Delray Beach residents and philanthropists Judi and Allan Schuman have given a gift of $1 million to the Boca Raton-based Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. This gift has led to the creation of the Judi and Allan Schuman Center for Israel Engagement at the Federation.
$1 million donation to expand Federation's Israel engagement
1. $1 million donation to expand
Federation's Israel engagement
Delray Beach residents and philanthropists Judi and Allan Schuman recently gave $1 million to the Jewish Federation
of South Palm Beach County, leading to the creation of the Federation’s Judi and Allan Schuman Center for Israel
Engagement. (COURTESY)
By Randall P. Lieberman Contact Reporter South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Delray Beach residents and philanthropists Judi and Allan Schuman have
given a gift of $1 million to the Boca Raton-based Jewish Federation of
South Palm Beach County.
This gift has led to the creation of the Judi and Allan Schuman Center for
Israel Engagement at the Federation.
"We are thrilled and grateful for Judi and Allan's heartfelt and generous gift,
which will go far to bring our community to Israel — and Israel to our
2. community — by supporting missions, study and volunteering, and expanding
Israel programming," said Federation president and CEO Matthew C. Levin.
"It has been deeply rewarding for all of us to be able to match their desire to
make a major impact for our community and our people with Federation's
longstanding desire to significantly expand our Israel engagement.
"Together, we have created a vehicle to fulfill both our dreams."
Despite very modest upbringings, both Judi and Allan Schuman learned from
their families the importance of helping the global Jewish family.
As a child, Judi walked her Brooklyn neighborhood with her tiny grandmother
and a blue Hadassah tin.
"All I knew was that we were collecting money to help Jews," Judi
remembered.
Her husband, Allan, recalls the Jewish National Fund tin in the small three-
room apartment his family shared in the Bronx.
"My father worked 12 hours a day in his butcher shop trying to make ends
meet, but still my parents gave," Allan recalled.
Though they began married life in what Allan calls "the minus column," as
Judi puts it, "Helping just got into our blood and stayed there."
As their union thrived and prospered, they became able to help in ways they
could not have imagined. And the most recent of these ways is their gift to the
South Palm Beach County Federation to establish this center.
Moving to Delray Beach in 2004, the Schumans are Prime Minister Council
donors to the local Federation and members of its Ketubah Society. Judi has
endowed her Lion of Judah gift — and the couple has made a significant legacy
gift to the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center as well.
3. As leaders in Jewish South Palm Beach County, the Schumans have served in
many capacities. At the Federation, they currently chair the King David
Society; Judi is a Federation vice chair; and Allan chairs the INSPIRE
mentoring program for Federation's Business & Professional Division.
Judi chaired Women's Philanthropy at the Federation from 2014-16 — and
both serve on the Levis JCC board as well.
The Schumans' efforts have been recognized with the 2017 Jewish Federations
of North America (JFNA) National Endowment Achievement Award and the
2015 Levis JCC Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Crystal Award.
Yet, both Schumans say their proudest achievement is how their children and
grandchildren have followed their footsteps into philanthropy and Jewish life.
Missions to Israel and across the globe have been instrumental to the couple's
philanthropy.
Joining Federation's Israel & Overseas Task Force Mission last fall was pivotal
for Judi.
"After personally touching so much of our work in Israel and seeing so many
opportunities to connect people with our homeland, our gift to create the
Center for Israel Engagement really began to take shape," Judi said.
Added Allan, "We are deeply concerned with keeping new generations
involved. To help Israel remain thriving and secure, we must keep Jewish life
thriving and secure, and vice versa. Federation does so much toward this and
is a terrific organization for our investment. I only wish that my parents could
have seen and understood what our gifts will accomplish."
One unique opportunity for those in the South Palm Beach Jewish community
to engage with Israel is coming up with the Federation's Spirit of Israel
Community Mission set for Nov. 5-11.