tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.comments2023-07-27T04:33:11.719-05:00UJ Thee and MeGracklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14315763008609379449noreply@blogger.comBlogger7020125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-59743436941610889992021-10-27T12:19:04.325-05:002021-10-27T12:19:04.325-05:00BDE. I just learned of Richard's (z"l) de...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.Lois Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16224133424392111852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-63427254320938384102021-10-21T18:10:33.351-05:002021-10-21T18:10:33.351-05:00Blessed is the memory of those who speak their tru...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.BOB HYFLERnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-87031097489910497422021-10-21T10:49:39.223-05:002021-10-21T10:49:39.223-05:00I first met Richard in the 1980's when he was ...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.<br /><br />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. Harry Nadlernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-47422786190066537652021-10-21T09:21:07.579-05:002021-10-21T09:21:07.579-05:00I did not intend the last three postings to be ano...I did not intend the last three postings to be anonymous.<br />I wrote and delivered those words.<br />I am proud to have had Richard as a mentor and a friend.<br />I will miss him for the rest of my days.<br />Bruce A. ArbitBruce A. Arbit - A.B. Data, Ltd. (USA)https://www.blogger.com/profile/04968000415646126885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-69941779485660173272021-10-21T08:36:21.302-05:002021-10-21T08:36:21.302-05:00Thank you for opening this portal to allow those o...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:<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />Farewell Richard, rest in peace, knowing yours' was a life well-lived.<br /><br />B"Shalom<br /><br />Mark FreedmanMark Freedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04485478785853606815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-57886304205614204072021-10-21T08:18:32.013-05:002021-10-21T08:18:32.013-05:00You have worked to make JAFI a place whose work we...You have worked to make JAFI a place whose work we could all be proud of. On behalf <br />of those who cannot thank you themselves, I thank you. On behalf of the literally <br />hundreds of thousands of Jewish Refugees, and millions of other Jews whose lives you <br />have changed for the better through your decades of devoted work, I thank you.<br /><br /> The Talmud teaches us:<br />לא המקום מכבד את האדם, אלא האדם את מקומו lo (hamakom michabed et ha’adam eleh ha’adam et m’komo). <br />The place does not honor the man; it is the man that honors the place. <br />Richard, הכבוד כלכוח יישר (Kol hakavod, y’yeshar Koach.) <br /><br />Would you all please rise and join me again in recognition of Richard Lewis Wexler.<br /><br />———<br /><br />Richard will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. May his memory continue to be a source of blessings and inspiration.<br />יהי זכרו ברוך<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-80650858881050641532021-10-21T08:18:10.779-05:002021-10-21T08:18:10.779-05:00He is an expert in the use of the written and the ...He is an expert in the use of the written and the spoken word. Of course as an attorney <br />there are those who accuse him of charging by the pound for written documents. There is a <br />Yiddish phrase that describes Richard “vos is afn lung is afn tzung” - what is on the lung is <br />on the tongue. He speaks up - whatever is on his chest. Like the Chicago White Socks <br />umpire that he so secretly wanted to be - Richard calls it as he sees it. He makes no <br />distinction between close friend or rival.<br /><br />Jewish tradition describes a man like Richard in Aramaic as וסייפא ספרא (Safra <br />v’sayafa) a writer and a fighter. The description is used only for those who have the rare <br />blend of attributes, integrating in their lives perspicacity, intellectual acumen and political <br />activism. <br /><br />Richard has never been a spectator. He never sits in the high seats of some coliseum - he <br />is always down in the dust getting his hands dirty in order to wage his battle for Tikkun <br />olam.<br /><br />Richard, I cannot thank you enough for your friendship and leadership, and for mentoring <br />me as I try to step into your impossibly huge brogues.<br /><br />My own father, zichrono livracha, used to say that the greatest flattery is to hear your own <br />words come back to you. Richard, I borrow from your own words, when you received the <br />Julius Rosenwald Leadership award, over six years ago. You said: “that the best of us is <br />not in what we do but in what we inspire in others.” Richard, your leadership is an <br />inspiration to all those who you touch. It certainly has been to me and I thank you for that <br />inspiration.<br /><br />Your past roles have been expansive. You fought for freedom for Jews in the Former <br />Soviet Union. You raised the money that ultimately brought almost 700,000 refugees to <br />the State of Israel, in the greatest homecoming known in modern world history. You <br />helped raise the money to absorb them and make them productive citizens, both through <br />philanthropic dollars and through the generous US. Government Humanitarian Refugee <br />Resettlement grant. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-26630716052278733742021-10-21T08:17:42.250-05:002021-10-21T08:17:42.250-05:00I shared these words at an event honoring Richard ...I shared these words at an event honoring Richard for his service to the United Israel Appeal in 2008<br />The even also celebrated the 35th anniversary of the United States humanitarian refugee resettlement grant to the UIA.<br />Ambassador James Cunningham accepted the recognition.<br /><br />——————<br /><br />There are 3 ways to handle Richard Wexler. Unfortunately, none of us know what they <br />are. <br /><br />Another lay leader once begged him, “Richard, please be objective.” And he replied, “I’m <br />too knowledgeable to be objective.” <br /><br />Richard claims to be a self made man. And I think it’s damn nice of him to take the blame. <br /><br />Seriously, the one thing that describes Richards’s most distinctive attribute is “אכפתיות“<br /> ,(Ichpatiut) “caring deeply”. Richard cares deeply about whatever he is doing. He cares <br />deeply about people and society. He is the consummate “concerned citizen”. He has a <br />deep obsession and that is simply to make things better for people wherever or whoever <br />they are.<br /><br />Kohelet, the book of Ecclesiastes teaches<br />ּכלאֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא י ָדְָך, לַעֲׂשֹות בְכחֲָך<br />(kol asher timtzah yadcha, la’asot b’kochecha) Whatever your hand finds to do - do it with <br />all your might.<br /><br />Richard Wexler somehow was born with that attribute engraved in his very soul <br /><br />When Richard was National Campaign chairman and Chairman of the Board of UJA, <br />President of the Chicago Jewish Federation, Chairman of the National Conference of <br />Soviet Jewry, Chairman of Operation Exodus, Founding Chairman of the JAFI North <br />American Council, co-Chairman of the JAFI Israel Committee or Chairman of UIA, he <br />stood his ground – he worked with all his might. He embodied leadership.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-86421882931518449682021-10-20T07:52:33.940-05:002021-10-20T07:52:33.940-05:00I am deeply saddened to read of Richard's deat...I am deeply saddened to read of Richard's death. We will miss his wise and generous counsel, his unbounded generosity and love for Chicago and K'lal Yisroel, and his unfiltered and fearless perspectives on the organizational health of the American Jewish community in particular. Many years ago, as a rookie professional at the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, I was privileged to staff a young leadership group under his tutelage and mentorship. May his memory live as a blessing!Bernayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11586585857946071529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-89739599960148417002021-10-19T19:32:14.832-05:002021-10-19T19:32:14.832-05:00Baruch Dayan haEmet.
Richard Wexler z'l
We los...Baruch Dayan haEmet.<br />Richard Wexler z'l<br />We lost one of the greats!Paul Jesernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-80980890999614139652021-08-26T05:51:01.750-05:002021-08-26T05:51:01.750-05:00Of course they need Pam and of course that is why ...Of course they need Pam and of course that is why they are keeping her for now. <br />Putting her under Caspi means that they can control her and use her talents for as long as she is useful to them. <br />But even a loyal professional such as Pam will have a difficult time maintaining loyalty under someone like Becky Caspi, so good luck Pam.<br />Hang in there!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-4991249061769892132021-08-25T16:03:23.166-05:002021-08-25T16:03:23.166-05:00Pam, besides being a spectacular professional, alw...Pam, besides being a spectacular professional, always headed up the financials of UIA. Both under Lee Twersky and Sam Astrof.<br /><br />The financials of UIA are complex. Loans, Amigur, rent, sales, federal grant, Jewish Agency budget.<br /><br />They would all be lost without Pam. <br /><br />I suspect that that’s why Pam is sticking around.<br /><br />Pam is and always was a consummate professional. She knew how to get along with all emperors, naked or clothed. For the most part she kept her judgements to herself and only a few trusted friends.<br /><br />She is spectacular and JFNA was lucky to have her. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-7981753530630423922021-08-24T15:49:25.192-05:002021-08-24T15:49:25.192-05:00The CEO's continued failure to clean house at ...The CEO's continued failure to clean house at I & O negates everything positive he accomplishes on this side of the Atlantic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-89053762453645477642021-08-24T10:03:50.851-05:002021-08-24T10:03:50.851-05:00Yes, Pam. Hang in there.
I imagine that if she had...Yes, Pam. Hang in there.<br />I imagine that if she had a choice she would never agree to report to Becky Caspi or to be a part of the Global Operations fiasco. It is probably a temporary landing spot before getting booted out entirely (Remember David Mallach?). <br />The only way that this could be real would be if Pam was not a serious person that provided a "threat" to Caspi. Since Pam is a serious person and a talented professional, there is no way that she will last very long in this new assignment.<br />And so, another worthy professional bites the dust while those that should be long gone continue to run the show (into the ground).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-45721814337695821952021-08-21T10:21:58.607-05:002021-08-21T10:21:58.607-05:00Ellen and I had the pleasure of knowing Rabbi Hirs...Ellen and I had the pleasure of knowing Rabbi Hirsch on a personal level as his daughter, Ora Pescovitz, and son-in-law, Mark z’l, were friends of ours in Indianapolis as well as their being very active in the Jewish community. Ellen taught several, if not all of his grandchildren, in Indy. We got to know Rabbi Hirsch initially through times they visited Indy and the Hebrew day school for things like grandparents day etc. Of course, I also interacted with him on several missions as well. Everything you said about him is true and possibly, you even understated what a great person he was and what an impact he had on so many things Jewish. Harry Nadlernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-71964641760824686792021-08-16T09:26:18.646-05:002021-08-16T09:26:18.646-05:00There is a sad history of this "coalition&quo...There is a sad history of this "coalition" of Trumpists, racists, bigots and clowns. They are an unrepresentative fringe group of a fringe group.<br /><br />See, for example: https://forward.com/news/386842/inspired-by-trump-era-orthodox-rabbis-launch-new-political-group/<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-71159117273973676202021-08-16T07:28:57.386-05:002021-08-16T07:28:57.386-05:00I don't know about the '1500+' Rabbis,...I don't know about the '1500+' Rabbis, but I am one non-Rabbi who believes that the ADL, under the current leadership has completely lost its way and is no longer effective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-50168153366855051922021-08-11T09:10:38.385-05:002021-08-11T09:10:38.385-05:00From a Comment:
Thanks for posting this. To be c...From a Comment:<br /><br />Thanks for posting this. To be clear, the Charlottesville Nazi chant was "JEWS will not replace us."<br /><br />Knowing Deborah, I bet Mort will soon eat these words:<br /><br />"Lipstadt will ignore and/or give far too little attention to antisemitism from groups such as the Black Lives Matter organization, and leftist and Islamist BDS groups and Israel-bashing NGOs."<br /><br />Methinks ol' Mort still has trouble thinking and seeing straight with his head stuck securely up his butt.<br /><br />I'm done now. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-42912430565112959362021-08-08T11:22:00.055-05:002021-08-08T11:22:00.055-05:00Gevalt!Like watching Groundhogs Day for the tenth ...Gevalt!Like watching Groundhogs Day for the tenth time,raising the ghost of Faulkner, "The past is never dead. It's not even past". BOB HYFLERnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-9572868928503715432021-08-03T09:28:36.609-05:002021-08-03T09:28:36.609-05:00Attacking Dr Lipstadt is really below the belt, es...Attacking Dr Lipstadt is really below the belt, especially in defense of Trump. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-82475730234347922062021-08-02T23:12:41.802-05:002021-08-02T23:12:41.802-05:00Remind me again why ZOA is included as a member of...Remind me again why ZOA is included as a member of the Conference of so-called Major Jewish Organizations while the much larger J Street is not? <br /><br />Not sure how some of the organizations on that list are even on. They should have been put out to pasture a long time ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-76860503468590173152021-08-02T18:27:26.225-05:002021-08-02T18:27:26.225-05:00Didn't Stalin also have Jewish grandchildren? ...Didn't Stalin also have Jewish grandchildren? And, more important, why does the ZOA tokenize family members of Trump in such a paltry, meaningless way? Being related to Jews doesn't mean you're not anti-semitic. Being related to a specific kind of person doesn't mean that this is the only way to have empathy for them, or to see their humanity. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-33670572269653759112021-08-02T18:14:51.958-05:002021-08-02T18:14:51.958-05:00I'm wondering if Mort Klein and the ZOA would ...I'm wondering if Mort Klein and the ZOA would ever note approvingly that all three of President Biden's kids married Jews? I'm guessing not.<br /><br />https://www.timesofisrael.com/meet-us-president-elect-joe-bidens-whole-big-jewish-mishpocha/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-25385179784473884632021-08-02T11:14:08.243-05:002021-08-02T11:14:08.243-05:00There is a somewhat common phrase that goes someth...There is a somewhat common phrase that goes something like "Don't listen to what they say, look at what they do." In the case of Trump and his supporters/enablers it is both.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565163061165974643.post-27116254385228344812021-07-29T19:48:25.660-05:002021-07-29T19:48:25.660-05:00https://nypost.com/2021/07/29/sorry-ben-jerry-your...https://nypost.com/2021/07/29/sorry-ben-jerry-youre-on-the-wrong-side-of-history-along-with-all-who-boycott-israel/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com