Jewish Communal Fund was honored to carry out Neufeld’s charitable legacy and keep his family’s memory alive
As the only member of his immediate family who survived the Holocaust, Henry Neufeld understood the importance of leaving a meaningful legacy.
After surviving the horrors of the Holocaust, Mr. Neufeld went on to found a chemical importing business, and later became a philanthropist. He felt it was very important to nurture the next generation. This led him to support a nursery school in Herzliya, and help build a playground in Riverside Park in Manhattan.
Mr. Neufeld deeply valued scientific research and education. In 2000, he died with no heirs and left a bequest from his estate to a donor advised fund at Jewish Communal Fund. The Henry Neufeld Memorial Endowment Fund was established soon after his death. Over almost two decades, JCF invested the charitable assets and made nearly $1 million in grants in his memory to four universities in Israel, according to his instructions.
At the conclusion of the distribution period, JCF facilitated the final major gift by creating a competitive request for proposals from the universities that were supported by JCF’s Henry Neufeld Memorial Endowment Fund.
JCF, with the assistance of a professional philanthropy advisor, selected Hebrew University’s Edmond & Lily Safra Brain Sciences Center in the Goodman Brain Sciences Building as the recipient of a $1.4 million grant, as this initiative was well-aligned with Mr. Neufeld’s interests.
Mr. Neufeld’s great desire in making this gift was that his parents, Esther and Shlomo Neufeld, and his brothers, Baruch and Menachem Neufeld—all of whom perished in the Holocaust—will be remembered in Israel.
In January, JCF CEO Susan Dickman and Ellen Israelson, VP of Philanthropic Services, flew to Israel to attend the dedication of the brain sciences lab in Givat Ram, and witness the installment of the plaque commemorating Mr. Neufeld and his family. The Henry Neufeld Social Hub is a modern, open concept space designed to encourage intellectual collaboration and social interactions between faculty, students and researchers.
“I was deeply humbled to be tasked with the responsibility of commemorating the Neufeld family, most of whom perished in the Holocaust,” said Sue Dickman, Executive Vice President and CEO of Jewish Communal Fund. “For almost 50 years, the Jewish Communal Fund, the largest Jewish donor advised fund in the world, has had the privilege of helping thousands of people with their charitable giving during their lifetimes, as well as helping to carry out their charitable legacies.”
If you are thinking about estate planning and want to learn more about how Jewish Communal Fund can help you craft your charitable legacy for decades to come, contact a JCF representative at 212-752-8277.
