Area women take a ‘leap’ in funding centers in Israel for favorite causes

by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

When Maxine Myers of West Orange decided she wanted to build a center for people with special needs in Israel, she set in motion a project that grew to much more than even she had envisioned.

Her idea, slated for Ofakim, one of the sister cities of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey, is not only becoming a reality but has rallied 130 local women in a fund-raising initiative call “Lion’s Leap.”

It all started about a year ago, when Myers approached Amir Shacham, director of Israel operations for UJC MetroWest, with her idea to create a space for people with physical and emotional disabilities and dedicate it to the memory of her parents. Myers herself grew up with “a very small neurological disability,” she told NJ Jewish News.

“I wanted to dedicate the building to my parents because they were so into my being as good as I could be,” she said. “They did things for me that were extraordinary.”

Myers has donated many projects — especially those for physically disabled people — both locally and in Israel. In memory of her father, Carl Leff, who died in 1993, she dedicated a facility similar to the one being built in Ofakim at the Lester Senior Jewish Housing Community in Whippany, a project of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation. “Now that my mother has died, I thought I would do it in Israel,” said Myers. Her mother, Eleanor Leff, died two years ago.

Shacham set to work finding the right location, ultimately settling on what has affectionately come to be called “the tooth pub” in Ofakim. As Shacham explained in an e-mail, “It’s very funny because there’s no pub there at all.… It used to be a dental clinic, and it’s the place where [the youngsters of Ofakim] go to hang out on the corner.” The building, though smaller than some locations considered, suited Myers’ desire for a central location that would not leave the special needs population feeling disconnected.

There was just one problem. The building has two identical wings. One would be dedicated to Myers’ project; the other, however, had no designated use. That’s when the idea for a women’s community center was born. “Our thinking was that the cooperation that will be established between the women’s forum and the special needs office will benefit both and can serve as a model for community building and mutual helping,” said Shacham.

That’s when Shacham enlisted the help of the Women’s Department of UJC MetroWest. He would need $50,000, matching Myers’ commitment, to proceed. “There was a national initiative already to come up with ways to increase Lions of Judah giving,” explained women’s campaign chair Paula Saginaw of North Caldwell. Lions of Judah are women who give at least $5,000 annually. “So we created Lion’s Leap. For every woman who increased her pledge, $500 of the increase would go to the women’s center in Ofakim.” The goal, according to Saginaw, was to enlist the support of 100 Lions of Judah; 130 responded. “That’s remarkable. It says a lot for the women of our community,” said Saginaw.

When it is finished, the facility in Ofakim will include a club/fitness center for adults with special needs, and a women’s community center. The renovation is scheduled to begin within three months and will take six to eight months to complete. The total cost is expected to be about $110,000 (the municipality is donating $10,000).

One more partner, Yachdav, the southern arm of the Sacta-Rashi Foundation, will also be helping with both the renovation and operation of the special-needs center. Sacta-Rashi is a private family foundation in Israel established in 1984 and dedicated to assisting Israel’s underprivileged.

On Jan. 25, Myers and Saginaw, along with a 14-woman delegation from MetroWest, representatives from the municipality, and people from the two populations the building will serve, joined together for a ceremonial ground-breaking.

“It was very moving. I was thinking of my parents while I held the shovel,” said Myers. “I hated my parents sometimes. I thought they were taskmasters. But they made me as good as I could be, and they made me appreciate my ability to overcome.”

Johanna Ginsberg can be reached at jginsberg@njjewishnews.com.