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May 27, 2010 - Image 45

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2010-05-27

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Business & Professional

DEVELOPMENT

Gen Y Initiative Mourned

Professional Leaders Project ends — but remains part of Davidson legacy.

Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

A

n innovative national project for
developing young Jewish profes-
sional and lay leadership closed
last August with the possibility that a
few of its members would be left out
in the cold. But a group of funders was
organized to provide the money needed
so five students could continue their
graduate education that had previously
been funded by the Professional Leaders
Project (PLP) as part of its academic fel-
lows program.
Unfortunately, the PLP itself appears to
not be coming back any time soon.
The PLP was the brainchild of Robert
Aronson, senior development adviser and
former CEO of the Bloomfield Township-
based Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. Aronson currently is president of
the Birthright Israel Foundation as well as
the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life,
both based in New York. He was a philan-
thropic consultant to the late Detroit busi-
ness leader William Davidson, who co-
founded the PLP in 2004 along with other
prominent local and national Jewish phi-
lanthropists, including Steinhardt, Eugene
and Marcia Applebaum of Bloomfield
Hills and the Tulsa-based Charles & Lynn
Schusterman Family Foundation. Local
PLP donors included Bill Berman and
Stanley Frankel.
The successful program fell victim
to the national economic decline as
well as the unsettled financial affairs of
Davidson's estate following his death in
March 2009.
"Mr. Davidson was the funder that
kept this going," said Jonathan Aaron,
Davidson's son-in-law and president
of the Oakland County-based William
Davidson Foundation.
"I feel badly for the talent that had
become engaged with the program:'
Aaron said. "I always believed that it
would exist past Mr. Davidson's support
and that others had made an ongoing
financial commitment. It's devastat-
ing that it came to an end — and so
abruptly:"
Aaron says the program was "more
powerful than people realized" and had
a significant impact on bringing in new,
young, able leaders.

"I feel badly
for the
talent that
had become
engaged
with the program. Its
devastating that it
came to an end — and
so abruptly."

- Jonathan Aaron

Setting The Stage
The PLP's mission was turning leadership
over to the next generation and it pursued
a variety of projects to recruit and train
young adults in their 20s and 30s —
known as Generation Y or the Millennial
Generation — to fill leadership positions
in the Jewish world. One project was to
provide tuition grants for a program
sending young adults to obtain business
majors and Judaic Studies minors.
Over the years, more than 25 students
from across the country received full
funding to participate.
"We had the ability to bring in
Generation Y as future leaders:' Aaron
said. "Sometimes, they are marginalized
and pushed to the side because of their age,
and the community risks losing them. We
allowed them to make a positive contribu-
tion to our community today and not wait
until their hair turns gray or their bank
account elevates them to a different status:'

Helping Hand
But when the program closed last fall,
five students lost their tuition grants,
including four entering their final
semester. To the rescue came a group of
funders organized by David Cygielman,
co-founder and executive director of the
Oakland, Calif.-based Moishe House,
which brings together a diverse mix
of young Jews in their 20s to establish

homes in American cities or abroad that
become a hub of Jewish life for their
peers.
The group that Cygielman brought
together provided the $77,000 tuition
tab necessary to support another semes-
ter of study for the five. Cygielman had
been involved with the PLP for many
years and was pleased he was able to
help.
"We just wanted to make sure that
these young Jewish professionals who
are going to be shaping the Jewish world
are given the best opportunities and
can go on to do the important work that
they are doing:' Cygielman said.
For Aronson, the ending of the PLP
was most unfortunate, but unavoidable
because of the convergence of nega-
tive circumstances. He believes it had
a major significant impact during its
almost six years of work.
"The PLP is probably one of the
proudest moments and one of my
proudest contributions in Jewish profes-
sional life Aronson said. "I am thrilled
with the concept of the program, its
implementation and its results. I am
particularly thrilled to have had the
support of Bill Davidson, who contribut-
ed $5 million over five years. It's impor-
tant to stress that Bill Davidson always
believed in investing in the best."

"We just
wanted
to make
sure that
these young Jewish
professionals who are
going to be shaping
the Jewish world
are given the best
opportunities."

- David Cygielman

"I am
particularly
thrilled to
have had
the support
of Bill Davidson,
who contributed
$5 million over five
years."

- Robert Aronson

Strong Legacy
In addition to the tuition grants, the
program created what Aronson called
"live networks," which brought groups,
professionals and lay people together
across the country for mutual support,
mentoring and learning and in a type
of Jewish think tank. More than 2,000
young adults went through the program
over five years. Another program helped
Jewish federations create a more wel-
coming environment for young profes-
sionals.
"We gave young people ongoing sup-
port as to why being involved in the
Jewish community as a professional or
lay leader was a positive step:' Aronson
said. "The most lasting legacy of the
PLP lies in a whole bunch of outstand-
ing young people in a variety of leader-
ship positions in the Jewish community:'
he said, citing several professionals from
across the country.
"I hope to bring PLP back one day if
we get the funding. It has been a tre-
mendous contribution to the American
Jewish community:' Aronson said.

The Weisman Factor

Aronson had recruited Rhoda Weisman,
a native Detroiter, to be the executive
director of the PLP and both he and
Aaron credit her with the success of the

Project on page 42

• 41

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