12 | NOVEMBER 3 • 2022 

PURELY COMMENTARY

JEWISH VALUES IN ACTION from page 11

SAFEGUARDING OUR JEWISH FUTURE from page 11

ing Affinities Department, 
which is focused on engaging 
unaffiliated Jews within our 
ranks and winning.
And while we always seek 
to include more, our roster of 
Federation and Foundation 
leaders, both volunteer and pro-
fessional, is unprecedented in its 
range of talent, experience and 
dedication. We have the right 
people in the right seats and our 
bench has never been stronger.
Overall, the level of commu-
nity involvement and engage-
ment is truly extraordinary, in 
both breadth and depth of par-
ticipation. The community tent 
— across every demographic, 
neighborhood and practice 
of Judaism — has never been 
broader or more welcoming. 
Perhaps the ultimate testa-
ment to this can be found in the 
ranks of NEXTGen Detroit. 

Ten years ago, we reimagined 
this department to meet what 
was then an existential crisis. 
Too many of our young people 
were leaving Detroit, while 
those who stayed found few 
opportunities to connect with 
Jewish life in a meaningful way. 
Today, we’ve seen a complete 
change in the landscape for 
young adults in our city, a new 
era for participation, leadership 
and philanthropy. 
The passion and commit-
ment of our NEXTGen Detroit 
leaders is extraordinary and at 
an all-time high.
All of this — and more — 
adds up to what could be a 
golden era for this Federation 
and our Jewish community, a 
time when we are stronger than 
we have been in decades. 
And you can feel it — in 
our stature and respect across 

Detroit and this country. It is 
this profound relevance that has 
fueled our fundraising success, 
as well as powering our efforts 
to lead the community forward. 
On the other hand, the need 
for a strong Federation — a gal-
vanizing central address for our 
community — has never been 
greater. 
We recognize this in the chal-
lenges I’ve mentioned, and in 
the face of rising antisemitism 
and security concerns — which 
we are addressing on a variety 
of fronts. 
A strong Federation is a 
response to the times we live in, 
which are a potential threat to 
the cohesion and continuity of 
Jewish life as we know it. 
We are here because the 
needs are great, but our resolve 
and capacity to thrive is even 
greater. As we say, we are here 

for good.
I would emphasize one more 
thing, and that is that we are 
here together. Everything we 
have achieved is the work of a 
unified Jewish community. It is 
the work of all of you. 
This is something I hope you 
will all remember in the coming 
year: The history and legacy of 
this great community is alive 
in you — whenever you vol-
unteer your time or participate 
in a program or support the 
Campaign. 
It is because of you and your 
commitment that the strength 
and richness of Jewish Detroit 
will continue — unbroken — 
long into the future. 

Matthew B. Lester is president of the 

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 

Detroit. These remarks were delivered at 

Federation’s Annual Meeting, Oct. 13.

That begins with our 
Federation and Foundation 
reserves, to which we added 
$750,000 last year, thanks to the 
judicious use of our successful 
campaign, as well an operating 
budget surplus. Our combined 
rainy day and emergency 
reserves now stand at about $25 
million, the highest amount in 
more than 10 years. We need to 
continue to increase this, but the 
amount we’ve added in recent 
years has been a very positive 
and important trend and will 
serve our community well in the 
tough economic climate ahead. 
This was also another stellar 
year for the Centennial Fund, 
our community’s central endow-
ment vehicle, which was special-
ly designed to secure our future. 
Thanks to an incredible effort 
by our volunteer and profes-
sional team, we grew this fund 
by $16.4 million in lifetime and 
testamentary gifts this past year 
for a total of $265 million. 

An essential part of that 
effort is our Perpetual Annual 
Campaign Endowments. I’m 
thrilled to report that we have 
significantly grown our PACE 
funds by $5.8 million, for a 
balance of close to $80 million. 
That currently provides $4.5 
million to the Annual Campaign 
every year, which makes an 
enormous difference in our abil-
ity to support our community. 
I can’t say enough how 
important PACE funds are for 
the welfare of our community, 
and I want to express my tre-
mendous gratitude to everyone 
who has taken steps to ensure 
that their support — and their 
legacy — continue in perpetuity. 
Another essential aspect of 
this has been our effort to secure 
and solidify our community 
real estate, ensuring that our 
properties remain valuable 
and vital assets for the long-
term. Whether we’re talking 
about the Frank Building for 

Gesher Human Services, the 
Fleischman Residence at JSL, the 
Applebaum Campus and Kahn 
Building, Tamarack Camps or 
our Jewish day schools, resolv-
ing many of the open-ended 
issues we’ve been dealing with in 
past years allows our agencies to 
focus on delivering services and 
enriching Jewish lives.
And speaking of securing 
our future, on the advice of 
our illustrious past presidents, 
Foundation worked hard to 
review, modify and strengthen 
our board governance to reduce 
potential pitfalls and liabilities.
I hope this gives you a sense 
of how much we’ve accom-
plished. You’ve heard the pow-
erful phrase: We are here today 
because we were there yesterday. 
I would add that — thanks to 
strength of our United Jewish 
Foundation — we will also be 
here tomorrow. 
And that is only possible 
because of you, our leaders 

and supporters. For that, on 
behalf of the Federation and 
Foundation, as well as the 
community we serve, I want to 
express our enormous gratitude; 
without you, there would be no 
Federation and Foundation. 
I also want to take a moment 
to acknowledge and thank the 
Federation and Foundation pro-
fessional staff. Their talent, hard 
work and incredible commit-
ment is the fuel that makes this 
organization run, and we deeply 
appreciate all they do. They are 
led by a truly committed gifted 
leader who is already MVP in 
his second season, our Chief 
Executive Officer Steve Ingber. 

Dennis S. Bernard is president of the 

United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan 

Detroit. He delivered these remarks Oct. 

13 at Federation’s Annual Meeting, which 

included the presentation of the Fred M. 

Butzel Award for Distinguished Service, 

Federation’s highest honor, to Benjamin 

F. Rosenthal.

