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10 December 29 • 2016 M andell "Bill" Berman of Franklin was a visionary business- man and philanthropist who devoted much of his leadership to shaping the future of the Jewish community. Bill Berman passed away at his home in Long Boat Key, Fla., on Dec. 21 at age 99. "Philanthropy and education are my passion," Bill observed in a JN story commemorating his 90th birthday. "I'm now what amounts to a full-time volunteer in the Jewish community, and my biggest challenge is finding enough time to do everything." Looking and sounding spry almost 10 years later, he still spent much time attending edu- cational events, talking to stu- dents, teachers and parents, and getting a feel for the future needs of the community. In the meantime, many of the educational innovations he started and funded have evolved and grown. "One area that stood out for Bill was formal and informal Jewish education," said Dr. Lynda Giles of Bloomfield Hills. "This was where Bill and I shared com- mon philanthropic goals. "His concern for Jewish con- gregational life and keeping fami- lies connected led to the creation of Jewish Experience for Families (JEFF). JEFF's impact on family education was enormous, chang- ing how we defined traditional Jewish education. Bill's concern for Jewish education was limit- less." On the national level, he was a co-founder of Jewish Educational Services of North America (JESNA). This think tank was created to serve the educational needs of our national Jewish community. Former JESNA president Jonathan Woocher said, "Bill was the rare combination of a far-seeing visionary and a down- to-earth mentsh. He understood the central importance of Jewish education long before many of his peers in communal leader- ship, and his commitment to research and evaluation as tools to strengthen Jewish life was unmatched among Jewish philan- thropists. "But, it's his personal qualities those of us privileged to know and work with him will remem- ber most. He was warm, he was enthusiastic, he cared not just about causes, but about people. "When we look back on the last 50 years in American Jewish life, I'm confident we'll see Bill was one of the prime architects of so many of the things we have come to value." Bill also cared deeply about Jewish life on college campuses, providing generous funding to the University of Michigan Hillel, which bears his name. He served as its honorary chairperson, mentoring a succession of board chairs, Berman Fellows and stu- dents. "The Berman Fellowship was a transformative experience for me as a Jewish educator and leader," Allie Conn Kanter (2010-2012) posted on the U-M Hillel website. "The fellowship provided me with Jewish learning, mentorship and a foundation in the Jewish communal field I would not have been able to access in other entry level positions. "I was fortunate to have spent time with Bill Berman, and it was always clear that he felt person- ally invested in my success, both while I was a Berman Fellow and in the years since." Other educational projects include founding the now- defunct United Hebrew Schools in Detroit, creating the innova- tive Berman Center for Jewish Education at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in 2014 and Crossing the Line scholarships at Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University. To train the next generation of Jewish sociologists, Berman established the Mandell Berman Fellowship Program, which sup- ports two to three doctoral stu- dents working with Len Saxe at Brandeis University in the social scientific study of the contem- porary American Jewish com- munity. He also funded fellowships at Mandell "Bill" Berman » 1 9 1 7 - 2 0 1 6 Keri Guten Cohen | Story Development Editor A Visionary Jewish Communal Architect FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Bill Berman helped spearhead the SOS (Supplies for Overseas Survivors) campaign, 1947 Louis Berry, David Miro, Rabbi Morris Adler and Bill Berman lay the cornerstone of the new Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, June 17, 1962 Bill Berman visits Israel, 1961 Bill Berman, along with grandson Laurence Freedman, at the dedication of the Mandell L. Berman Center for University of Michigan Hillel, 1988 FACING PAGE: Madeleine "Madge" and Mandell "Bill" Berman in their yard in 2012 — one of Bill's favorite photos Madge and Bill Berman at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Berman Center for Performing Arts in 2009 COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES