SEPTEMBER 8 • 2022 | 5

With Their Centennial Gift, Judith and Irwin Elson Continue 
Their Long Legacy of Support for the Jewish Community.

Judith and Irwin Elson are lifelong Jewish Detroiters whose 
shared history reflects the story of the community itself. 
Descended from Eastern European immigrants, they grew up in 
households surrounded by family and a love of Jewish life. There 
they learned firsthand the power of community to connect and 
support its members, especially when each lost a parent at the 
age of twelve—Judy her mother and Irwin his father. “I was 
brought up with Tzedakah,
” Judy recalls. “We always had the 
light blue box on our kitchen counter with the map of Israel on it. 
Supporting Jewish causes is part of who I am.” Their commitment 
grew after they married and started a family, with daughters 
Robyn and Denise. “We joined Adat Shalom, sent our daughters 
to Hebrew school and read the Jewish News,
” Irwin recalls, “and 
along the way we attended events sponsored by Federation’s 
Young Adult Division, became educated and solicited for the 
Annual Campaign.” Today, after 58 years of marriage, the Elsons 
have established a long legacy of leadership, involvement and 
generosity. Among his many roles, Irwin served as President of 
the JCC and was chair of Federation’s Allocation Committee. 

Judy serves on the boards of Federation Women’s Philanthropy 
and the Jewish Women’s Foundation, where she is proud to be 
involved in grant making for programs and advocacy for Jewish 
women and girls.
Now, with their Centennial commitment, the Elsons’ 
generosity and impact will extend far into the future. The 
Centennial Fund is the central endowment campaign for Jewish 
Detroit and is designed to secure the community’s future for the 
next one hundred years. “Our budget has always consisted of 
two parts,
” Irwin notes. “Living and giving. It is only natural that 
we give this Centennial gift as our way of continued support for 
the values and services we believe in.” Their commitment also 
reflects confidence in future leaders of the community. “Our 
history was built on strong leaders and community teamwork,
” 
they say. “We have been lucky to have worked with so many of 
them and we’re most proud of our system that has continued to 
develop the ‘next generation’ of leaders.” Thanks to Judy and 
Irwin, the history of our unique and vibrant community will 
continue to be written long into the future. 

