Special Report
TIME TO STEP UP
Community Builder from page 11
Annual meeting: New CEO Scott Kaufman embraces former CEO Robert Aronson; Doug Etkin, new
United Jewish Foundation president, looks on.
cares. He will require the necessary expe-
rience, and he'll seek out the appropri-
ate advice when needed. He's capable of
envisioning the big issues the community
faces. He's a guy who gets it.
"And I know it's trite to say it, but he's in
love with the Jewish people. He expresses
himself in that regard constantly. He's
lucky that something he loved to do as
volunteer in now his occupation. Most of
us don't have the chance to do that."
Dream Job?
"I never thought I'd have this job:'
Kaufman said. "When I interviewed, I told
them I'm on the team anyway. Whatever
seat you think I'm of most value in — I'm
on the team."
Because he had been on both sides of
the fence, as a volunteer and a profes-
sional, Kaufman wanted leadership to hear
his unique perspective of Federation's
strengths and weaknesses.
Pretty impressive for someone who
didn't know what Federation was before
he went on his first YAD mission to Israel
in 1990. That trip and another more recent
experience galvanized his desire to go for
the job.
"After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I was
backpacking in Eastern Europe and went
to Auschwitz," he recalled. "Three days
later, I met the YAD mission in Israel. In
Jerusalem, leaders announced that at 3
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October 1 • 2009
a.m. we could meet a 747 from the Former
Soviet Union on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion
Airport. This was during Operation Exodus.
"It struck me, as I watched people
get off the plane to board trams, that
the imagery was strikingly similar to
the pictures I saw in Auschwitz — the
same faces, clothing, trains, suitcases. Yet
instead of 6 million trips to the gas cham-
ber, they were going to freedom. What was
different was that there was a place to go
— the strong State of Israel — and that a
strong American Jewish community was
able to do something.
"Scott Kaufman
leads with his
heart. As chair
of IsraelSixty,
I relied on
Scott ... In
the end, the
celebration's
success was
attributable, in
great part, to his leadership, col-
laborative nature and love for our
community. These same skills will
be needed to shape the future of
our Jewish community. I have high
confidence that Scott is up to this
opportunity."
– Phillip Fisher,
Bloomfield Hills philanthropist
Kaufman has led many Federation missions to Israel. He's shown at
the gravesite of Golda Mein
"If either one had been in place during
the Holocaust it would be a very different
world today',' Kaufman said. "The message
to me was that we have a 3,000-year-old
story, and I have a role to play. It was the
first time in my life that I understood the
we) part of 'we were slaves in Egypt. It
may be corny, but it was a life-changing
moment."
Seven years later, on another YAD mis-
sion, he saw the same thing happen to
others in Israel for the first time. He was
energized.
"On the plane back home, I wrote a
business plan, a marketing model, plans
for outreach and subsidies to increase YAD
missions from 20 to 200 participants from
Detroit; I gave it to Penny Blumenstein
[then Federation president] and Bob
Aronson," Kaufman said.
"For whatever reason, they said, `Let's
do this. It was my first touch point with
Federation leadership, and I thought, `This
is a place where you can make things hap-
pen. Our 2000 mission had 152 people
— more than from New York."
The other pivotal incident happened at
the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs
Committee) national conference last spring
when Kaufman attended a session on Iran
led by Israel Defense Forces leaders.
"They talked about various scenarios,
each frought with risk and potential
downsides," Kaufman said. "None of these
(
guys wanted the job, but leaders can't
always lead the parade.You have to be able
to do heavy lifting and make the tough
decisions. If people thought I could play
that role, I should do it.
"This will be a challenging time, but I'm
willing to give everything I have to keep
our community strong and moving for-
ward. I take very seriously the confidence
placed in me to lead this team."
He says he sees this job as a place where
his talent and passion intersect, and he
promises to work to "maximize the talents
of others."
"I believe people spend more time and
energy in their sweet spot," he said. "I'm
like an orchestra conductor. I don't play
any instruments that well, but I can make
them sound good."
When Kaufman was selected, many of
his peers involved in Federation told him
"it was great they picked one of us."
"Well, this is not about Scott," Kaufman
said. "This is a message to them — 'Guys,
it's time to step up. This decision spoke to
my generation of very committed leaders
that for the community to stay strong, we
need all of you to lead and bring others
along:'
Plan Of Action
Speak with Kaufman for even a short time
and you can feel his excitement about
his new role and the passion he has for