foundation focus Suzanne and Jimmy Schulman continue family tradition of Jewish giving By CHARLES BERNSEN
J
immy Schulman has much reason to be grateful to his late grandfather. He and his cousin, James Fishel, were co-owners of The Tennessee Glass Company, the business Isadore Schulman founded exactly one century ago. But Isadore provided Jimmy and the rest of the Schulman family something much less tangible though just as important: a quiet but unwavering dedication to the wellbeing of the Jewish community. “Isadore Schulman was a wonderful
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role model for his family, devoting much of his time and resources to Jews in need in a very inconspicuous manner,” Jimmy said. Isadore’s children and grandchildren were aware of his activities on behalf of the Jewish community, but not because he made a big deal about them. In his view, supporting the Jewish community, whether through the synagogue or other communal organizations, was an obligation to be fulfilled humbly and without fanfare. Though her roots in Nashville don’t go back quite as far, Suzanne Schulman has lived here since she was a young
Suzanne and Jimmy Schulman
child. Her family became members of West End Synagogue, where she received her religious education. As a couple, the Schulmans have sought to continue the commitment of their families to the Jewish community. Collectively they have served on the boards of The Temple, the Gordon Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Suzanne, a retired lawyer, has also been an active member with the National Council of Jewish Women and Jewish Family Services. The former was important in helping her, as a young wife and mother, develop “lasting friendships and connections while at the same time participating in programs that benefited and continue to benefit not only our local Jewish community but also the Nashville community at large.” She found another kind of fulfillment with JFS, which allows her to be part of an organization that aids those in the community who are ill or otherwise in need. Asked to name a Jewish agency or institution that is particularly important to them, Suzanne responded, “All are important,” especially because the community’s needs and priorities are always changing. “Our religious institutions have always been very important to us as both of our families have been long standing members of The Temple and West End Synagogue. We, as well as our children, received our religious education at these institutions and we continue to attend programs led by Jewish educational leaders in our community. Learning has always been a first and foremost priority as we truly feel that the more knowledge we have, the better the quality of life for us all.” Also important for the Schulmans is an unwavering commitment to help Israel remain “a stronghold of our people.” The couple’s annual gifts to the Jewish Federation of Nashville reflect their desire to strengthen the Jewish community locally, nationally and internationally, and they have ensured that those contributions will continue by establishing a Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) with the Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The Schulmans are grateful to be in a position to provide perpetual support of the Jewish community, and to anyone thinking about setting up a similar endowment, their advice is simple: “Just do it and think no further.” “With this fund, our annual giving will continue after we are no longer living,’ said Jimmy. And by continuing the family tradition of dedication to the Jewish community, the Schulmans hope to be the same kind of role model for their children and grandchildren that Isadore Schulman was to his. “Our hope is that our offspring and future generations experience and pass on that which has enabled us to survive as a vibrant, committed, informed, and educated people which in turn has strengthened the quality of all our lives.” c Foundation Focus is an occasional series of interviews with individuals who have made legacy plans through the Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
November 2013 The Observer