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continued from page 18
“He wanted to make transformational gifts while
he was alive. He made a huge impact in a short
amount of time by design.”
ily. He wanted to provide a nice
home and outstanding Jewish
and secular educations for his
children and, once that was
accomplished, his greatest plea-
sure came from giving his money
away to people and organiza-
tions that needed his help.
He had no use for luxury cars,
designer suits or five-star restau-
rants; it was people rather than
possessions that were important.
He drove older cars, refused to fly
first-class and met his friends for
lunch at casual restaurants. He
took great delight in finding bar-
gains at the local dollar store. He
took the same attitude with his
sons growing up, providing what
they needed but not to the point
of over-indulgence.
“He wanted us to have enough,
but he didn’t want us to have too
much,” David said.
Giving away millions of dol-
lars did not change the relation-
ships he had with his family and
friends; he always lived frugally
and by his own standards of
what was important.
— Nanci Farber
COURTESY HILLEL DAY SCHOOL
GIVING WAS A JOY
ABOVE: William “Bill” Farber
was happy surrounded by
students at Hillel Day School,
where he and wife, Audrey (by
his side), gave generously to
create the school’s IDEA Lab
and also extensive interior
renovations that transformed
the school into a 21st-century
learning center.
AARON PERGAMENT
RIGHT: Bill and Audrey Farber.
While he spent years as a
quiet yet consistent donor to
a variety of causes, the sale
of Lannett provided him the
means to make even more
substantial gifts, contributions
that would transform the lives
of organizations and people
within the community and else-
where.
According to Stacey
Deweese, director of the Jewish
Community Endowment
Fund for Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit, the
Farbers’ gifts to Federation
totaled $45 million, making
them among the largest donors
in Federation history. Through
their work together, Deweese
formed a close friendship with
Bill, enjoying weekly lunches
where they talked about “any-
thing and everything.”
“It was one of the best experi-
ences of my professional life,
a once-in-a-career relation-
ship,” Deweese said. “Bill and
Audrey’s philanthropy, in large
part to Federation’s Centennial
Fund, has fundamentally
changed our community. It has
literally opened the doors for
generations to come.”
One of his earliest and
proudest major philanthropic
achievements was to Akiva Day
School, now known as Farber
Hebrew Day School. Although
Bill was a Reform Jew, he liked
the Zionist bent of the school
and saw it as a vehicle to attract
more Modern Orthodox fami-
lies to the area. What was origi-
nally intended to be a “band-
aid” for the old school building
turned into an $8 million gift to
build a new 69,000 square-foot
building that includes state-of-
the-art technology, student col-
laboration hubs, multiple sci-
ence labs and a variety of other
enhancements.
Days before he passed away,
Bill went to visit the Farber
Hebrew Day School, the place
where he began his philan-
thropic journey.
“He wanted to see the
kids,” said Rabbi Harold Loss
of Temple Israel, where the
Farbers belonged. “It wasn’t
about the building. His happi-
est moments were when he was
surrounded by the kids.”
While Bill was exceedingly
generous, he was also extremely
careful about the gifts he chose
to make. He wanted to be sure
an organization was viable and
sustainable before he agreed to
be a donor. For that reason, he
was skeptical when presented
with an idea for an art studio
and restaurant to be staffed
by young adults with special
needs under the auspices of
Friendship Circle of Michigan.
Motivated by son David
and his wife, Nanci, longtime
Friendship Circle supporters,
and his faith in the organiza-
tion’s leaders, Rabbi Levi and
Bassie Shemtov, Bill agreed to
fund what is now the Farber
Soul Center and Soul Cafe in
West Bloomfield. Once the cen-
ter opened, Bill took great plea-
sure in admiring the artwork in
the gallery and meeting friends
in the cafe.
“It became one of his favorite
places to hang out,” David said.
His favorite menu item, blin-
tzes, was renamed “Billintzes”
in his honor.
“Bill was a frequent visitor
to the center that carried his
name,” Levi Shemtov said. “He
loved engaging with the people
whose lives he transformed,
and we loved watching him
enjoy the well-deserved nachas
[joy].”
continued on page 22
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April 6 • 2017
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