Page 4 - Jewish News _August 2021_

4A August 2021 FEDERATION NEWS

Howard Tevlowitz...continued from page 3A
Rich Bergman, Dennis and Graci Mc- teachers to Poland in a program called Staying engaged STAFF MEMORIES:
Gillicuddy and others started this pro- Classrooms Without Borders so we can Two programs that worked exception- Kim Adler: Howard and I have
gram. We gave them a home, and have learn together. It is not about teaching ally well in engaging the Federation worked together since his first day at
been funding the program ever since.” the Holocaust, but rather the issues with the Jewish community during the Federation. Over the last 20-plus
that brought it on which can be taught Howard’s tenure were PJ Library and years, Howard has become my mentor
in English, history or social studies LIFE & LEGACY . and friend. I believe Howard’s main
®
classes,” he said. The Harold Grinspoon Foundation legacy is growing this Federation into
“And, about 10 years ago, we start- is one national agency, Howard says, a true community organization where
ed working with the faith community. that understands Jewish consumerism. we meet the needs of our Jewish com-
We’ve taken more than 100 faith and It started PJ Library, which provides munity while working together with
community leaders to Israel where we books for parents to read to their kids, other minority, religious, governmental
learn to talk to each other, work to- and is one of the most popular Jewish and advocacy organizations on issues
gether and respect each other. We have programs in the country. “These fami- that impact all of us. Under his lead-
worked with the Sarasota Ministerial lies were not running to their local syn- ership, our Federation is now recog-
Association as a major driver of this agogues for these services, so that was nized in Sarasota-Manatee as a partner
program. We also have worked with one way the Federation could engage in philanthropy, education, communi-
the Black and Hispanic communities. with young Jewish families,” Howard ty building, diversity and social jus-
Howard Tevlowitz with Carol Buchanan Once you have traveled together, you explained. tice. On a personal note, Howard and
of Embracing Our Differences can learn to disagree without being “Then there is the LIFE & LEG- I share a love of reality TV, especially
“We also work with Sarasota pub- disagreeable. It is almost impossible to ACY endowment program, for which the show Big Brother, which airs every
lic schools, working directly with stu- label or dislike someone whom you get we raised more than $20 million for summer. I will always relish our cra-
dents and teachers. We are now taking to know.” the future of the Jewish community. zy conversations about game strategy,
That’s what building community is which players we love or hate, and the
all about, understanding that we don’t brilliant editing of that show. I have
know what things are going to look like many fond memories of the two of us,
down the road, but if you have a strong sometimes joined by other colleagues
endowment, anything is possible. The who also love the show, spending our
endowment belongs to each individual lunch hour laughing together about the
agency or synagogue, and they can do crazy antics of one player or another,
with it whatever they choose.” or taking bets on who will be evicted
Fee-for-service that week.
Under Howard’s leadership, fundrais- Rich Bergman: I have known
ing and development models changed Howard for more than 20 years as an
to include film and book festivals, associate, consultant and friend. How-
guest speakers and more. “We began ard will be leaving several legacies,
hosting these events, and if they didn’t from creating a warm and coopera-
work, the world didn’t come to an end. tive relationship with our non-Jewish
We have great patience here. If we friends and organizations, to a Jewish
make a mistake, we move on,” How- community that stands up to antisem-
ard explained. itism and all types of injustices, to
Interfaith mission to Israel in 2017 One of the main challenges was young people who love and appreciate
that in a more traditional Jewish com- Israel and our Jewish heritage.
munity, success would be based on Inna Sideman: I worked with
membership or affiliation. “This model Howard as Chief Financial Officer for
MOON & COMPANY EYEWEAR is completely not that,” Howard said. almost 17 years, from 2003 to 2020.

LUXURY & EXOTIC “We simply want people to be engaged, During Howard’s tenure we built a
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he said. footing. When Howard arrived, very
Howard believes part of planning
SARASOTA’S FINEST for the future includes understanding few people outside the Jewish commu-
nity were familiar with the Federation.
EYEWEAR BOUTIQUE your past. “Unfortunately, history too Now, it is well-recognized as one of the
often gets lost in communities like this. most respected organizations in Sara-
If it wasn’t for some very visionary sota. When Howard interviewed me
leadership – for example, buying these for my position, he said one thing that
33 acres and putting the JCC here – it always stayed with me: “You have to
would be a completely different pic- stay relevant.” I think that is how he
ture. At one point, after the JCC closed, led the Federation. He was not afraid to
we found ourselves with a nearly emp- drop a program that no longer worked
ty campus and began renting out our and try a new program that would bet-
continued on page 5A ter resonate with the community.

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