support, and monetary incentives to develop and grow their legacy programs.
“Participation in the community-wide LIFE & LEGACY program provided the foundation and training necessary to integrate legacy giving into the philanthropic culture at the Weinstein JCC. It inspired our sta and volunteers to think long-term and to dedicate the time and resources necessary to ensure the successful future of the Center,” said Chris Greenberg, LIFE & LEGACY Chair, Weinstein JCC.
She continued, “We are grateful to the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and Richmond Jewish Foundation for bringing the LIFE & LEGACY program to our Richmond community - a program that has helped us to engage 50+ new legacy donors that represent more than $2 million in projected gifts for the Weinstein JCC, as well as funding for our annual operating budget from newly established endowed funds.”
In less than 8 years, the national LIFE & LEGACY program has motivated more than 17,000 donors in 63 communities across North America, including in Richmond, to commit more than a billion dollars in current and after-lifetime assets to the Jewish organizations which shaped their lives.
In challenging times like these, endowments provide organizations with the fi nancial stability to meet evolving needs. Legacy commitments ensure that organizations that are providing impactful programs and services during both calm and turbulent times have the necessary resources to adapt.
“The cooperation and collaboration fostered by LIFE & LEGACY as local organizations work to a shared goal of endowment building is especially critical now,” said Arlene D. Schi , national director, LIFE & LEGACY. “Even in the midst of so much disruption and uncertainty, we continue to empower many generous and committed individuals and families to give back to the Jewish organizations that have played and are playing an important role in their lives.”
The commitments made by Richmond’s legacy donors over the past four years are just the beginning of a community-wide effort to ensure a strong Jewish tomorrow
Over the last year, our partners diligently focused on engaging with donors to legally formalize their initial commitments. Despite the recent challenges of in-person connections, almost 70% of our local commitments have been legally formalized by these donors working with Richmond Jewish Foundation and their attorney, accountant, insurance agent or wealth advisor.
The fi fth year of our LIFE & LEGACY program kicked o last month and will focus on sustainability. RJF will continue to provide guidance, training and incentives for participating organizations and congregations to further integrate legacy giving into their institutions and create a long-term culture of philanthropy.
RJF is proud and honored to partner
with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation on this vitally important Jewish endowment building initiative. Through LIFE & LEGACY, our local Jewish organizations have collectively been awarded almost $230,000 in unrestricted incentive grants for successfully participating in the program and meeting their annual goals.
“Providing Jewish organizations with a strategy to help secure their long-term fi nancial goals is absolutely vital, especially now in the middle of an economic crisis,” said Harold Grinspoon, founder of HGF. “Supporting our Jewish institutions is critical to ensuring future generations are able to enjoy our rich culture and heritage. I am thrilled that LIFE & LEGACY is motivating donors to make legacy commitments that will sustain vibrant Jewish communities for years to come.”
To learn how you can be part of securing Richmond’s Jewish future, email RJF Legacy Director Lauren Plotkin at lauren@rjfoundation.org or call (804) 545- 8624.
Wolf Family The third talented child, daughter Re
Continued from page 13 becca, has served in the Navy for 14 years. She graduated from the U. S. Naval Acad
Younger brother Matt lives in San Francisco emy and has a master’s degree in Physical and works at Facebook where he builds tools that Oceanography. She is a Surface Warfare allow small businesses to be more e ective and O cer, meaning she serves on warships. e cient. Prior to Facebook he worked at StubEarly on, Rebecca became the Jewhub, where he won several awards and is listed ish Lay Leader for a crew of about 1,000 on 4 U.S. Patents. sailors. She says, “There are not enough
Before working in tech, Matt attended James Chaplains in the Navy to have one on every Madison University on a Merit Scholarship ship nor enough Chaplains to represent the where he was president of Hillel from 2006- multitudes of faith that make up our armed 2008. He also won the Teamwork Award and services.” Therefore, the Navy relies on lay placed 3rd of 140 teams in the 2009 JMU Busileaders to help accommodate the religious ness Plan Competition. practices of various faith groups. After graduation Matt served as chairman Serving on the USS FORREST of the Board for JNet (a Jewish young professionSHERMAN, Rebecca completed a deals’ network) in Northern VA. ployment to the Middle East where they 22| the Reflector | October 2020 . 5781 Tishrei/Cheshvan were assigned to conduct counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Oman. Her next tour landed her in Afghanistan.
Rebecca is proud that “in addition to my day job, I also became the Jewish Lay Leader and supported members of the Jewish faith on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Sharana.”
They held Friday night services, observed Passover and the High Holidays, and celebrated Chanukah. “Even if just for an hour or so each week-spending time with fellow Jews o ered a great sense of community,” she recalls.
In addition to serving as the O cer In Charge, Rebecca was also the Jewish Lay Leader onboard USNS Mercy. “We held weekly Shabbat services while the ship was underway while transiting between countries along the Pacifi c Rim. We had a small group of regular attendees to include young Army Soldiers to more senior Naval O cers,” she says.
Recently she spent three years stationed in Bahrain as Executive O cer and Commanding O cer on the USS GLADIATOR. “It is an incredible feeling to get to do something you dreamed of, worked toward, and studied for years,” she says with pride. “I am truly blessed to have been able to work alongside … hands down the hardest working Sailors I have ever met in the US Navy.”
In addition to serving on the USS
(From left) VHM Executive Director Samuel Asher and Chairman Marcus Weinstein open up the Virtual An
nual Meeting on Sept. 9. VHM screen photos
VHM Virtual Annual Meeting
The Virginia Holocaust Museum held its virtual Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9 via a public Zoom program.
VHM Chairman Marcus Weinstein welcomed the online attendees and then asked Executive Director Samuel Asher to outline the program for the evening that included a keynote address by “Violins of Hope” Author Professor James Grymes.
Before his Invocation, Rabbi Dovid Asher o ered an In Memoria on Holocaust Survivors and community leaders who had passed away in 2020. He described details of their lives and those of other family members. These included Sonia Brodecki, 92, who died Jan. 16; Margot Maier Miller who passed away on Feb. 26; Helen Zimm, 96, who passed away on April 6; Alan Zimm, 99, who passed away April 18, a month shy of his 100th birthday; Selma Brown, 100, an original board member of Virginia Holocaust Museum who passed away on April 19; Gene Atkinson. 86, a VHM board member who passed away on April 26; Earl Ferguson, 73, a longtime VHM board member and treasurer who passed away on June 3; Maria Brodecki, 70, daughter of Holocaust Survivors
Wolf Family
Continued from page 22 GLADIATOR, she also was the Jewish Lay Leader on the Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain.
“We had a very sizeable Jewish Community connected to the Navy Base and State Department. The Bahrain community was defi nitely the largest Jewish Community I have been connected to while serving in the US Navy. As a very familyoriented group, we held activities for kids, weekly services on the base, and were able to observe and celebrate all signifi cant Jewish holidays.”
Rebecca noted, “The Jewish Community is very important to my family and something that Boleslaw (Bud) and Sonia Brodecki, who passed away on June 21; and Rabbi Israel Koller, 84, who served congregations in West Virginia and Richmond and had been a chaplain at Beth Sholom Senior Living. He passed away Sept. 5.
In his remarks, Asher noted, “This has been a di cult year. We have responded to many changes due to the COVID-19 crisis. But we are weary from all of the daily challenges in our lives and in our community. We have received many calls from supporters who understand the importance of our Museum and the need to tell the story of the Holocaust and what hate can do. Virginia Holocaust Museum and other Museums in town have an opportunity to accomplish educational work and stand together to fi ght racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry.”
He described how the Museum like other
area museums temporarily closed their doors in was ingrained growing up.”
As a teen she was honored with the JCC Arenstein Family Excellence in Youth Service Award.
“As a Lay Leader, I am able to bring together a Jewish Community. I have had some amazing opportunities and have participated in some unique missions throughout my 14 years of service. I am grateful to be able to serve my community and my country,” she concludes.
Rebecca is currently working in the Pentagon at the O ce of Legislative A airs.
Rabbi Dovid Asher delivers his InMemoria.
March. The 22 museum leaders took part in virtual meetings over several months. VHM re-opened with special safety and health protocols on July 6.
“Our weekend and week-day tra c is almost back to the preCOVID numbers. So, come on down and see exhibits you might have missed before. Due to the COVID crisis, we will wait to bring new visiting exhibits until 2021. We have used the Auschwitz and Beyond Duty Exhibits, which are in-house exhibits, since we reopened in July. We continue to maximize Holocaust education for the teachers and students.”
Asher announced a number of upcoming professional programs, workshops and new exhibits planned for 2021. He said a Yom HaShoah Observance, which was not held this year, will take place in its regular time slot in April of 2021; Violins of Hope will be held August - October of 2021.
“It tells the remarkable stories of violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, and of the Israeli violinmaker dedicated to bringing these inspirational instruments back to life.”
Other exhibits are in the planning stages including “All that Remains: A Holocaust Exhibit in Fiber.”
He noted the Capital Campaign has been boosted with additional gifts. “The Barbara and Fred Kort Foundation has made a $190,000 grant to renovate our Lobby and the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation has made a grant of $150,000 for matching
Guest speaker author and Professor James Grymes.
dollars in our continued renovations. The total available for capital projects at the present time is over $600,000.”
Asher concluded, “We are all the keepers of the memories. Help us to continue to be a beacon of hope – as we stand against Racism, Anti- Semitism and bigotry.”
He then introduced guest speaker author and professor James Grymes.
The “Violins of Hope” exhibit will come to Richmond from Aug. 1, 2021, until Oct. 25, 2021, and will be displayed at VHM, the Virginia Museum for History and Culture and the Black History Museum.
The opening concert will be held at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Sept. 9, 2021. Other programming is being rescheduled and will be found at ViolinsofhopeRVA.com.
In his remarks, Grymes shared stories of several Holocaust Survivors who are featured in his book “Violins of Hope: Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour (Harper Perennial, 2014).
Each person had horrifi c accounts of their time in the concentration camps and how music and their violins helped them to endure and survive.
Like many others in the camps, music provided an outlet to take their minds away from their daily horrors. Some never played an instrument again due to the terrible memories. One Survivor said, “Playing music gave me one more day, one more day, one more day ... ”
MANY THANKS TO OUR 2020 CORPORATE PARTNERS The support of our Corporate Partners during this challenging year has been critical to our success. We extend our deepest thanks for their generosity and commitment to our community.
Emerald Level Sponsor:
Sapphire Level Sponsors:
Gold Level Sponsor:
THESE PARTNERSHIPS ENABLE US TO
Provide life-sustaining humanitarian aid at home and abroad
Build a welcoming and inclusive community and oer resources at every stage of life
Empower older adults to thrive in their homes and community safely and independently
Contributor Level Sponsor:
Educate our community about compelling issues
Donor Level Sponsors:
Connect Jewish young adults with their community and peers
It makes good corporate sense to partner with the Federation. Sponsors are provided with the opportunity to invest in social impact through an organization that evokes recognition and trust throughout the Greater Richmond region. Supporting the Federation will increase your company’s brand awareness, enhance your corporate image and generate good will among the people who count the most—our donors and your clients. If you’d like to learn more about our partnership program, please contact Paul H. Powell, Director, Corporate Partnerships and Business Development at 804.320.0220 (Remote Oce) or ppowell@jewishrichmond.org.
