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