It is with great sadness that we inform you that our dear friend Richard L. Wexler, former JUF/JF Board member, has passed away.
Richard served on the board from 1979-1990, 1991-2005, and 2006-2012. He was JUF Board Chair from 1985-1987 and served in many leadership roles in the organization, including Chair of OPAC, JCRC, Missions, and various JUF divisions and events. He was the 2001 recipient of our community’s highest honor, The Julius Rosenwald Memorial Award. He also received the 1978 Davis, Gidwitz & Glasser Young Leadership Award. Richard and his wife Roberta were Silver Circle donors to the JUF Annual Campaign.Outside of JUF, Richard was a major national leader who served as Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, National UJA Campaign Chair, Chairman of United Israel Appeal, National Operation Exodus Chairman, and Chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. In addition to lengthy board service on these national organizations, he also served in key capacities on the Board of Directors of JFNA, JDC, The Jewish Agency, HIAS, JESNA,, the National Jewish Community Relations Council, and The Great Books Foundation.
The graveside funeral will take place this Friday, October 22 at 10 am at Shalom Memorial Park, 1700 W. Rand Rd., Arlington Heights. Shiva information to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to JUF.
May the memory of Richard Wexler always be a blessing.
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I shared these words at an event honoring Richard for his service to the United Israel Appeal in 2008
The even also celebrated the 35th anniversary of the United States humanitarian refugee resettlement grant to the UIA.
Ambassador James Cunningham accepted the recognition.
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There are 3 ways to handle Richard Wexler. Unfortunately, none of us know what they
are.
Another lay leader once begged him, “Richard, please be objective.” And he replied, “I’m
too knowledgeable to be objective.”
Richard claims to be a self made man. And I think it’s damn nice of him to take the blame.
Seriously, the one thing that describes Richards’s most distinctive attribute is “אכפתיות“
,(Ichpatiut) “caring deeply”. Richard cares deeply about whatever he is doing. He cares
deeply about people and society. He is the consummate “concerned citizen”. He has a
deep obsession and that is simply to make things better for people wherever or whoever
they are.
Kohelet, the book of Ecclesiastes teaches
ּכלאֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא י ָדְָך, לַעֲׂשֹות בְכחֲָך
(kol asher timtzah yadcha, la’asot b’kochecha) Whatever your hand finds to do - do it with
all your might.
Richard Wexler somehow was born with that attribute engraved in his very soul
When Richard was National Campaign chairman and Chairman of the Board of UJA,
President of the Chicago Jewish Federation, Chairman of the National Conference of
Soviet Jewry, Chairman of Operation Exodus, Founding Chairman of the JAFI North
American Council, co-Chairman of the JAFI Israel Committee or Chairman of UIA, he
stood his ground – he worked with all his might. He embodied leadership.
He is an expert in the use of the written and the spoken word. Of course as an attorney
there are those who accuse him of charging by the pound for written documents. There is a
Yiddish phrase that describes Richard “vos is afn lung is afn tzung” - what is on the lung is
on the tongue. He speaks up - whatever is on his chest. Like the Chicago White Socks
umpire that he so secretly wanted to be - Richard calls it as he sees it. He makes no
distinction between close friend or rival.
Jewish tradition describes a man like Richard in Aramaic as וסייפא ספרא (Safra
v’sayafa) a writer and a fighter. The description is used only for those who have the rare
blend of attributes, integrating in their lives perspicacity, intellectual acumen and political
activism.
Richard has never been a spectator. He never sits in the high seats of some coliseum - he
is always down in the dust getting his hands dirty in order to wage his battle for Tikkun
olam.
Richard, I cannot thank you enough for your friendship and leadership, and for mentoring
me as I try to step into your impossibly huge brogues.
My own father, zichrono livracha, used to say that the greatest flattery is to hear your own
words come back to you. Richard, I borrow from your own words, when you received the
Julius Rosenwald Leadership award, over six years ago. You said: “that the best of us is
not in what we do but in what we inspire in others.” Richard, your leadership is an
inspiration to all those who you touch. It certainly has been to me and I thank you for that
inspiration.
Your past roles have been expansive. You fought for freedom for Jews in the Former
Soviet Union. You raised the money that ultimately brought almost 700,000 refugees to
the State of Israel, in the greatest homecoming known in modern world history. You
helped raise the money to absorb them and make them productive citizens, both through
philanthropic dollars and through the generous US. Government Humanitarian Refugee
Resettlement grant.
You have worked to make JAFI a place whose work we could all be proud of. On behalf
of those who cannot thank you themselves, I thank you. On behalf of the literally
hundreds of thousands of Jewish Refugees, and millions of other Jews whose lives you
have changed for the better through your decades of devoted work, I thank you.
The Talmud teaches us:
לא המקום מכבד את האדם, אלא האדם את מקומו lo (hamakom michabed et ha’adam eleh ha’adam et m’komo).
The place does not honor the man; it is the man that honors the place.
Richard, הכבוד כלכוח יישר (Kol hakavod, y’yeshar Koach.)
Would you all please rise and join me again in recognition of Richard Lewis Wexler.
———
Richard will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. May his memory continue to be a source of blessings and inspiration.
יהי זכרו ברוך
Thank you for opening this portal to allow those of us who knew, loved and respected Richard with the opportunity to share our condolences and thoughts. Here is what I shared yesterday with my group of former and retired Intermediate City Jewish Federation Executive Directors:
"Richard was indeed a lightning rod with his always controversial writings over the past 13 years in his blog, UJ THEE and ME. Whatever opinion one held of Richard, he will best be remembered as a passionate defender of our national system’s commitment to collective responsibility and for his deep and enduring love for the State of Israel and as a leader, participant, and commentator in the most consequential and historic events of American and World Jewry in the last half of the 20th Century and through the early decades of this one. Beyond the commentary, Richard was a dear friend and mentor to me and outside the Jewish world our mutual love of baseball (for Richard the White Sox, for me the Mets) engendered lengthy discussions on the many miseries and infrequent triumphs of the teams we love."
In the past couple of months I would check UJ THEE AND ME each day to see if Richard was posting. Knowing how ill Richard was and seeing days and days go by without a new post (his last one was in early September) I feared the worst and two days ago the very sad news I feared became reality. Richard is gone. His voice his gone. It cannot be replaced, Richard crafted and carved out a unique place in the Jewish world.
On December 9, our group of former and retired intermediate city execs. will convene by Zoom and we will dedicate the session to Richard's memory. We plan to discuss the many issues that Richard raised over the years he authored his blog. We will do so from the perspective of searching for pathways to keep alive the Federation Movement that Richard held so dear and we will do so in the greatest tradition of our people in constructive debate with the knowledge that while we cannot make our Jewish world a perfect place we can certainly do all that we can to make it better place.
Farewell Richard, rest in peace, knowing yours' was a life well-lived.
B"Shalom
Mark Freedman
I did not intend the last three postings to be anonymous.
I wrote and delivered those words.
I am proud to have had Richard as a mentor and a friend.
I will miss him for the rest of my days.
Bruce A. Arbit
I first met Richard in the 1980's when he was one of the most effective "Fly-in" solicitors for UJA. He came to Indianapolis to solicit several very high level donors. I learned so much from Richard about fundraising as a relatively new exec at that time. Over the next several years I had numerous interactions with Richard, all of them teaching me so much more. It wasn't always in fundraising. Many of Richard's accomplishments have been highlighted by others, but there were many other roles Richard held as well that got much less publicity. One of the more critical but less well known roles was as chair for CJF to collect federation dues. I served on the committee with him as one of the professionals. He was a master negotiator almost always closing the deal where everyone came away feeling they were winners.
I want to add my condolences to his family. Richard will be missed by all of us who ever had a chance to know him and to interact with him.
Blessed is the memory of those who speak their truths for those whose voices are seldom heard. May Richard's family be comforted among the mourners of Zion.
BDE. I just learned of Richard's (z"l) death. He was a special friend during my tenure as the Israel & Overseas director at the LA Federation. He was a loving gadfly and a devoted supporter of collective responsibility of the Jewish communities in Diaspora. Richard's memory is a blessing. Sending condolences and love to his family, colleagues, and communities across the wold.
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