2011 Young Leadership Mission: Steve and Megan Zuckerman, Jason and Denise Hoffman, Rashi Brashevitzky, Wes Simon, Gary and Jessica Kell, Levi Brashevitzky, Aaron Shames, Mike Makela, Sheryl-Lynn Caroff, Eric Grossman, Melanie Stein Grossman, Rachel Shames and Amy Weinstein.
Our last article spoke about the Fund’s expanding its horizons and the past 10 years witness to a sea change in emphasis. An important grant was given to ORT Israel for an innovative and award-winning volunteer program to bring “sunshine to hospitalized young Jewish, Arab, Druze and Bedouin cancer patients.” The Fund participated again with Physicians for Peace in an International Pediatric Symposium between CHKD and Schneider’s Children’s Medical Center, the first and only children’s hospital in the Middle East.
Turning locally again, the Hofheimer Fund was a major funder of an on campus nurse for the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater and just last year sponsored Farideh Golden, chair of the Judaic Studies Program at ODU, on an academic mission to Israel for students and faculty studying Israeli literature. The Tidewater Jewish Foundation was a co-sponsor.
A shift in priorities
The second Intifada wreaked havoc with our Passport to Israel program, established by the Simon Family to incentivize families, synagogues and the Jewish community to put funds aside from the time children begin Hebrew School until their senior year in high school to pay for an organized summer trip to Israel. Parents were simply afraid to send their children to Israel. The huge success of the Birthright Israel program, which underwrites a trip to Israel for college-age students, has helped to “grow” a new generation of young adults fascinated with Israel and eager to develop the emotional ties with Israel that their grandparents’ generation embraced. Our Passport to Israel Fund in the Tidewater Jewish Foundation has recently been committed to an annual grant for the Birthright Israel program.
The Young Adult Division (YAD) of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is open to young adults aged 22 to 45. Within YAD, the Federation offers an exclusive two-year “Hineni!” leadership development program designed to foster Jewish identity, involvement and responsibility. Graduates of the program are eligible to participate in a biennial mission to Israel known as the Tom Hofheimer Young Leadership Mission to Israel.
Marcia Hofheimer and Joyce Strelitz, who have been the driving force behind all the great achievements of the Hofheimer Fund over the past 30 years, recognizing the importance of the young adults to the future of the community and to the future of the community’s commitment to Israel, have pledged a maximum of $60,000 per mission. Thus they provided $3,000 subsidies to Hineni participants in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Tommy would have approved wholeheartedly. And it is clear from the testimonials of past participants that they approve as well.
Future directions
It is difficult to project too far into the future of the Tom Hofheimer Fund. Its present advisors have been wonderfully open to requests from the medical community and from the Tidewater Jewish community. In time, Tommy’s children, Leigh, Stacie and Josh will become successor advisors, in partnership with community advisors. Together they will make decisions to balance the needs of the community with the intent of Tom Hofheimer and their own vision of how best to invest this gift.
At some point it may be necessary to augment the Fund, as a failure to grow will result in diminished buying power.
We remember the past, and the spirit of the man, Tommy Hofheimer who inspired us.
We honor the present, the drive and forcefulness of Marcia, Joyce, and the many friends and associates who have made all of the above come to be.
We look with great hope and expectation to the future, and to what the next generation will accomplish in his name.
As the Bard and the Rabbi said 30 years ago:
“Goodnight Sweet Prince.”
by Hal Sacks