100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials may be under copyright. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission. If you have questions about the collection, please contact the Bentley Historical Library at bentley.ref@umich.edu

October 23, 2008 - Image 20

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2008-10-23

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

Special Report

ON THE COVER

Future from page A20

2006 • •

At the Jewish high school's
fourth commencement ceremony,
it was renamed the Jean and
Samuel Frankel Jewish Academy
of Metropolitan Detroit, honor-
ing the $20 million gift from the
Frankel family that endowed and
helps operate the school.

• Establishment of community
pillars for the future – Jewish
education and the elderly, with
a goal of $50 million each.

2007



Continued development in P2K
Central Galilee region in Israel.
Funding of the PACT (Parents and
Teachers Together) program in
Netanya. Israel Emergency Fund
raised $15 million that made a
tremendous impact in Israel fol-
lowing the war with Hezbollah in
Lebanon.

2008 • •

Israel at 60 celebration, including
a community concert at the Max
M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit
and "A Fair To Remember," which
drew 16,000 people in August to
the Michigan State Fairgrounds in
Detroit for a tribute to Israel.

• No Family Stands Alone, a
response to emergency needs in
our community through Housing
Assistance Funds.

• Steinhardt, Davidson and
Applebaum families – special
projects nationally and globally.

Source: Jewish Federation of

Metropolitan Detroit

A20 October 23 • 2008

JN

Aronson with philanthropists Nancy Grand and Max Fisher
in 2000

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, with Aronson at 'A Fair to
Remember' this past August.

helped us and guided us and personally encouraged me to find
new vehicles for philanthropy. I've learned a lot from Bob — how
to structure gifts, how to use a gift to encourage other gifts and
create momentum in the community — and hope to continue
learning. I look forward to his continued involvement in the com-
munity. He's a great mentor and friend!'

tion as possible, and for this community to continue to be strong
and grow — a legacy he'd like to leave to this community"
Aronson, who lives in Bloomfield Hills, and his former wife,
Laura Aronson, have raised his three children here — Max,
23, who works in TV production in Los Angeles; Natasha, 21,
a University of Michigan senior; and Isaac, 14, a freshman at
Birmingham Groves High School.
"What's special about Detroit is the people — the extraordinary
people and the community:' Aronson said. "It's absolutely true.
We're an unusually warm, close-knit, giving, humble community.
Not flashy and not based on material acquisitions like others!'
Penny Blumenstein, search committee chair, said, "We've been
very lucky; people don't stay in place that long. Bob is ingrained in
our society here. People don't think
of the Detroit Federation without
thinking of Bob Aronson.
"Hopefully, we'll find a good per-
son to manage and integrate into
the community. You always think
when someone is changing posi-
tion, how can we do without them?
You grow and get new direction and
inspiration. Bob has been an excep-
- Edgar M. Bronfman tional person. How often do you get
someone of his caliber — not only
in raising money, but with a vision of what our community should
look like, who then goes out and raises money to get it done. We
are in a very good position keeping a top professional doing what
he does best. It's win-win for everybody"
New York philanthropist Michael Steinhardt, chairman of the Ns
parent company, Jewish Renaissance Media, looks forward to contin-
ued work with Aronson on such initiatives as Birthright Israel.
"He's a guy whose potential capacity I'm not sure has been fully
tapped;' Steinhardt said. "He's an able guy who can do great many
things; he has never with me seemed to be unable to do anything
I've asked him to do. I know sometimes he has plenty more to do,
but he's still able to fulfill any mission I've asked of him. Because
of his success in Detroit and as a fundraiser, and his success as an
innovator, I think he's in great demand, and I don't know how that
will ultimately wind up. I'm pleased to be associated with him!'
Aronson, too, is uncertain about his long-term career. He knows it
will not be to another full-time job, but it will involve working with
philanthropic families, which he finds "fun and a great experience?'
Maybe, with the transition, he will find more time to work in his
art studio at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he creates
etchings inspired by his drawings.
"My eventual goal," Aronson said, "is yet to be written!'

Toward The Future
"The challenges are clear — bringing young people back home,
meeting people's needs in this economic spiral and building lead-
ership as our community ages,"Aronson said.
"The economy impacts every part of life. We have to ensure
Jewish life is accessible to those in need so they don't have to jump
through hoops. That's a fundamen-
tal short-term challenge. I hope
the day never comes when we can't
afford assistance to families.
"We have a greater shared
Jewish destiny — the obligation
to care for other Jews around the
world, and this community should
be a light to other communities;'
Aronson said.
He sees job creation as the key
to attracting Detroit's young adults
back home.
"The quality of Jewish life in Detroit is at the top in America;' he
said. "Now is an opportunity. There are a lot of young people with
MBAs and in financial services who move to New York who won't
find jobs, and many already are out of work. If we can develop a job
bank quickly, we could recapture some young people!'
In Los Angeles, where Federation recently had an outreach event,
he said he could tell the difference in the Detroit young adults.
"They understand Israel; they go to synagogue; they connect with
each other; and most will find leadership roles because of who
they are as Detroiters," he said.
Aronson hopes to continue to influence the shaping of Jewish
Detroit, but says it depends on the new CEO and the leadership.
"As the boss, you get to launch crazy ideas like the Millennium
Campaign — people thought it was crazy and we'd never do it,"
Aronson said. "I will be myself, and that's part of the package!'
He does admit that he will miss sitting at the head of the board-
room conference table.
"It will be hard to leave some things behind, but if they have
value, they will continue to grow in strength and influence beyond
my tenure," he said.
"Federation will be a priority for Bob," said current Federation
President Nancy Grosfeld."He has deep roots here and he cares
about this community. The goal is to make this as smooth a transi-

"I am quite confident that Bob will
be able to do on the national and
perhaps international scale what
he has so ably done in Detroit."



For a related Editor's Letter, see page AS.

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan