Mandell “Bill” Berman » 1917-2016
continued from page 14
“Words cannot possibly convey the impact
Bill Berman had on our Jewish community
or the untold thousands of lives he touched
through his generosity, vision and passion
for the Jewish people. Whenever he spoke,
he conveyed how proud he was of our Detroit
community. We, in turn, will never forget how
proud we are of him. His profound legacy will
continue to inspire Jewish people throughout
the world for many generations to come.”
— Lawrence A. Wolfe, president, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
The Detroit Jewish News Foundation
mourns the passing of its
Honorary Board Co-Chair,
COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES
Mandell “Bill” Berman
Bill Berman at a Federation Board meeting, 1981
A visionary businessman and philanthropist,
DĂŶĚĞůů>͘ĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƌŝĐŚĞĚĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƟĞƐĂŶĚ
lives— in Detroit, Israel and around the world.
ůůǁŝůůĐŽŶƟŶƵĞƚŽďĞŶĞĮƚĨƌŽŵŚŝƐǁŝƐĞ
ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚƐŝŶ:ĞǁŝƐŚĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ͕ƚŚĞĂƌƚƐĂŶĚ
ƐŚĂƉŝŶŐŽƵƌ:ĞǁŝƐŚĨƵƚƵƌĞ͘
dŚĞĞƚƌŽŝƚ:ĞǁŝƐŚEĞǁƐ&ŽƵŶĚĂƟŽŶǁŝůůŵŝƐƐŚŝƐ
wisdom, leadership and special encouragement.
Arthur Horwitz
President
LEADERSHIP AND MORE
Bill Berman was the type of leader
who mentored others out of genuine
interest and to enhance the future of
the Jewish community. Though he did
not seek recognition, it still found him.
Internationally and nation-
ally, he served as a board member
of the Jewish Agency for Israel and
the American Joint Distribution
Committee. He also established
the Fund for Research on Children
with Disabilities at the Myers-JDC-
Brooksdale Institute in Israel.
Additionally, he served on the
boards of Clover Hill Cemetery,
Shaarey Zedek, Aish HaTorah, the
Michigan Humane Society, the Detroit
Zoological Society, among others,
and as president of the Southeastern
Michigan Builders Association. He
was also the first chairman of Detroit’s
Skillman Foundation.
His top honors include Federation’s
Butzel Award, the Israeli Peace Medal
(he went to Israel 20 times) and awards
from the American Jewish Committee,
the Interfaith Round Table, JESNA,
Boston Hebrew College, Michigan State
Association of Home Builders, Hillel
Day School, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah
and the Jewish Historical Society of
Michigan, among many others.
But his interests and honors also
extended far beyond the Jewish com-
munity. He received an honorary
Doctorate of Laws from Wayne State
University at age 94, and he was made
a Fellow of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences in 2013.
Many other local institutions,
including the Detroit Institute of Arts,
the College for Creative Studies, Wayne
State University, American Promise
Schools, Beaumont and Ford hospitals,
Forgotten Harvest, Detroit Symphony
Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre
and Gleaners benefited greatly from
the Bermans’ interest and generosity.
And, combining their love of
theater and Jewish education, Madge
and Bill founded the Berman Center
for the Performing Arts at the
Jewish Community Center in West
continued on page 18
16 December 29 • 2016