Fifteen St. Louis Jewish leaders heard President Bill Clinton recently in Palm Beach, FL, where he provided fascinating insights on a range of global issues. They were part of a group of more than 650 members of the Jewish Federations’ King David Society (KDS). The event was hosted by the Jewish Federations of North America, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.
The Jewish Federations’ King David Society is a community of philanthropists who contribute $25,000 or more to the Annual Campaign. KDS donors share a passionate concern for issues that affect the global Jewish community, and set inspiring standards in philanthropic giving.
The St. Louis contingent included: Marie and Stuart Block, Phyllis and Sanford Goffstein, Lanie and Milton Goldenberg, Ruth Lederman, Colleen and Robert Millstone, Marilyn Moore, Jane Tzinberg Rubin, Sherri Frank Weintrop, Lee Wielansky, Lori Wishne and William and Elaine Wolff.
In both an address to the KDS gathering and during an interview conducted by Kathy Manning, chair of the JFNA Board of Trustees, President Clinton discussed current events of interest to the Jewish community. In a wide-ranging and in-depth forum, President Clinton said that with many critical challenges we also face important opportunities to help repair the world.
St. Louisans Stuart and Marie Block said, “It was awe-inspiring to learn that the Clinton initiative parallels what we do at Jewish Federation. We both work to help others and globally touch people in need. Of course, it was extremely fascinating to hear someone who has been in government and worked with all these different countries give us his perspective about what goes on behind the scenes. We understand Clinton is not privy to everything going on with the current administration, but he has an understanding of the dynamics and the players involved. I walked away feeling like I had a better understanding of the complexity of the Middle East situation.”
Block added, “One of the things we found impressive is that President Clinton met every guest who wanted to shake his hand and he stood around after his address to talk to various people.”
JFNA’s National Campaign Chair Susan Stern of New York, said, “It is so important for our generous King David Society donors to come together and have this kind of opportunity to meet with such a dynamic global leader. It was equally important that this critical group of supporters sees how much Jewish Federations appreciate their leadership.”