We both grew up in small-to medium-sized towns (Herb in Pennsylvania, Susan in Michigan) where each of our mothers served as Hadassah President. Susan’s father was also very involved with the Federation, serving at one point as campaign chair and was privileged to go to Israel on a Prime Minister’s mission. The tradition of tzedakah was firmly established in both of our childhood experiences.
We came to Phoenix from Detroit four and a half years ago. Detroit is a tight knit, highly organized Jewish community where there are many opportunities to be involved in Jewish life. Herb and I and our three daughters took advantage of these opportunities, taking active roles in the Jewish life of the community.
We would like to see the Jewish community of Phoenix offer the same opportunities for Jewish service and learning that we enjoyed in Detroit. We want to ensure these experiences will be available for our children and grandchildren.
The continuity of Jewish life is very important to us. It is our hope that this gift will help to provide that continuity for future generations here in Phoenix.
