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Donor Spotlight: Gary O. Aidekman

For Gary O. Aidekman, one thing just led to another. The more involved the Madison resident became in the MetroWest Jewish community, the more he learned about its needs – and the needs of Israel and Jewish communities overseas – and so he became even more involved.

It began when some of the community’s volunteer leaders, Arthur Borinsky and Michael Francis, asked him to join them at a MetroWest breakfast event. Later Michael suggested he join the board at Daughters of Israel, the nursing home and rehabilitation center in West Orange. He served on the board starting in the early ‘80’s and eventually became its president, from 1996 to 1999.

Following Gary’s term as Daughter’s president, Steve Klinghoffer asked him to become more involved at the MetroWest federation. Gary has been actively involved with UJC ever since.

Currently, Gary is chair of the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ (UJC) Israel Religious Pluralism Committee, and co-chair, with Shelley Levine, of the Work Group on Jewish Education and Identity, which is charged with reorganizing and revitalizing the Jewish education and identity efforts in MetroWest. He is also assistant treasurer at UJC MetroWest and serves on its board of trustees, executive committee, Campaign Cabinet, and Major Gifts Cabinet. He is immediate past chair of the Unified Allocations Council.

When he headed the Unified Allocations Council, he became more aware of the federation’s work in Israel and of its importance in improving the lives of Israelis. “Since 2001, I’ve taken at least one trip to Israel every year,” he observed.

Gary brings expertise in both law and business to his extensive volunteer commitments. An alumnus of Tufts, he earned a law degree at Boston University and was a practicing attorney before entering the family business, Supermarkets General. Since its sale, he has been president of Highview Capital Corporation in Chatham.

He and his wife, Susan, have become members of the Lester Society through the creation of an endowment with the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest.

While the combined demands of his professional and volunteer work are time-consuming, Gary also manages to find time for tennis, skiing and photography, as well as family. He and Susan have three daughters, Sage, Dana, and Alix.

Gary would like to encourage others to become more involved in the Jewish community, as well as to support it financially. “It’s important that more Jews become more engaged in the broader community, beyond their immediate neighborhood and synagogue. In fact, it is a Jewish imperative,” he said. For him, volunteer leadership has been “a great opportunity to see where the dollars go,” and he takes “great satisfaction in knowing that we operate a fund-raising entity that is efficient and effective in getting the money where it needs to go to make a real difference in people’s lives.”

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NACIE encourages engagement with Israel

While American Jews still strongly support Israel, fewer are as passionately involved as earlier generations were. In an effort to overcome the growing degrees of separation, United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ is one of 11 pilot communities in the North American Coalition for the Engagement of Israel (NACIE), launched by the Education Department of the Jewish Agency (JAFI). NACIE’s goal is to raise the level of Israel engagement in the MetroWest community through long-term, systematic change.

Some indications of the current gap between American Jews and Israel, from a recent survey:

Only 35 percent of American Jews have ever visited Israel.

When asked if caring about being Jewish involves caring about Israel, only 48 percent said yes in 2005, compared to 58 percent three years ago.

And 43 percent said that they felt Israel was more about their parents’ and grandparents’ generation than about them and their contemporaries.

“NACIE was born out of an initiative of the Jewish Agency, as participation in Israel programs declined,” said Dr. Howard Tepper of Livingston, chair of the MetroWest NACIE committee. “We were concerned that we would lose the connection of an entire generation with Israel, so the thought was, if American Jews aren’t coming to Israel, what can we do in their own communities to connect with the Jewish state? The Jewish Agency provides some funding for NACIE, and each community comes up with its own programming.”

MetroWest’s NACIE effort began in February 2005, when Rebecca Glass was hired as its full-time director. She works out of the UJC MetroWest Legow Family Israel Program Center.

NACIE’s strategy is to enable synagogues and teachers to offer innovative programs focusing on modern-day Israel rather than outmoded stereotypes, Glass explained.

In less than a year, NACIE has already had a significant impact upon the MetroWest community.

Teams from seven synagogues, totaling 42 lay and professional leaders, participated in a six-day seminar in Israel in May. Among the noticeable changes in the culture of the synagogues – an Israel column in the monthly bulletin, prominent display of Israeli art and artifacts, and insertion of the Prayer for Israel in worship services. Participating synagogues are B’nai Israel, Millburn; Beth Hatikvah, Chatham; Shomrei Emunah, Montclair; B’nai Abraham, Livingston; Oheb Shalom, South Orange, B’nai Shalom, West Orange, and Mount Freedom Jewish Center, Randolph.

During the summer, 22 teachers from synagogue schools and day schools participated in a ten-day seminar in Israel. For several, it was their first time in Israel. Others had not been there since they were young adults. “The seminar was extremely important in enabling the teachers to connect to the land and to experience first-hand history coming to life,” noted Glass. “Now they can bring their excitement, enthusiasm and knowledge of Israel back to their classrooms.”

In cooperation with the Jewish Education Association of MetroWest, NACIE provided five in-service sessions for teachers facilitated by an experienced Israeli educator.

Twenty-two public school teachers took part in a three-day seminar co-sponsored by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, NJ-Israel Commission, College of Saint Elizabeth, NJ Center for Civic and Law-Related Education, and the NJ Council for History Education.

Rishonim, young emissaries from Israel, provide hands-on, informal educational programs in the community’s schools and synagogues.

“In addition to creating Israel awareness, NACIE is also an unbelievable opportunity for community building,” Tepper observed. “We’re offering support, education, and programming for synagogues. There’s been a fabulous interaction of people from different synagogues, from different religious streams, learning, traveling, and working together. It’s involved teachers from public schools, synagogues, and day schools.

“I believe that we have to keep our Israel connections strong in order to keep the Jewish people strong,” he emphasized. “Our future must be bound with the state of Israel. NACIE is good for Israel and MetroWest and crucial for strengthening the Jewish people.”

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