Metro

Penny Blumenstein with philanthropists William Davidson of Bloomfield Hills and Doreen and David

Penny Blumenstein poses with family members on the night she became

Hermelin of Bingham Farms and Federation CEO Robert Aronson in 2000. David Hermelin died in
November 2000.

Federation president in 1998. From left: Son Randy Blumenstein, his wife, Dr.

Marci Gittleman, daughter Lauren Cohen, Harold, Penny, and daughter-in-law
and son, Carol and Ricky Blumenstein.

The Navigator from page 33

Involvement in Federation
came at an invitation to a leader-
ship series.
"Not only did they talk and
teach leadership skills, but also
they talked about all the things
that Federation did;' Blumenstein
said. "All I knew about
Federation was the Allied Jewish
Campaign, and once a year
somebody was going to come to
me and ask me for money."
She soon became involved in
the campaign end of the Women's
Division, and little by little moved
up the Women's Division hierar-
chy. She was nominated as
Women's Campaign chair, then
the president of the division.
Womens' Division is extremely
important and the first entry
point for most families to
Federation, she said
"Women are the thrust of
charitable giving in their home,
they teach it to their children and
they make it an important part
of their lives."
Blumenstein is proud her chil-
dren are active givers.
"They all take that very seri-
ously in their lives and I hope
that Harold and I set a good
example for them:"

Balance Sheets

Blumenstein's father and grand-
father were CPAs. She worked for
her dad, checking statements
with an adding machine, and
learned to how to read financial
statements and balance sheets,
something that helped her as she
graduated from volunteer to lay
leader.
The list of volunteer organiza-

34

tions she's been involved with is as can resolve them without having
long as a professional basketball
a lot of public turmoil;' she said.
player's arm, but becoming
"Effective leadership can be
Federation president was never on bringing parties together and
the radar screen.
helping them resolve their prob-
"All I was doing was trying to
lems without hanging all the
be an effective leadership per-
laundry out in public."
son," she said. "But I guess I was
She said her greatest achieve-
wrong. Every once in a while, it's
ment as president was the real-
OK to be wrong."
ization of what past president
In 1989, she watched the late
Robert Naftaly started — and
Tillie Brandwine win the Butzel
what became the Alliance for
Award, and thought "Wouldn't it
Jewish Education — the idea
be wonderful to be where she
that Jewish education is the key
was?" she said. "Not because I
to our Jewish world for children
cared about awards, but to know
and individuals and families.
• that people respected her in a way.
"The only way that we're going
"There were few women at the
to have a Jewish world is through
time who were respected in the
avenues of Jewish education —
Federation world:' Blumenstein
the idea was just inspirational;'
said. "It was a man's world, I just
she said. "It brought all the won-
thought it was great. It kind of
derful components of education
raised the bar for me."
together to make Jewish educa-
In 1998, she found herself as
tion important to more people, in
the first woman president in
not only formal but also informal
Detroit Federation history. She
opportunities. It may have been
had an office in the Max M.
Bob's idea, but in my presidency,
Fisher Federation Building in
it was my focus."
Bloomfield Hills because, as
Once her term was up, she
Aronson joked, "You need some-
laughingly believed that things
place to put your purse."
would slow down, but the volun-
For her three-year term, she
teer activities and board mem-
worked in that office as if she
berships continued.
was punching a clock. She sus-
When Federation and the
pended her other volunteer
Jewish Community Center in West
activities to devote her time to
Bloomfield come up with the idea
Federation and family.
for a Jewish children's museum,
"It was a time of a fairly peace- Shalom Street/The Address for
ful world situation, and whatever Jewish Discovery was born, and
local internal problems we had,
Federation put Blumenstein in
the problems were resolved in
charge of oversight.
quieter ways.
"It became the most exciting
"Sometimes, the most effective creative project:' she said. "There's
diplomacy is the backdoor diplo- nothing exactly like this any-
macy; it isn't a matter of keeping where, and it could be considered
things private, it's a matter of
the premier Jewish children's
dealing with issues where you
museum in the United States. Its

main focus is to teach in a fun
way the values of Judaism."

New Adventures

As busy as she is, Blumenstein
still finds time for adventure.
With visits to Macchu Picchu
and Southeast Asia this year, she
had the opportunity to cross two
places off the list in her iPAQ of
places to visit.
Egypt, India, the rain forest in
Costa Rica and the Amazon are
still on the list.
"I love to see things that
haven't changed in a 1,000 years:'
she said. "It's fascinating to see
cultures that were knowledge-
able, had scientific ability and
sophisticated thought processes
for their time, and wondering
what happened."
She loves to ski black diamond
runs in Aspen; she's a PADI-certi-
fied diver, a golfer, a Pilates fanat-
ic and a former bowler, she said.
"When I bowled a 200 game, I
took it as a sign and quit."
Harold, who has been doing car
rallies for about 25 years and is
planning a 90-day Beijing-to-Paris
run in 2007, knows her activities
won't allow her time to join him.
So he'll try talking her into a
30-day rally from Beijing to
Hong Kong next year because
"she's a wonderful companion for
an adventure."
"She's as good or better than
any navigator I've ever used;' he
said. "When you're navigating, it's
just an extension of doing a puz-
zle, and she's been doing those
things since I met her."
Blumenstein receives the
Butzel Award at the combined

October 6 . 2005

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