ORT Atlanta Bestows First Lipson Award to Schoenbaum Family
$5 Million Gift Provides Educational Programs for Students in Kiryat Yam, Israel

Pictured, from left: (Standing) ORT Atlanta board members Danny Lipson and Richard Bressler; ORT Atlanta co-presidents Jan Haber and Dr. Joe Berger; honorees Susan and Ray Schoenbaum; World ORT Director General Robert Singer; ORT Atlanta board member Hilly Panovka. (Seated) ORT America National President Doreen Hermelin; Award Namesake Joan Lipson; and Danny Lipson’s wife, Susan Lipson. (Photo: Edward Zelster Photography)

The Atlanta Region of ORT America brought together some 140 leaders and supporters of the Jewish community on Sunday, Dec. 7, to honor the Schoenbaum family for their outstanding generosity in supporting ORT's mega-project in Kiryat Yam, Israel. Through the Schoenbaum Family Foundation, the family has invested $5 million in the regeneration of the seaside city's center into a glittering and practical communal resource.

At a cocktail reception at Pemberly Estate in Atlanta, Ga., a prominent assemblage of individuals dedicated to ORT’s mission gathered to pay tribute to Betty Schoenbaum, son Raymond, who is president of the Schoenbaum Family Foundation, and his wife Susan—both Atlanta residents and philanthropists—as well as the rest of the Schoenbaum family.

ORT America's Atlanta Region presented the family with the first Joan L. and Nathan I. Lipson Award for their long-standing commitment to Israel and ORT programs around the world. ORT educational and vocational programs benefit more than 300,000 students and beneficiaries annually.

"The warmth of the event was compounded by the very unique circumstances of the award and its recipients," said Event Chair Kathy Sachs. "The prestigious Joan L. and Nathan I. Lipson Award was bestowed upon the Lipsons' longtime friends, the Schoenbaum family. This emotional connection impacted the success of the evening."

One of the largest single donations ever received by ORT, it will, together with funds from World ORT, ORT America and the local municipality, transform the center of Kiryat Yam into an open air science park, a sports center, and a social educational and cultural center for Ethiopian Jewry. The donation will also enable the full refurbishment of the neighboring 40-year-old Rodman High School, including the creation of the adjacent D. Dan and Betty Kahn Science Center.

Kiryat Yam is a largely blue-collar community of 45,000 where the average income is approximately 25 percent lower than the national average. The area has become home to large concentrations of Russian and Ethiopian immigrants.

Raymond, who was overwhelmed by the response, read a letter to guests on behalf of his mother, Betty, who was unable to attend the reception. Betty wrote, "I realized I would make a long-held impossible dream come true—my concern that the status of Ethiopian Jews and other immigrants in Israel could be improved with education."

Betty, a longtime member of ORT America’s Sarasota Chapter in Florida and a founder of Israel's ORT Braude College, went on, "Most Ethiopians have become second-class citizens in Israel so the most important thing the Schoenbaum Family Foundation could give them is self-esteem and a trade by which they can make a living. The creation of this educational, cultural and sports campus will make a significant and lasting contribution to Israel's positive development through education. The power of giving is tremendous."

The ORT Atlanta community was happy to welcome to the celebratory reception Israeli Ambassador Reda Mansour and his wife Mona; Carol Z. Cooper, chair of the board, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta; Steve A. Rakitt, president, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta; ORT America National President Doreen Hermelin; and guest speaker World ORT Director General and CEO Robert Singer.

Betty, the heiress to the Shoney's restaurant and motel chain, credits her four children—Raymond; Emily Schoenbaum (Washington, D.C.); Joan Miller (Oldsmar, Fla.); and Jeffry Schoenbaum (Palm Harbor, Fla.) for encouraging her to support this major project. She was also indoctrinated by her late husband, Alex, who taught her that the "joy of giving is the joy of living."

"The Schoenbaum family has made education a priority," said Mr. Singer. "Their generosity, especially during these challenging economic times, will help transform three acres of public land into a cutting-edge social, educational and cultural center for Ethiopian Jewry, giving these students the means and tools to live self-sufficient, dignified lives."

In late January 2009, the Atlanta Region of ORT America will welcome eight students from Israel, four of them from Kiryat Yam, as part of the annual ORT Lipson International Studies Program. The students will live with host-families during the one-month enrichment program designed to promote cultural exchange and a deeper understanding of the world's Jewish community.

Four of the visiting Israeli students will study at The Epstein School (Solomon Schechter School of Atlanta) in Sandy Springs, Ga., while the other four will be attending the Katherine and Jacob Greenfield Hebrew Academy of Atlanta. Participants will also enjoy recreation activities including trips to the Georgia Aquarium, Governor's Mansion, Atlanta Zoo and ice skating.