Mandell "Bill" Berman (1917–2016) was the businessman (housing construction industry) and philanthropist behind the
Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation,
[McGinity, Keren]
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry Lifetime Achievement Award Announcement
December 19, 2010 which supports
Jewish education
Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cul ...
, and research and study of the contemporary
American Jewish community
American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora Je ...
. His philanthropic focus was on the storage, dissemination, and preservation of Jewish data, as well as Jewish education and special education.
[A Philanthropist Crunches The Numbers](_blank)
Tamar Snyder, New York Jewish Week, November 25, 2009
Biography
Berman was born (1917) and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, one of four siblings. His mother was from
Toledo, OH
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
, descended of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. His father immigrated from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
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
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
to get to
Hebrew school
Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Hebr ...
and religious services. He married Madge, née Madeleine Brodie, in 1950. They have two children and three grandchildren.
[Speech](_blank)
on reception of th
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry
s first Berman award, December 19, 2011[Interview with Mandell Berman](_blank)
Detroit Jewish Spirit: the Aish Detroit Community Magazine, Fall 2008
Education
Berman attended Detroit Central High School and Shaarey Tzedek High School. He briefly attended the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, but then completed his undergraduate studies at
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
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.
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
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, including a posting in Okinawa.
Philanthropic work
Selected supported projects
*
The Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ Stanford Universitybr>
(BJPA)The North American Jewish Data Bank(NAJDB)
The Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli-Arab Issues(IATF)
The Jewish Historical Society of MichiganThe Berman Centerof the
Jewish Educational Service of North America (JESNA) (of which he was also the co-founder)
* The Mandell Berman Fellowship Program at
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, pro ...
'
Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies* Th
Mandell L. Berman Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Contemporary American Jewish Life at the Frankel Center at the University of Michigan.
Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institutes Center for Research on Disabilities' Mandell Berman Fund for Research on Children with Disabilities, 1999.
* Th
1990 and 2000–2001 National Jewish Population Surveys* The 2009 study on Jewish mobility.
* Berman fellowship (since 2006) at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America#William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education">William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education.
Jewish Communal Leadership Programat the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
's School of Social Work
* Mandell L. Berman Center (1988) and Berman Fellowships (since 1997), at th
University of Michigan Hillel* The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Award for Outstanding Professional Service to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and its agencies.
* The Detroit Symphony Orchestra
* The Berman Center for the Performing Arts (2011) at the Jewish Community Center, Detroit
* Michigan Humane Society – The Berman Center for Animal Care in Westland
* The Berman Center for Jewish Education at Congregation Shaarey Zedek
* and many more, both in and outside of the Jewish community
Positions held
Current and/or Past:
* President: Council of Jewish Federations (now the
Jewish Federations of North America
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization representing 146 Jewish Federations and 300 independent Jewish communities across North America, which rais ...
) (1987–1990), Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools of Detroit (1962–1995)
* Chairman:
JESNA JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) is the Jewish federation system's educational coordinating, planning, and development agency. A national, non-profit agency, it was created in 1981. It closed in 2013.
Role
Over the past twenty- ...
(Jewish Education Service of North America) Berman Research and Evaluation Center, Volunteer and Professional Leadership Biographies, National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01
AAJE (predecessor of
JESNA JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) is the Jewish federation system's educational coordinating, planning, and development agency. A national, non-profit agency, it was created in 1981. It closed in 2013.
Role
Over the past twenty- ...
), National Jewish Population Survey, Board of Overseers and Executive Committee of the Board of Overseers of the JCPA (
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) is an Israeli research institute specializing in public diplomacy and foreign policy founded in 1976. Currently, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs's research portfolio consists of five primar ...
), Skillman Foundation, Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools of Detroit
* Honorary chairman: University of Michigan Hillel,
JESNA JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) is the Jewish federation system's educational coordinating, planning, and development agency. A national, non-profit agency, it was created in 1981. It closed in 2013.
Role
Over the past twenty- ...
(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
William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education (since 1996),
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a Jewish relief organization based in New York City. Since 1914 the organisation has supported Jewish people living in Israel and throughout the world. The organization i ...
,
United Israel Appeal
United Israel Appeal (UIA), a subsidiary of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), is a link between the American Jewish community and the people of Israel. An independent legal entity with 501(c)(3) charity status, and a Board of Direc ...
, the
Jewish Agency for Israel
The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...
, Skillman Foundation, World Zionist Education Authority,
United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way organizations raise funds ...
, Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation,
HIAS
HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was originally established in 1881 to aid Jewish refugees. In 1975, the State Departme ...
(Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society),
[Confronting the Future of the Jewish People](_blank)
Iggeret Newsletter, June 1995 JDC
JDC can refer to:
* American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a worldwide relief organization
* Jeju Free International City Development Center
* John Deere Classic, a PGA Tour golf tournament
* John Dickson Carr (1906–1977), American myster ...
(American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee),
UIA (United Israel Appeal)
* Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
Awards
*
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry The Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry (ASSJ) is a cross-disciplinary organization of individuals whose research concerns the Jewish people throughout the world founded in 1971.
Purpose
The ASSJ comprises primarily academics, but ...
first Lifetime Achievement award for his support of the study of the
North American Jewish community, December 19, 2010.
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry Lifetime Achievement Award
December 19, 2010
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
Leonard N. Simons History Award, 2009[Press Release](_blank)
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
May 5, 2009.
* Mesorah Award for Outstanding Leadership in Jewish Education, JESNA JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) is the Jewish federation system's educational coordinating, planning, and development agency. A national, non-profit agency, it was created in 1981. It closed in 2013.
Role
Over the past twenty- ...
(Jewish Education Service of North America), 1992[History of the Berman Center](_blank)
, JESNA
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Butzel Award, 1978[Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroi]
Annual Report 2003-2004
* Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Bill
1917 births
2016 deaths
Jewish American philanthropists
University of Michigan alumni
Harvard Business School alumni
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Businesspeople from Detroit
Harvard College alumni
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American philanthropists
21st-century American Jews