SEPTEMBER 30 • 2021 | 17

Jewish Federation’s board
— who says, ‘I hear you’re
a Jewish boy who knows
something about nursing
homes. We could use your
help.’”
Two nursing homes
operated by Federation,
Borman Hall in Detroit
and Prentis Manor in
Southfield, were “draining
the Federation’s resources
and also raising questions
about the level of care” for
the more than 300 elderly
Jewish residents, Davidoff
said. The two homes
stood to lose their federal
certification from Medicare
and Medicaid.
“The business approach for
solving the problem was to
shut them down. The humane
approach was to recognize
the moral obligation for
delivering care to people in
need. Bob found the sweet
spot between the two.”
Under Naftaly’s guidance,
a nationwide request
for proposal was sent to
nursing home operators.

The Federation selected
HCR ManorCare, a Toledo-
based operator, which
helped to transfer residents
and open a state-of-the-
art skilled nursing facility
as the Marvin and Betty
Danto Family Health Care
Center on the Eugene and
Marcia Applebaum Jewish
Community Campus in West
Bloomfield.
The migration from a
nonprofit nursing home
model to a for-profit model
didn’t just avert a financial
disaster, it led to several
new elderly services, such
as specialized care for
Alzheimer and dementia
patients, that hadn’t
previously been offered.
Several years later, Naftaly
“casually” introduced
Davidoff to Deloitte’s then-
managing partner, who
had asked to learn more
about the Detroit Jewish
community. Naftaly’s role
as the “great connector” led
to Davidoff joining Deloitte
and eventually led to his

promotion as Michigan
Managing Partner.
Davidoff, who retired from
Deloitte in 2019, currently
serves as President and CEO
of The Fisher Group, the
family office for the family of
Max and Marjorie Fisher. He
also serves as senior advisor
to the board of the Detroit
Jewish News Foundation,
publisher of the Detroit
Jewish News.

STILL INVOLVED IN
HELPING OTHERS
These days, Naftaly refers to
himself as “retired,” though
the list of his activities and
philanthropic endeavors
— including meetings and
activities associated with
chairing the UAW Retiree
Medical Benefits Trust —
suggest a schedule that
remains fairly demanding.
“I’m still active with our
Federation here in Detroit, as
well the Jewish Federation in
Palm Beach, Florida, where
we spend the winter,” he said.
He has cut back on corporate

board memberships.
Naftaly and his wife,
Anita, have been married
for 30 years, with four
adult children and six
grandchildren to show for
it. Anita Naftaly formerly
instituted Opening the
Doors, which provided
special education programs
on behalf of Detroit’s Jewish
Federation.
She is also involved with
inSIGHT through Education,
a nonprofit in Florida that
provides learning resources
for Holocaust and genocide
education in public schools.
His career never afforded
Bob Naftaly much spare
time for sporting pursuits. “I
finally have taken up golf,”
said the 40-year member of
Franklin Hills Country Club
in Farmington Hills, adding
with rueful wit: “That was a
mistake.”
He has no interest in club
golf tournaments at Franklin
Hills or in Palm Beach. “My
friends and I play, then go to
lunch,” he said.
“It’s a game of low
expectations” — a
pleasurable respite from a
long and pressure-packed
career putting out fiscal and
financial fires.
From Walsh College
night courses to corporate
executive suites to the
state capital to UAW
headquarters, Naftaly has
won the confidence of
executives, assembled crisis
teams to solve harrowing
financial dilemmas, assisted
the ill and the elderly in the
name of Jewish welfare —
consistently exceeding the
expectations of him that
were already quite high.

“WE HAD TO BE THERE TO
“WE HAD TO BE THERE TO
SERVE THE RETIREES AND
SERVE THE RETIREES AND
THEIR FAMILIES. A LOT OF
THEIR FAMILIES. A LOT OF

PEOPLE WERE DEPENDING ON
PEOPLE WERE DEPENDING ON

US TO DO THIS RIGHT.”
US TO DO THIS RIGHT.”

— BOB NAFTALY