Mandell Berman

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Mandell "Bill" Berman
Detroit, Michigan
Died(2016-12-21)December 21, 2016[1]
Longboat Key, Florida
Resting placeClover Hill park cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHarvard University
OccupationBusinessman

Mandell "Bill" Berman (1917–2016) was the businessman (housing construction industry) and philanthropist behind the

American Jewish community. His philanthropic focus was on the storage, dissemination, and preservation of Jewish data, as well as Jewish education and special education.[3]

Biography

Berman was born (1917) and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, one of four siblings. His mother was from

Toledo, OH, descended of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. His father immigrated from Poland at a young age, and with a grade school education, served in the American Army as an officer and worked as a successful businessman. Berman was raised in a religiously traditional home but was allowed to spend money and travel on shabbat to get to Hebrew school and religious services. He married Madge, née Madeleine Brodie, in 1950. They have two children and three grandchildren.[2][4][5]

Education

Berman attended Detroit Central High School and Shaarey Tzedek High School. He briefly attended the University of Michigan, but then completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard College in 1940 graduating Magna Cum Laude, and graduated Harvard Business School in 1942. In 2011, he received an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.[2][6]

Career

Past:

  • President: Bert L. Smokler & Company (1946–1975), Dreyfus Development Corporation (1969-19872), South Eastern Michigan Builders Association
  • Partner: Bert L. Smokler & Company (1946–1975)
  • Chairman of the Skillman Foundation
  • Chairman: Board of Trustees of the Michigan State Housing Finance Authority, Supervisory Board of Euroad
  • Board member: Dreyfus Corporation (NYSE), Guardian Industries (NYSE), Lennar Corporation (NYSE)

Berman also served 4 years in the United States Navy, including a posting in Okinawa.

[2][5]

Philanthropic work

Selected supported projects

[2][6][13][14][15][16]

Positions held

  • President: Council of Jewish Federations (now the Jewish Federations of North America) (1987–1990), Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools of Detroit (1962–1995)
  • Chairman: JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) Berman Research and Evaluation Center, Volunteer and Professional Leadership Biographies, National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01[17] AAJE (predecessor of JESNA),[18] National Jewish Population Survey, Board of Overseers and Executive Committee of the Board of Overseers of the JCPA (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs), Skillman Foundation, Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools of Detroit
  • Honorary chairman: University of Michigan Hillel, JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America)
  • Founder: Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools (1959–1962), Jewish Historical Society of Michigan (1969)
  • Member of the Board: Overseers of the
    United Way, Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society),[19] JDC (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee),[19] UIA (United Israel Appeal)[2]
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

[3][17][19][20][21]

Awards

References

  1. ^ Welch, Sherri (December 21, 2016). "Developer, philanthropist Mandell 'Bill' Berman dies at 99". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h McGinity, Keren. Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry Lifetime Achievement Award Announcement, December 19, 2010
  3. ^ a b c A Philanthropist Crunches The Numbers, Tamar Snyder, New York Jewish Week, November 25, 2009
  4. ^ Speech, on reception of the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry's first Berman award, December 19, 2011
  5. ^ a b Interview with Mandell Berman, Detroit Jewish Spirit: the Aish Detroit Community Magazine, Fall 2008
  6. ^ a b c Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit Annual Report 2003-2004 Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ The Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
  8. Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
  9. ^ North American Jewish Data Bank
  10. ^ Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli-Arab Issues Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Life Members – Membership/Donations Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. Retrieved February 2, 2011
  12. ^ DSO Annual Meeting[permanent dead link], Detroit Symphony Orchestra Blog, December 9, 2010
  13. ^ Frankely Speaking Archived March 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan, April 2008.
  14. ^ Our History, University of Michigan Hillel
  15. ^ Honor Roll of Donors, Perlman Music Program
  16. ^ Donors, Artserve
  17. ^ a b c History of the Berman Center Archived November 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, JESNA
  18. ^ Volunteer and Professional Leadership Biographies Archived March 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, JESNA National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01
  19. ^ a b c Confronting the Future of the Jewish People Iggeret Newsletter, June 1995
  20. ^ a b Press Release Archived July 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, May 5, 2009.
  21. ^ Board of Trustees, University of Michigan Hillel
  22. ^ Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry Lifetime Achievement Award, December 19, 2010
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