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$30 Million Gift

Bill Davidson's Guardian Industries will create a business
school at Israel's Technion.

LIBRE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

CI

r. Joseph Epel does not know
whether he solicited a $30 mil-
lion gift for Technion-Israel In-
stitute of Technology from
Guardian Industries head William
Davidson, or the other way around.
"You don't solicit a gift from Bill
Davidson," said the 76-year-old De-
troit native. "You expose him to an
idea. He is a man of vision."
This week, Davidson's Guardian
Industries Corp. in Novi gave a $30
million commitment to establish a
business management school at the
Technion. The school, to be named
for Mr. Davidson, 74, who is presi-
dent and CEO of Guardian, will of-
fer four technology-related master of
business administration programs.
The gift is the largest ever secured
by the American Technion Society,
the U.S.-based support organization
for the Haifa, Israel university, ac-
cording to the society's Executive Vice
President Melvyn H. Bloom. The new
school is set to reach full activity by
the year 2000, with construction, -re-
search and hiring plans already un-
derway.
Mr. Davidson, who is backing an
archeological project near the West-
ern Wall in Jerusalem and owns Is-
rael's Phoenicia Glass Factory, is
nationally known as the majority
owner of the Detroit Pistons and
Palace Sports and Entertainment,
which includes the Palace of Auburn
Hills.
Novi-based Guardian, one of the
world's largest manufacturers and
fabricators of flat glass products, is
also a leading supplier of vehicle glass
and plastics to the automotive in-
dustry.
Mr. Davidson has a recent histo-
ry of big giving. Two years ago, he
gave the largest gift ever made to a
single institution of Jewish educa-
tion — $15 million to the Conserva-
tive movement's Jewish Theological
Seminary in New York. Those funds
created the nation's largest graduate
school ofJewish education.
In 1992, Mr. Davidson gave $7.5
million to the University of Michi-
gan, to help train businesspeople
from underdeveloped countries. A
former chairman of the Jewish Fed-
eration of Metropolitan Detroit's Al-
lied Jewish Campaign and 1992
recipient of the Federation's Fred M.
Butzel Memorial Award for Distin-
guished Community Service, Mr.
Davidson underwrote the William

Negotiations
Continue

Sale of Sinai Hospital could result in a
fund to benefit Jewish families.

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

Davidson Challenge Fund for the
1996 Campaign.
The $30 million gift to Technion
"is very consistent with Bill David-
son's belief that education is the key
to the quality of life, and to the cp
ity ofJewish life," said David B. Her-
melin, a business associate and friend
of Mr. Davidson.
Mr. Hermelin sees the Guardian
gift as "a very big plus as Israel
emerges, as Israel's economy
emerges." Now, Israel "will not only

son is not the type of person who just
gives money away; he tries to give
money in areas where he thinks he
can do some major good."
In seeking the gift, Dr. Epel said
he merely "went over and I talked to
him .... He said, `Joe, Israel has to
have a first-class institution which
will enable these companies to corn-
Pete
"I don't know who sold who. The
entire process of meeting with Bill
and discussing things was an excit-

have the technological geniuses, but ing one. He said: 'If I'm going to get
engineering graduates with out- involved, it's got to be first-class,
standing international business world-class."
His friends and associates
skills," he said.
Allen Juris, local executive Bill Day idson: say Mr. Davidson "has gone be-
director of American Society Build ing yond philanthropy," as Mr. Her-
for Technion, said, "Mr. "the" s chool. melin puts it. "He has
thoughtfully developed a direc-
Davidson has been interest-
ed in the Technion for a long time." tion and focus for his major giving,
Having previously donated a chair and there is a common thread that
in industrial engineering to the uni- weaves through what he's doing. He's
versity, Mr. Davidson "tends to think an unusual man who wants to make
strategically about issues. Mr. David- a difference in his lifetime." ❑

he Jewish Fund.
An established mandate to accommodate the
social and health needs of the Detroit Jewish com-
munity.
This could be the result if the Sinai Hospital board
completes negotiations and the sale of the facility on
Monday. While it hasn't been confirmed, Detroit Med-
ical Center, by all indications, is the buyer. It is also not
known at this time the price for Sinai. Estimates run
in the tens of millions of dollars.
"The era of the free-standing independent hospital
is over in a community like ours," said Mark Schlussel,
Sinai's chairman of the board. "It is more and more un-
usual to see a tertiary care facility with educational pro-
grams such as Sinai's that is unaffiliated. Sinai is
profitable and run well. But it is inevitable with today's
health care system that something could change.
"We want to take all of thi,s into account with the un-
derstanding that now is the best time to show others
that this enterprise is valuable."
The time was right, according to Mr. Schlussel, for
Sinai to seek an affiliation with another hospital. There
are still many issues that have not been settled, and
which could change directions.
"Everything so far as been a rumor," he said. "There
are no special agreements between Sinai and any sys-
tem at this time, and I can't make a judgement of what's
going to happen."
Should Sinai be sold, the future ofits CEO, Philip
Schaengold, is not known. Neither are the futures of
other staff members and physicians.
With the sale, The Jewish Fund could be established.
The board of The Jewish Fund would consist of Sinai
board members, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan De-
troit officers, and members of the Sinai Health Care
Foundation
The $10 million in assets held by the Sinai Health
Care Foundation would be allocated by a special sub-
committee. Allocations would go exclusively to Jew-
ish health care recipients. The $10 million is not part
of profits from the sale of Sinai.
According to Mr. Schlussel, none of the money would
go to projects for Israel, religion or education. Nor would
any of the funds be controlled by Federation. Monies
would be projected for programs and care for the Jew-
ish community.
"This is an extraordinary opportunity for the Jewish
community right now," said Mr. Schlussel.

T

,

Sinai Health Care Foundation chairman Richard F.
Roth said he is proud of the foundation's role in the
establishment and makeup of the fund. Although Sinai
Health Care Foundation is not a participant in the ne
gotiations for the sale of the hospital, his board voted
in favor of the negotiations on Monday evening.

"The goal is to help out with human and social ser-
vices for the Jewish community," said Mr. Roth.
Mr. Roth said the foundation's monies would con-
tinue to safeguard health care for the Jewish commu-
nity.
At this time, the future of foundation hallmark events
such as the Heritage Ball remain unknown, though Mr.
Roth said he would love to see the ball continue. ❑