As a young boy growing up in Lawrence, MA, I remember the powerful feeling of going to synagogue with my father, mother and two sisters. As we walked to Temple, I remember seeing the faces of the young children on the streets, and then hearing the Rabbi speak about the challenges and struggles of the families in this industrial town. Sparked by this new awareness, I performed my first Tzedakah, by contributing to Unicef, in a quest to help the children of my community and the world.
After graduating from BostonUniversity’s School of Management, I began working in real estate focusing on creating a successful management, acquisitions and investment company, eventually becoming CEO of Sawyer Realty Holdings, Inc. and Head of the company’s Global Strategic Initiatives. My work required long hours and much travel, but I never lost sight of what was important to me: giving back. I served as Chairman for the Annual Fund of Tufts Hillel; Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees, Tufts Hillel; Board of Trustees, Camp Bauercrest; the Parents Committee at Cornell University and the Beaver Country Day School Strategic Development Committee.
My philanthropic contributions are diverse, important to me and on-going, to mention a few: Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Friends of Yemin Orde, Boston Children’s Hospital, Hebrew College, Rashi School, Brandeis University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Unicef, American Liver Foundation, Jimmy Fund, Boston Medical, Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, National Tay-Sachs Allied Disease Association, Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston, plus countless others.
Heeding well the adage, ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,” and thinking back to those young faces on the streets of Lawrence, I knew that I wanted to create something that would encourage others---and particularly young people—to give back to the world. Remembering a HarvardBusinessSchool study that indicated that people are happier spending money on others than on themselves, I created JChoice with the goal of encouraging young people all over the world to make a contribution to those less fortunate. Rooted deeply in the principles and humanitarian values instilled in me during my early years at the synagogue.
I hope to make the world of giving accessible, fun, meaningful and powerful for rising generations of young Jewish men and women. For me, charity begins at home: my four children are deeply involved in JChoice, helping to create content and encouraging others to participate in making the world a better and safer place for all children.
It is my hope that these future humanitarians will repair the world one cause at a time.