Mandell “Bill” Berman » 1 9 17-2016
continued from page 12
“The board and staff of
the William Davidson
Foundation mourn the
loss of an exceptional
man, Mandell ‘Bill’
Berman. He was a
close and lifelong
friend of both William
Davidson and his sister,
Dorothy Gerson, and he
served as a director of
Guardian Industries, the
His leadership of
the Mandell L. and
Madeleine H. Berman
Foundation has — and
always will — inspire us.
The Berman Foundation’s
singular commitment to
the research and study
of the American Jewish
community and support
of Jewish education will
serve as his enduring
legacy. Our deepest
sympathies are with his
beloved wife, Madge,
and his children, Ann and
Jon, and their families.”
— William Davidson Foundation
ROBIN TREPECK
owned by Mr. Davidson.
ROBIN TREPECK
corporation formerly
CLOCKWISE: Bill Berman visits Tamarack’s new Julius Berman Village, named after his father, this summer.
Bill Berman speaks to students at Hillel Day School about his military service.
Tamarack campers from the new Julius Berman Village interact with Bill Berman.
the mining of data. How do you make
policy for a community if you don’t
know what’s happening?”
During his term as president of the
Council of Jewish Federations (now
Jewish Federations of North America)
from 1987-1990, Bill helped to fund
the landmark 1990 National Jewish
Population Survey; he later funded the
2000-2001 survey as well.
In 1987, he founded the Mandell
L. Berman Institute North American
Jewish DataBank housed at JFNA,
which stores the Jewish population
My Mentor,
My Friend
Hy Safran
Special to the Jewish News
B
ill Berman was the closest indi-
vidual I had to a grandfather as
well as my primary mentor, adviser,
supporter, synagogue seat-mate, politi-
cal guide, philanthropic teacher and
— perhaps most importantly of all —
friend.
Outside of my immediate family,
there is no one who knew me better
or counseled me more wisely. I cannot
think of a major personal or profes-
studies as well as approximately 200
local Jewish community studies,
including the two Detroit studies done
in 1989 and 2005.
In 2009, he founded the Berman
Jewish Policy Archive at New York
University Wagner; the archive now is
housed at Stanford University. Bjpa.
org, its online portal, offers free access
to a library of policy-relevant publica-
tions from leading Jewish journals and
organizations.
This archive goes hand in hand with
the Berman Jewish DataBank, a reposi-
tory for raw data funded largely by the
Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman
Foundation as well as the Charles H.
Revson Foundation.
“Bill Berman was a philanthropic
visionary and genius who recognized
needs and filled them,” Lynda Giles
said.
“In a time when data was lacking,
Bill created the Jewish DataBank. This
data gave credibility and validity to our
national and local efforts at fundraising
within the Jewish community as well as
highlighting areas of need.”
in Detroit, Florida or anywhere.
sional decision I made over the past
Bill was my go-to
decade in which I did
source for all things wise
not consult Bill for his
and meaningful, and I
advice.
am grateful for every
Exchanging sto-
moment I had with him.
ries, learning lessons,
I am stunned and
sharing laughs (he
heartbroken at this mon-
was absolutely hilari-
umental loss, but feel so
ous), confronting the
fortunate to have had this
challenges facing the
gentle titan in my life.
Jewish people, analyz-
He impacted my life in
ing politics, admir-
countless ways. Losing
ing art, enjoying the
him is a devastating blow,
beach, studying Torah, Hy Safran and Bill Berman,
but
an immediate clarion
teaching me about
August 2016
call — like the shofar
my namesake and late
grandfather — his
he loved — for me, and
mentor, Hyman Safran — all of these
indeed all of us, to do more to help our
anecdotes occurred regularly, whether
fellow human beings.
*
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14 December 29 • 2016