Mandell "Bill" Berman (1917–2016) was the businessman (housing construction industry) and philanthropist behind the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation,McGinity, Keren
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry Lifetime Achievement Award Announcement
December 19, 2010 which supports

Jewish education Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cu ...

, and research and study of the contemporary American Jewish community. His philanthropic focus was on the storage, dissemination, and preservation of Jewish data, as well as Jewish education and special education.A Philanthropist Crunches The Numbers
Tamar Snyder, New York Jewish Week, November 25, 2009

Biography

Berman was born (1917) and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, one of four siblings. His mother was from

Toledo, OH Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, descended of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. His father immigrated from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

at a young age, and with a grade school education, served in the American Army as an officer and worked as a successful businessman. Berman was raised in a religiously traditional home but was allowed to spend money and travel on shabbat to get to Hebrew school and religious services. He married Madge, née Madeleine Brodie, in 1950. They have two children and three grandchildren.Speech
on reception of th
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry
s first Berman award, December 19, 2011Interview with Mandell Berman
Detroit Jewish Spirit: the Aish Detroit Community Magazine, Fall 2008

Education

Berman attended Detroit Central High School and Shaarey Tzedek High School. He briefly attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, but then completed his undergraduate studies at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1940 graduating Magna Cum Laude, and graduated Harvard Business School in 1942. In 2011, he received an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

Career

Past: * President: Bert L. Smokler & Company (1946–1975), Dreyfus Development Corporation (1969-19872), South Eastern Michigan Builders Association * Partner: Bert L. Smokler & Company (1946–1975) * Chairman of the Skillman Foundation * Chairman: Board of Trustees of the Michigan State Housing Finance Authority, Supervisory Board of Euroad * Board member: Dreyfus Corporation (NYSE), Guardian Industries (NYSE), Lennar Corporation (NYSE) Berman also served 4 years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, including a posting in Okinawa.

Philanthropic work

Selected supported projects

* The Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ Stanford Universitybr>(BJPA)

The North American Jewish Data Bank
(NAJDB)
The Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli-Arab Issues
(IATF)
The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan

The Berman Center
of the Jewish Educational Service of North America (JESNA) (of which he was also the co-founder) * The Mandell Berman Fellowship Program at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

'
Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies
* Th
Mandell_L._Berman_Postdoctoral_Research_Fellow_in_Contemporary_American_Jewish_Life_at_the_Frankel_Center_at_the_University_of_Michigan
.
Myers-JDC-Brookdale_Institute
��s_Center_for_Research_on_Disabilities'_Mandell_Berman_Fund_for_Research_on_Children_with_Disabilities,_1999. *_Th
1990_and_2000–2001_National_Jewish_Population_Surveys
*_The_2009_study_on_Jewish_mobility. *_Berman_fellowship_(since_2006)_at_the_Jewish_Theological_Seminary_of_America#William_Davidson_Graduate_School_of_Jewish_Education.html" ;"title="University of Michigan">Mandell L. Berman Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Contemporary American Jewish Life at the Frankel Center at the University of Michigan
.
Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute
��s Center for Research on Disabilities' Mandell Berman Fund for Research on Children with Disabilities, 1999. * Th
1990 and 2000–2001 National Jewish Population Surveys
* The 2009 study on Jewish mobility. * Berman fellowship (since 2006) at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America#William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education">William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education.
Jewish Communal Leadership Program
at the

's School of Social Work * Mandell L. Berman Center (1988) and Berman Fellowships (since 1997), at th
University of Michigan Hillel
* The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Award for Outstanding Professional Service to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and its agencies. * The Detroit Symphony Orchestra * The Berman Center for the Performing Arts (2011) at the Jewish Community Center, Detroit * Michigan Humane Society – The Berman Center for Animal Care in Westland * The Berman Center for Jewish Education at Congregation Shaarey Zedek * and many more, both in and outside of the Jewish community

Positions held

Current and/or Past: * President: Council of Jewish Federations (now the Jewish Federations of North America) (1987–1990), Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools of Detroit (1962–1995) * Chairman:

JESNA JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) is the Jewish federation system's educational coordinating, planning, and development agency. A national, non-profit agency, it was created in 1981. It closed in 2013. Role Over the past twenty- ...

(Jewish Education Service of North America) Berman Research and Evaluation Center, Volunteer and Professional Leadership Biographies, National Jewish Population Survey 2000–01 AAJE (predecessor of

), National Jewish Population Survey, Board of Overseers and Executive Committee of the Board of Overseers of the JCPA ( Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs), Skillman Foundation, Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools of Detroit * Honorary chairman: University of Michigan Hillel,

(Jewish Education Service of North America) * Founder: Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, United Hebrew Schools (1959–1962), Jewish Historical Society of Michigan (1969) * Member of the Board: Overseers of the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education (since 1996),

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a Jewish relief organization based in New York City. Since 1914 the organisation has supported Jewish people living in Israel and throughout the world. The organization i ...

United Israel Appeal United Israel Appeal (UIA), a subsidiary of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), is a link between the American Jewish community and the people of Israel. An independent legal entity with 501(c)(3) charity status, and a Board of ...

, the

Jewish Agency for Israel The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

, Skillman Foundation, World Zionist Education Authority,

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

, Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation,

HIAS HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was originally established in 1881 to aid Jewish refugees. In 1975, the State Department ...

(Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society),Confronting the Future of the Jewish People
Iggeret Newsletter, June 1995 JDC (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), UIA (United Israel Appeal) * Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

Awards

Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry The Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry (ASSJ) is a cross-disciplinary organization of individuals whose research concerns the Jewish people throughout the world founded in 1971. Purpose The ASSJ comprises primarily academics, but ...

first Lifetime Achievement award for his support of the study of the North American Jewish community, December 19, 2010.Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry Lifetime Achievement Award
December 19, 2010
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
Leonard N. Simons History Award, 2009Press Release

Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
May 5, 2009. * Mesorah Award for Outstanding Leadership in Jewish Education,

(Jewish Education Service of North America), 1992History of the Berman Center
, JESNA
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Butzel Award, 1978Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroi
Annual Report 2003-2004
* Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Bill 1917 births 2016 deaths Jewish American philanthropists University of Michigan alumni Harvard Business School alumni Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Businesspeople from Detroit Harvard College alumni 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century American Jews