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Facing Challenges: Communal Professionals Bert Gold, Z”L 3

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Facing Challenges: Communal Professionals Bert Gold, Z”L 3 Jewish Communal Service Association of North America June 2009 Volume 6, Issue 10 Inside this issue: JCSAConnecting & Enhancing Professional Leadership Facing Challenges: Communal Professionals Bert Gold, z”l 3 Gather in DC By Brenda Gevertz, Executive Director, JCSA JCP Graduates 4 Two hundred Jewish Communal Professionals gathered in Washington, DC, in early Events, 5 June for JCSA's Day of Learning. Among the many highlights of the day's programming Announcements, were a morning plenary with Dr. Erica Brown, a Keynote presentation by Rabbi David & Rotenberg Saperstein and a closing plenary moderated by William Daroff with Mara Liasson and Ron Center Kampeas. Mazel Tovs & 6 The theme for the conference "If I Am Not for Myself / If I Am Only for Myself: Employment Implications of Political and Economic Changes for Jewish Communal Professionals," Opportunities addressed the many issues confronting colleagues, including changes in philanthropic Grants, 7 support, political differences in Washington and Jerusalem, and the impact of technology in Fellowships, the ways we communicate. The day opened with a full spectrum of skills-building sessions Scholarships, & and consultations including resume review, fearless public speaking and coaching. Save the Dates The conference was held at Adas Israel Congregation and received support from the JCSA Benefit 8 Greater Washington Federation and local philanthropists. Washington's local professional Plan association, J-PRO DC, actively participated in the day's activities, which attracted participants from St. Louis, Palm Beach, Ann Arbor and many East Coast communities. Rabbi Saperstein received J- Pro's prestigious Shulamith Elster Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of dedicated service for the Jewish community. As head of the Religious Action Center of the Union of Reform Continued on page 2. By Erica Brown, Director of Adult Education at The Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning Within the framework of my title “Jewish Values for Communal Leadership,” I want to highlight four values that are critical for our work today: ntegrity: Integrity is a blend of transparency, honesty and I thoughtfulness that should be the hallmark of every Jewish communal professional, especially in these post-Madoff times. Suspicion of Jewish organizations is high and financial support is low. Our credibility has been tarnished by someone few of us know. It is imperative that we become a force for transparency and sensitivity in our dealings with lay leaders and the community at large and reinstate our reputation for high ethical standards. Steve Rod, JCCA, & Erica Brown in discussion ivility: There is hardly a Jewish communal professional who has not C been in an inappropriate, offensive or downright hostile encounter with lay leaders, donors, volunteers or fellow professionals. By over-accommodation to people who are entitled, we have implicitly given permission for other people to treat us disrespectfully. This has created a culture of incivility that we cannot afford. It is time for us to stop this behavior by letting people know that in order Continued on page 2. www.JCSANA.org Continued from page 1. Judaism, Rabbi Saperstein has been named by Newsweek as America's #1 rabbi because of his active engagement in lobbying and legislative initiatives. Dr. Brown, recently selected as one of Covenant Foundation's 2009 Award winners for excellence as a Jewish educator, inspired the assembly to examine the values which should guide us as Jewish communal professionals (see text box). More than a dozen different workshops considered issues that are challenging our field and practitioners, such as funding for Jewish education, strategic planning, building a career in the current economic environment, and fundraising in difficult times. As daunting as some of the challenges are, the mood of the day was upbeat and vibrant as participants connected with long-time friends and networked with colleagues they were just meeting. "The Politics of Change" was addressed in a stimulating panel discussion with Mara Liasson, NPR National Political Correspondent, and Ron Kampeas, JTA Washington Bureau Chief. They noted changes in the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem and speculated on the impact of the Democrats' majority in Congress and potential impact on the agenda of the Jewish community. Hillel Hirshbein of JBFCS in New York and Robin Levenston of JAFI- NA in Washington, co-chaired the event with ample support from William Daroff, UJC,Washington; Roberta Greenstein, DFI, Baltimore; Audra Berg, JUF, Chicago; Sara Reif and Jeana Rivkin, JCSA, New York; Josh Krakoff, JCC of Rockland County; and JCSA President, Glenn Easton, Adas Israel, Washington. As the day concluded with networking and a snack of warm-from-the- oven cookies, a participant exclaimed that the day's events were "an Erica’s Speaking Points Continued from page 1 for us to do our jobs with excellence, we need to be treated and we need to treat other people with dignity. We need to use language and demand language from others that is polite, thoughtful and respectful at all times. No exceptions. armth: Civility is a basic requirement for creating a community that we can live in. But warmth is necessary W for communities in which we can flourish. We are notorious for not being friendly. The first-line receptionists in synagogues, social service agencies and schools so often alienate before they welcome, distance before they bring others to a sense of belonging. And it’s not only receptionists. It’s often our own CEOs. We need to model warm and friendly behavior and expect it from everyone within our institutions. We are the cheerleaders of the Jewish people, and anyone walking within our walls should feel comfortable and happy to be there. If they don’t, we all bear the responsibility. iteracy: Not every Jewish communal professional can tell the difference L between Maimonides and a Mishna. Few think it’s a requirement for the job. Yet we would expect anyone running for office in America to know basics about the Constitution and to recognize major figures and events in American history. Jewish knowledge adds depth and meaning to what we do and helps inspire us to do more, know more and give more. And we know from philanthropic research that the more people identify with Jewish values, the more charity they give. It’s hard for us to promote Jewish values if we feel only a passing acquaintance. Make this year the year that you promise yourself a great Jewish education. You’ll enjoy it, and it will enrich your professional life. That’s a money-back guarantee. Bert Gold, z’’l By Dr. Steven Bayme, National Director of Contemporary Jewish Life Department, American Jewish Committee Bert Gold, Executive Vice-President Emeritus of the American Jewish Committee and Founding Director of its Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations, passed away on June 13, 2009. Born in Toronto in 1916, and raised with a strong Yiddishist cultural orientation, Bert attended the Workmen’s Circle School. Subsequently he obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and a Master’s in Social Work degree from Case Western Reserve University. He taught social work at the University of Pittsburgh and at Columbia University. Following World War II, he became Director of the Newark YM-YWHA and later rose in the Jewish Center movement to become Director of the Jewish Centers Association of Greater Los Angeles overseeing an extensive network of area institutions. In 1967 he accepted a position as Executive Vice President of the American Jewish Committee, where he remained as Chief Executive Officer until 1982, and again, in 1987- 1988, and as Founding Director of the Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations, 1982-1992. As AJC’s executive director, Bert brought the AJC into the mainstream of Jewish life. His concern for Israel was passionate and deeply held, and he positioned AJC as a strong advocate on behalf of Israel’s concerns before the American public and the U.S. Government. Concerned with potential long-term distancing between American Jewry and Israel, the world’s two largest Jewish communities, he established the Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations as a bridge-building program, sponsoring studies and exchange visits to strengthen ties and alleviate tensions between these two pillars of the Jewish people. Professor Jerry Bubis, Founding Director of the Hebrew Union College School of Social Work, and a long-term friend and colleague, commented that Bert always maintained a broad outlook, seeking to strengthen the Jewish people beyond the silos of any one Jewish communal institution. For example, he was influential in the growth of the HUC School and while at AJC loaned staff members to it to serve as faculty. An exemplary professional, Bert was active in his professional association and was elected President of the Conference of Jewish Communal Service in 1962. A professional’s professional, Bert served as a mentor for many AJC staff currently in senior positions within the agency and for numerous colleagues within the community. All who were privileged to know him benefitted immensely from his wise counsel, good humor, and, perhaps above all, his fundamental decency. He modeled what it meant to be a dedicated Jewish communal leader incorporating professional expertise, intellectual brilliance, and humane mentschlichkeit. He is survived by his beloved family, Judy and Larry Rubin, past Jewish communal professionals with the Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs respectively, Dan and Ann Gold, Arna Shaw and Ron Chase, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. May his memory be a blessing. Don’t miss the latest issue of the Journal of Jewish Communal Service . A limited number of copies are available. For information on how to receive a copy, contact [email protected] or order online.
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