Jane Sherman
Interviewed by Michael Berke
June 27, 2019
Max M. Fisher Federation Building
Jane Sherman
Video 00:51:29
Jane Sherman
Audio 00:51:29
Abstract
This interview with Jane Sherman begins with discussing Jane’s childhood: where she attended school, and religion and philanthropy in her home. She also mentions her earlies memories of Israel. She mentions her first involvement with Federation was with the Young Adult Division in Florida. Around this time, she made a life-changing trip to Israel with United Jewish Appeal.
In Detroit she became part of the Women’s Division. She went in to the Campaign Department, which was her area of interest. Jane speaks about starting a fundraising training program and about education within the Women’s Division.
She continues speaking about the different roles she played in Women’s Division and her duties. She also mentions her work as Federation’s general campaign chairwoman. Jane shares some of her mentors and what she learned from them. She further speaks about keeping women involved in philanthropy. She also shares her opinion about bringing in the next generation of philanthropists.
Other topics in the interview include relationships between staff and lay leadership, leadership skills, challenges faced in the Jewish community today, Lion of Judah. The interview concludes with sharing information about her family.
History of Narrator
Jane Sherman has spent her adult life involved in Jewish communal work. She is particularly interested in children at risk in Israel, Jewish education, and working to train, educate and involve the next generation of Jewish leaders. Jane has held numerous top leadership roles in the Detroit’s Jewish Federation, including Women’s Department campaign chair and president, first woman chair of the general campaign, and vice president of the Federation. She was a member of the board of governors of the Jewish Agency, chaired the Israel Department, Youth Aliyah and Allocations and she was the first chair of Project Renewal.
Jane and her husband Larry have led over fifty missions to Israel. Jane also co-chaired and professionally ran Detroit’s first two Miracle Missions. Jane was a chair of the Max M and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, board member and campaign chair of the Birthright Israel Foundation, and served on the boards of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Aspen Music Festival and School.
Jane has won numerous awards including Federation’s Fred M. Butzel Award. She is a recipient of the Herb Garon Young Leadership Award, Israel Bonds Leadership Award, Sylvia Simon Greenberg Young Leadership Award as well as having been made an honorary citizen of Ramle, Israel.
Transcript
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Credit as: Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives. Jane Sherman Oral History Interview, June 27, 2019.