09/06/2019
Wildly Impactful Campaign Chair
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Republished with permission from Beachwood Buzz.
by Arlene Fine
As chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s 2020 Campaign for Jewish Needs, attorney Jeff Wild hopes to raise the bar even higher.
“Last year, the Campaign for Jewish Needs raised more than $32.7 million from more than ten thousands donors,” says Jeff. “Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that our donors increase that total to help secure the safety of our buildings and institutions and to provide funding for our agencies that impact the lives of so many members of our diverse Jewish community.”
Due to the recent anti-Semitic attacks in Pittsburgh and San Diego, the Federation’s security costs have skyrocketed from about one million dollars a year to the current $3.2 million a year.
“What I appreciate about the Federation is that it’s the one organization that looks out for the welfare of everyone in our Jewish community,” says Jeff. “Through the Federation’s security-readiness training and multiple resources, our beneficiary agencies have the tools and trained personnel to make every place as safe as possible where Jews gather to work, pray, learn, play, study and socialize.”
Jeff, 46, a partner at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, as well as the firm’s administrative partner, chief strategy officer, and chair of the Real Estate and Environmental Practice Group, spends at least 10 to 15 hours a week volunteering during campaign season.
“I’ve been passionate about the Federation ever since I moved here from New York with my wife, Danielle, a native Clevelander, 22 years ago,” Jeff says. “No other Jewish organization has a greater impact on the entire community than our Federation. Every dollar spent changes and improves the lives of Jews in Cleveland, Israel, and around the world. Whether one is unaffiliated or Orthodox, the Federation provides a place for all of us to gather together, to train new leaders, to educate our children, to respond in times of crisis, and to help grow Jewish Cleveland.”
The generosity and philanthropy of Cleveland’s Jewish community continues to amaze Jeff, who marvels that people of all ages and walks of life come together as one to show their support for each other and to demonstrate their solidarity with the global Jewish community.
Jeff credits his commitment to “giving back” to the guidance of his parents and to the encouragement of his wife and three sons. Along with serving as chair of the Federation’s Allocations Committee, Jeff was board president of Fuchs Mizrachi School and vice president of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland.
Jeff and Danielle, 20-year residents of Beachwood, are parents of Joshua, 20; Zachary, 18; and Aidan, 16. “Beachwood has always been a warm and generous community,” Jeff says. “And I’m confident, through a united commitment to the Federation’s Campaign for Jewish Needs, that Northeast Ohio will continue to be a great place to call home for my children and my grandchildren in the future.”
