With more than 4,000 Jewish Clevelander’s impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia, the Jewish Community Dementia Care Path Program demonstrates how the Federation plans for the health and vitality of the entire Jewish community, collaborating with partners to meet our community’s most critical needs that no one organization could do alone.

Sadie and Maurice Friedman (z”l) would be so pleased and surprised to know how many lives have been positively impacted by their bequest. While each Legacy Society donor story of how and why a gift was made is unique, they are all united by the concept of tikkun olam – repairing the world.

In August 2019, Dr. Dan Weidenthal attended the Federation’s Endowment Book of Life celebration and signing. But the gift that he made wasn’t about him, and it wasn’t for him. It was in honor of and a tribute to his beloved wife Judy (of blessed memory) who passed away in 2017.

Shari Perlmuter remembers her parents Eileen and Bob Sill coming home and telling her and her brother Scott stories about their Jewish community involvement. They established the Bob and Eileen Sill Family Foundation in 2015.

Drs. Linda Sandhaus and Roland Philip have many charitable causes that they care deeply about and support. As longtime generous supporters of the Campaign for Jewish Needs, they wanted to do something permanent for the Jewish Community.

Peggy and John Garson have always been active participants in the Cleveland Jewish community. Their Supporting Foundation is one meaningful way that they share their values and tzedakah with their family.

Many people have made it a practice to give their time, talent and treasure to make the world a better place. They often give to the same organizations year after year, to annual campaigns, specific programs or certain interest areas.

It is difficult to explain why endowment funds are important and much easier to ask for a gift that supports a specific project, program or building.

Being your own philanthropist comes at a price: administration, tax consequences, minimum distribution requirements and reporting obligations, to name a few. Federation staff provides expertise in structuring charitable plans to meet almost any interest.