A Philanthropic Pillar JEWISH CONTINUITY `He Was A Giant Harry Kirsbaum Special to the Jewish News T he Detroit Jewish community is mourning the passing of a truly legendary figure. In 1992, William Davidson received the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's highest communal honor, the Fred M. Butzel Award for Distinguished Service. He chaired Federation's Annual Campaign in 1994 and became the Campaign's first Challenge Fund donor in 1996. But his real imprint was made quietly. Robert Aronson, Federation CEO and Davidson's philanthropic adviser for eight years, called him "a great mentor and teacher, and a visionary philanthropist who understood the value of not only giving, but the importance of charitable investment. "He believed that the value of giving was in what it accomplished, not what it did for his ego," Aronson said. "He was very fond of saying that nobody ever solic- ited him for anything — they were ideas he came up with." The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and the William Davidson Graduate School of Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York were initially ideas he brought to each ) Federation remembers a legend. school, Aronson said. "Federation's Hermelin-Davidson Center for Congregational Excellence was a concept that he worked on and devel- oped with [the late] David Hermelin and others to try to accomplish what he felt was important in training Jewish educa- tion professionals. "[His wife] Karen and he also worked together on their philanthropy, and they decided where they wanted to invest to get the greatest impact on people," Aronson said. Meetings with Davidson were "brief," Aronson said. "We used to talk for about three min- utes;' he said. "That's all we needed. In three minutes, he could get across any idea. He always started every conversation with a hello and a smile — and when the conversation ended he would give a little nod, and I would know we were done. I loved it. I loved him, and working with him. "Bill was truly a remarkably humble, dedicated committed man with just a great heart and a great vision on how things should be done philanthropically. He was a giant. "To quote President Lincoln's Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, `Now he belongs to the ages," Aronson said. "And that's how I feel about Bill. His legacy will go on for- ever; his family is committed to his chari- 'Courage And Conviction' Robert Sklar Editor M Michael Steinhardt A26 March 19 2009 ichael Steinhardt got to know fellow philanthropic giant Bill Davidson 15-20 years ago. They met, appropriately enough, at a New York gathering of some of the country's leading Jewish philanthropists. "We sensed we had a common bond in terms of the way we looked at things, at least Jewishly. So we started to do some things together philanthropically. He was a pleasure to work with," Steinhardt told the JN on Monday. The New York mega- philanthropist is chairman of Jewish Robert Aronson Nancy Grosfeld table legacy, and that will go on." And how will Federation memorialize him? "Knowing Bill, he probably wouldn't want to be memorialized," Aronson said. "He would want to be remembered through his actions:' Davidson left an enduring legacy to the Jewish community in Detroit and Israel in a quietly effective way, said Nancy Grosfeld, Federation president. "Although Bill avoided the limelight, his generosity and philanthropy touched thousands of lives and was an inspira- tion to all of us;' she said. "His love for the Jewish people and the State of Israel was reflected in so many of his philanthropic endeavors." "I lost a great friend;' said commu- nity philanthropist Graham Orley of Bloomfield Hills. "It was really heartbreak- mg. Graham Orley They met in sixth grade during Sunday school at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Detroit and became lifelong friends. They played doubles tennis together for close to 35 years, Orley said. "He hated to run, and hated to lose more." Davidson's philanthropy began through his mother, Orley said. "And Karen was the best thing that ever happened to him. They became a great philanthropic team together. "Because of his desire to promote Jewish education and to promote educa- tion in general, the young people who are attending these schools, whether here or in Israel, can be thankful for him having created the opportunity to expand their horizons." II Harry Kirsbaum is associate director of mar- keting and communications with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Davidson stood out, Steinhardt says. Renaissance Media, parent company of the Detroit Jewish News. Steinhardt said of all the people he met who were serious Jewish philanthro- pists, "Bill Davidson stood out as a great man. That's a reflection, no doubt, on him and, perhaps, a little bit on the rest of the Jewish philanthropic world." Davidson's wife, Karen, and son-in- law, Jonathan Aaron, were often at Mr. D's side during high-level philanthropic discussions, Steinhardt recalled. Steinhardt, who has endured the politics of philanthropy as keenly as anyone, said Davidson had "the courage to support that which he believed in and, equally important, had the conviction to withdraw support from, or just did not support, that which disappointed him or which he did not especially care about." When evaluating a potential new recipient of his philanthropy, Davidson considered productivity, efficiency and the ability to improve the Jewish world. "And he did it in a way that was objective without political influence Steinhardt said. "I found it refreshing and a great contrast to how so much is done in the Jewish world." "I repeat:' Steinhardt said. "He was a great man."