jews d

in
the

Allan and Joy Nachman, 1997

continued from page 56

L’Shana Tova

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us have been in business together for
more than 19 years.
My son, David, is a real estate
investor with a growing business
throughout the United States. I think
that both my son and daughter devel-
oped their interest in real estate start-
ing with all the discussions we had
around the dinner table.
Looking back, I think of my father,
who came here from Poland with
next-to-nothing and ultimately made
his livelihood in real estate. I wish my
dad were around today to see how
each generation has succeeded … this
is every parent’s dream.
Of course, there’s always been Joy in
my life. She has been my first love and
my partner in every way. I am proud
of her accomplishments, both as a
mother and grandmother, as well as
a recognized clinical psychologist in
Birmingham.

ON VOLUNTEERISM, MENTORS
AND COMMUNITY LIFE

Q: Allan, your record of accom-
plishment — including leader-
ship awards, committee posts and
executive offices with Federation
— speaks for itself. How did you first
get involved with Federation?
My communal involvement actu-
ally goes back a little further than
Federation. In middle school, I
wanted to join AZA, but there were
no chapters open to new members.
So, I got a few friends together and
we formed the chapter we named
Brandeis AZA, where I served as
president.
Following that thread, as an under-
grad at U-M, I got active in B’nai B’rith
Hillel. When I came back to Detroit,
I was already a committed volun-
teer. It was natural for me to look for
opportunities, particularly those that
fit with my Jewish background. So
that’s how I aligned with Federation’s
“Junior Division” (later known as the

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Young Adult Division — YAD — and
now called NEXTGen Detroit). After
serving as president of the Junior
Division, I stepped up to the Young
Leadership Cabinet of the UJA.
Q: As a leader in the Jewish com-
munity, who are some of the people
who have influenced your style of
leadership?
There have been so many to whom
I am grateful. I’ll start with David
Hermelin of blessed memory and a
member of my family. His daughter,
Marcie, is married to my brother-in-
law, Rob Orley.
When I think of mentors over the
years, Sam Greenberg immediately
comes to mind. I was hired out of
law school by his firm, Greenberg &
Greenberg — a job I got by knock-
ing on doors in search of work in
real estate law. Sam Greenberg was
a prominent lawyer and, at the time,
he also served as president of Jewish
Vocational Service (JVS). He took me
under his wing, introduced me to JVS
and left me with the indelible impres-
sion that volunteer work is an essen-
tial part of our life’s work and a piece
of what a good Jewish citizen does.
Joel Tauber also has been a good
friend and role model. We have fol-
lowed similar paths — both serving
first as president of Federation’s
Junior Division — then up through
the ranks as officers of Federation
and UJF.
I must also mention Larry Ziffer,
Federation’s director of planning (in
the early 1990s). Larry was a rabbi
and a consummate professional
who taught me the steps necessary
to make wise allocation decisions.
Working with Larry, serving as the
chair of the Planning and Allocations
Steering Committee, proved to be an
invaluable asset when I assumed sub-
sequent leadership
Q: What are some of your sweet-
est memories working on behalf of

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