My Life, My Legacy highlights community members who have set up endowment funds through the Life and Legacy program, offered in partnership with the Jewish Federation, to support the growth and vitality of our community for generations to come.

Ann and I came to appreciate our Jewish beliefs from very different backgrounds. Ann’s parents were Holocaust survivors with heartrending stories. They met in the Farenwold Displaced Persons Camp and married in six weeks. A year and half later, Ann was born and her brother followed a year after that. The family came to the United States in 1949 and lived in various cities until finally settling in Philadelphia. Her parents instilled a tireless work ethic, owning and managing a luncheonette in West Philly. Most of her parents’ friends were survivors as well. Thus, Ann grew up in the shadow of the Holocaust, in a Jewish, loving home.

My parents were both born in the United States, in Philadelphia. My mother was the youngest of six and my father the youngest of 10, most of them married with children. You can imagine a myriad of lively family events. My Jewish interest really began to blossom in my teens. Being very shy, I was fortunate to join USY and took a very active role both Jewishly and socially. I began attending services regularly and assumed some leadership positions. I discovered the Lehigh Valley when I was a student at Muhlenberg College. I remember that the college was exactly 10% Jewish, and most were in premed and in the same fraternity. How things have changed! The college is now 25-30% Jewish, with a very active Hillel and a connection with the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

Our paths finally crossed when I was a medical student at Jefferson and Ann was teaching fourth grade in a Philadelphia suburb. We met by chance at a wedding in Philadelphia. I was a high school friend of the groom and Ann was a high school friend of the bride. In those times, even Jewish wedding receptions often would feature a certain fun tradition—well, Ann caught the bouquet and I caught the garter belt! We were engaged six months later. When time came for me to start my internship and residency, I decided on Allentown Hospital, now Lehigh Valley Hospital. Ann became involved with ORT. She also organized and hosted several Yom HaShoah memorials and taught the Holocaust as a major unit when she was a reading teacher in public schools. We both held various leadership positions in our synagogue, Temple Beth El. I began chanting Torah and Haftorah regularly and also served for many years as a gabbai.

We took part in various Federation events, but what really energized me was an opportunity offered to me by Stuart Mellon, assistant director of the Federation. He asked me, Doug Blake, and Ian Carliss to organize Jewish healthcare providers to create a fundraising event, such as a dinner-dance. The year was 1986, and after a few meetings, which included Mickey Ufberg z”l and Larry Levitt, we formed the Maimonides Society. Membership was open to all healthcare providers, with stratified minimum gifts depending on years in practice or retirement, educational brunches, free care to Russian immigrants, and an “exchange” program with Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel.

I was the second president of Maimonides and I administered the program with Israel for 13 years. Ann and I visited Israel three times, the first in 1987, when I met with several doctors who would later come to the Lehigh Valley for training. Each of our visits to Israel was among the most inspiring moments of our lives. Ann was a great support to me in my leadership role in Maimonides. I am proud to say that there are Maimonides Societies all over the country now, and ours served as a model for many of them. Oh, by the way, we still haven’t had that dinner-dance!

We have always believed that there is no greater example of tikkun olam—repairing the world—than physicians and other healthcare providers in partnership with God. With our estate planned giving to the Lehigh Valley Jewish Foundation, we believe that we are taking a major part in achieving that ultimate goal.

Now we are retired and live in Sarasota, Florida. We visit Allentown in the summer, which serves as home base for seeing our friends, colleagues, and families. Although we are fairly active in our Sarasota Synagogue, Temple Beth Sholom (Ann is active in Sisterhood and I often read Torah and Haftorah), our hearts are still in the Lehigh Valley. We will always embrace the Jewish rituals, education and values, and the sense of kehilah that are integral to this community.

For information on the Life and Legacy program and how you can support our community and its programs and services well into the future, contact Aaron Gorodzinsky at aaron@jflv.org.