The Lion - Fall 2013

Page 1

T H E OF F IC I A L P U B L IC AT ION OF A L P H A E P SI L ON P I INSIDE:

Three Brothers Help Save the Life of a Young Girl Emergence of Tech Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups Establishment of the AEPi Canadian Foundation Mizzou Raises $123,000 for the American Cancer Society

FALL 2013

Celebrating

100 Years This past August, over 1,400 Brothers and guests convened in New York City for the Fraternity’s Centennial Celebration.


Founder David K. Schafer (left), pins his son Walter on the occasion of his induction into the Alpha Upsilon Chapter at New York UniversityHeights on March 19, 1952.

A Dream Achieved By Walter J. Schafer (Alpha Upsilon – NYU Heights 1952), son of AEPi co-founder David K. Schafer (NYU – Alpha 1915)

I’D LIKE TO SHARE A STORY WITH YOU

They had a dream that AEPi would grow, prosper, and become a shining example of true Jewish brotherhood with its members being respectable participants in the wider world. They achieved that vision beyond all expectations.

about the founders, which I heard first hand. I hope it will help you to understand and appreciate the motivations of these brave young men, who dealt with severe rejection and anti-Semitism on a daily basis. My father, David, was one of those men. They were desperate to live the American dream promised by our great nation. Our founders’ parents came to America in the late 19th century, Eastern European refugees escaping from generations of terrible abuse due to their religion. They lived in the poorest neighborhoods. All refugees in the 19th century were treated miserably but the Jews even more so, ostracized because of their religion. It was normal to work 12-hour days, seven days a week, in horrible working conditions. Yet, they were willing to do this so that their sons and daughters would have opportunities to climb the ladder of American prosperity. From these conditions our founding Brothers created a beautiful space for us. Their parents encouraged them to get an education,

the cornerstone of climbing up the ladder of success. They worked during the day and attended school at night when they could find the money to pay for it. They spent all hours working, attending classes, and studying. In time they met each other in class and in the local shops. They became friends and formed clubs or sports teams. One particular fellow, Charlie Moskowitz, was such an outstanding athlete that a fraternity on campus took notice. They wanted him to join their fraternity to play basketball in the fraternity league. However, to his credit, he rejected their offer when they refused to let his other Jewish “Brothers” join too. As you know, they decided to form their own fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. Charlie Moskowitz was the first Master and my dad, David, was the first Scribe. He became the third Master and led the effort to start and initiate the Beta Chapter at Cornell. The original founders and early members whom I knew personally also included: Emil Lustgarten, George Goldgeier, George Greenberg, Izzy Glaser, Teddy Racoosin, Aaron Rubin, Max Littman, Harry Prager, and Nat Immerman. It wasn’t long before the group swelled. I was part of the next generation and these early players warmly embraced us. Our families were inseparable. Their offspring and their wives became the core of the New York Alumni Club. You might say we were junior pledges before we were even teenagers. There was warmth and affection for each other beyond what one can imagine. They would socialize and help each other at least once a month, no matter what! Considering the time period, from the World War I years to the depression of the thirties to World War II, some suffered many problems, but everyone was available to help each other. They had a dream that AEPi would grow, prosper, and become a shining example of true Jewish brotherhood with its members being respectable participants in the wider world. They achieved that vision beyond all expectations. Shortly before his passing, I escorted my Dad at the age of 93 to the 74th AEPi anniversary gathering. He was overwhelmed to hear about and to see the accomplishments of his great fraternity. Today I know he would be thrilled to see that his Brothers are proud strong men, honoring the principles of Judaism and respecting all civilized mankind. ✦


Table of Contents

01

Table of Contents

Letters

Fraternity Records

Noteworthy

Eleven

10 05

The Centennial Celebration The 100th Anniversary Convention

Foundation Receives Historic Gift $750,000 gift establishes the Michael A. Leven Advanced Leadership Institute

Foundation Annual Report

Alumni Accolades

Life’s Paths

18

So, You Want to Start a Business? Tech start-ups are emerging at a rapid pace, and tech entrepeneurs are becoming leaders in big business.

24

Trouble When Lightning Strikes When lightning struck three young children at a Jewish summer camp, the life-saving efforts of the camp counselors changed the lives of everyone involved.

Departments 02 Letters 04 Fraternity Records 05 Noteworthy 07 Eleven 08 Catalyst 16 Mutual Helpfulness 22 Chapter Chronicles 26 Alumni Accolades 31 Recollections 32 Life’s Paths On the cover: Alpha Epsilon Pi’s flag hanging from the front of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Photo by BarryBrown.com aepi.org

Fall 2013

THE LION


02

Table of Contents

Letters

Fraternity Records

Noteworthy

Eleven

Letters

From the Supreme Master DEAR BROTHERS,

On November 7, 2013, Alpha Epsilon Pi turned 100 years old! Mazal Tov to us all! Foundation Annual Report

The Official Publication of Alpha Epsilon Pi

VOL. 100 ISSUE 1

Fall 2013 The 1,400 Brothers and friends who flooded the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in August to celebrate our Fraternity’s centennial were moved to the core by what EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR they experienced. One alumnus told me that he was in tears during all three days of Andrew S. Borans, Alumni Accolades the convention from the power of the programming. Another took the microphone Phi Tau – Florida State 1980 and told a crowded room than he had never in his life felt more inspired. And all throughout, there was moment after moment when capacity crowds were visibly ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE overcome by emotion. Life’s Paths DIRECTOR What was it about those three days that so stirred us? James C. Fleischer, To be sure, the programming was powerful. The opening session at NYU’s Phi Deuteron – Kent State 1993 Washington Square Arch was impressive. The Philanthropy Luncheon, during which our students presented to seven Jewish charities nearly $200,000 that they EDITOR raised, was unforgettable. The Shabbat program at the U.S.S. Intrepid aircraft Adam Matsil, carrier, honoring AEPi’s veterans, was remarkable. Some of the world’s most Tau Delta – Northwestern 2012 prominent Jewish organizations were represented during our memorable Partners Lunch. Leaders such as Michael Leven (Eta Deuteron – Tufts 1959), Howard CONTRIBUTORS Lorber (Alpha Epsilon – C.W. Post 1970), Yossi Siegel (Beta – Cornell 1974), Jay S. Feldman, Dan Mariaschin (Delta Beta – New Hampshire 1971), David Suissa (Honorary Nu Delta – Central Florida 2003 Brother), Ambassador Ido Aharoni (Honorary Brother), and the legendary Malcolm Dave Press, Hoenlein (Honorary Brother) enthralled the audience with their remarks. And the Nu Delta – Central Florida 2003 Centennial Gala, featuring CNN’s Wolf Blitzer (Upsilon Beta – Buffalo 1970) as emcee, was a stunning culmination of the three days. COMMUNCIATIONS But what most moved everyone was not any one program, nor even all of COMMITTEE them. Most powerful of all was the overwhelming sense of Jewish pride, unity, Elan S. Carr, and leadership that animated every aspect of those programs. The Brothers in Chi Alpha – California-Berkeley 1990 attendance could not help but feel that in celebrating the centennial of the global Scott Cohon, Jewish fraternity, they were experiencing the very essence of Jewish brotherhood Xi – Wayne State 1991 itself — love and commitment, an unqualified and impassioned embrace of Jewish David Daniels, heritage, an unbridled support for the State of Israel, and perhaps most of all, a Alpha Sigma – Arizona State 1998 profound sense of belonging to ‘Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. And when it was all over, when the Gala concluded and 1,400 of us swayed Jay S. Feldman, shoulder-to-shoulder in a thunderous rendition of “Gold and Blue”, we were left Nu Delta – Central Florida 2003 with a feeling of hope for our future. In this era of rampant assimilation and loss Jason Friedlander, of identity, during a time when the Jewish people are so desperately in need of Alpha Sigma – Arizona State 1998 unity, in a world that so urgently craves leadership, we could not help but feel that, Jonathan M. Pierce, somehow and in some way, AEPi has shown us the way forward. Tau – Vanderbilt 1986 As we now embark on the second century of our great Fraternity, let us renew our dedication to the causes for which our wonderful Brotherhood exists. May Sasha Strauss, the powerful themes of those celebrations in New York carry us forward to even Zeta Tau – California-Irvine 1999 greater heights. And may each of us join with our Brothers throughout the globe DESIGN & LAYOUT and across the generations to lead our people to a better future and to make our world a better place. Tria Designs Inc. Happy Birthday AEPi!

Elan S. Carr, Chi Alpha – California-Berkeley 1990 SUPREME MASTER THE LION

Fall 2013

aepi.org


03 RECEIVE THE LION All life members of Alpha Epsilon Pi are subscribed to receive The Lion.

GET PUBLISHED IN THE LION Undergraduates and alumni members alike are encouraged to submit material to The Lion for publication consideration. To submit, please email thelion@aepi.org and be sure to include high resolution photographs (at least 300 DPI).

SUBMISSION DEADLINES Spring 2014: February 1 Summer 2014: April 1

CONTACT THE LION The Lion of Alpha Epsilon Pi Attn: Editor 8815 Wesleyan Road Indianapolis, IN 46268 (317) 876-1913 thelion@aepi.org

ADDRESS CHANGES Please email office@aepi.org (subject line: Address Change) with your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number. Address changes can also be sent to: Alpha Epsilon Pi, 8815 Wesleyan Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268.

PUBLISHER

From the Executive Director DEAR BROTHERS,

Happy 100th Birthday to Alpha Epsilon Pi! Just a few months ago, AEPi alumni and undergraduate Brothers across the globe kicked-off our Centennial Celebration. As we all reflect on the last 100 years, and our individual memories from our undergraduate days, I can’t help but think of what is in store for AEPi in our next 100 years. Everyday, our undergraduate brothers participate in life-changing programs and activities through the Fraternity, just as you did, through these experiences: Brotherhood trips and Rush, social events with sororities, Regional Conclaves, community service activities, and other incredible AEPi programs. Our young Brothers learn to be leaders while discovering who they are as young Jewish adults. Alpha Epsilon Pi is no longer just a fraternity of Jewish men. Today, AEPi is truly an international enterprise, recognized as the premier leadership development organization for young Jewish men entering college. Together we have the opportunity to not only ensure an amazing fraternity experience for our young Brothers, but also the prospect of impacting the future of the Jewish people. With just a few days left before December 31st, please join me in supporting our mission of developing the future leaders of the Jewish community by making a tax-deductible gift to the AEPi Foundation with the enclosed envelope. If you have already made your commitment for the year, thank you! As you read through The Lion, please consider making an additional year-end gift in honor of AEPi’s 100th anniversary. And, if you’ve not yet done so, please think about the direct impact you will make by paying it forward to the next generation of AEPi Brothers. With these funds, we will be able to provide our nearly 10,000 undergraduate Brothers with the very best leadership development opportunities, amazing programming initiatives, and much needed academic financial assistance. To our next 100 years!

The Lion of Alpha Epsilon Pi (ISSN 1041-6935) is published by the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity.

MEMBER

Andy Borans, Phi Tau – Florida State 1980 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

aepi.org

Fall 2013

THE LION


04

Table of Contents

Letters

Fraternity Records Fraternity Records

Noteworthy

MARRIAGES Ethan Altman, Northwestern 2010 Ariella Sprague Doug Boneparth, Florida 2007 Heather Berger Chad Bubis, Florida 2007 Andrea LaVerde Nathaniel Elbaz, Sorbonne 2014 Melissa Cohen-Arazi Lee Ettleman, Northwestern 2008 Caren Putterman Moshe Genet, Yeshiva 2012 Rivka Weyl David Goldberg, Virginia Tech 2011 Jessica Grimes

Eleven Jaffe, California StateMicah Northridge 2012 Samin Davari Victor Kasoff, Virginia Tech 2008 Stevie Lynn Bodamer Foundation Annual Report Daniel Lieberman, Northwestern 2013 Elizabeth Phillips Alumni Accolades Mark Masters, Carleton 2008 Robyn Weintraub Joe Nizhnikov, Virginia Tech 2006 Molly Rubin Life’s Paths Kevin Rachlin, Ohio State 2007 Jen Arnowitz

Mike Ross, Virginia Tech 2007 Hannah Goff Joshua Roth, Florida 2008 Kelly Dayan Fred Silberberg, Illinois 1982 Douglas Levy Darren Speizer, Florida 2007 Andrea Hardee Jacob Spirer, Virginia Tech 2009 Libby Weber Logan Wall, Northwestern 2010 Rachel Zinn David Zorn, Northwestern 2006 Briana Bidmon

CHAPTER ETERNAL Sidney D. Alpert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1937 Dr. Norman Amer, Michigan 1953 Sanford I. Atkin, Ohio State 1955 Eric C. Britton, Ohio 1986 Alan Bubis, Vanderbilt 1944 Frederick Burg, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1938 Arnold B. Cantor, Penn State 1955 Craig Citron, Kansas 1989 Robert T. Cole, Pennsylvania 1953 Gerald J. Cooper, Toledo 1955 Donald Diamond, Emory 1954 Jeffrey S. Duncan, Penn State 1986 James M. Ferber, Penn State 1968 Morris S. Finkel, Penn State 1957 Larry Finkelstein, American Arthur Freedberg, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1956 Ronald Freemerman, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1956 Alfred Garshick, Northeastern 1951 Joel K. Golden, Penn State 1956

Edward Goldstein, George Washington 1955 Fred Goodman, New Mexico 1952 Morton B. Gulak, Penn State 1961 Ira M. Hammer, Bradley 1951 Louis J. Hattner, Toledo 1954 Philip J. Kaminsky, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1953 Jerome Katz, Washington 1951 Dr. Warren Kranz, Virginia 1956 Ben N. Kusnetzky, Missouri 1958 Sheldon Kutcher, Toledo 1941 Donald A. Lesser, Drake 1952 Neil Robert Levin, Miami 1954 Nathan Levine, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1936 Lee I. Levy, Washington 1955 Adam Linter, George Washington 1967 C.R. Manoff, Toledo 1954 David R. Markin, Bradley 1953 Donald D. Meisel, Penn State 1949 Dr. Irving Melnick, Penn State 1953 Alvin W. Melser, Ohio State 1948

Isidore C. Myers, Akron 1939 Sidney Nudelman, Ohio State 1960 Alex Ornstein, Wayne State 1966 Allan A. Pines, Ohio State 1949 Murray Pollack, Miami 1953 Peter M. Pollack, Penn State 1963 Manny Reichstein, Texas 1945 Harrison Scheuner, Memphis 1960 Martin Schwartz, Ohio Northern 1950 Bernard A. Seltzer, Penn State 1952 Abraham W. Siff, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1949 Joseph Simon, Michigan State 1949 Dave Smith, American 1971 Robert Sondheim, American 1972 Howard Stevens, Queens College 1960 Edward Sunshine, Arizona State 1959 Seymour Susman, Georgia 1963 Thomas Trevor, American 1972 Dr. Gershon R. Weiner, Wayne State 1956 Bentley Weinstein, Virginia 1950 Howard Yaffee, Toledo 1954 James Yonts, Marquette 1969

To Ian and Adriana Cooper, Northwestern 2001, a daughter Liora Micaella

To Jonathan and Angela Kaskel, Florida 2004, a daughter Alice Gabriel

To Avery and Robin Maron, Northwestern 2005, a daughter Lillian Josette

To Richie and Elissa Dinets, California-San Diego 2004, a son Liam Isaac

To Jeremy and Alisa Katzman, Florida 2005, a daughter Lexi Rachel

To Alex and Lauren Nizhnikov, Virginia 2002, a daughter Lily Alice

To David and Lauren Edelstein, Northwestern 2004, a daughter Hannah Beatrice

To Scott and Sara King, Eta - Ohio State 2006, a son Grayson Maxwell

BIRTHS

To Gene and Stephanie Gurevich, Charleston 2002, a son Noah Eitan To Matthew and Jeanne Huff, Northwestern 1999, a daughter Jessica Ziva To Michael and Danielle Kahn, Cornell 2000, a son Elijah Gerald

THE LION

Fall 2013

To Andrew and Jennifer Kosoy, Florida 2007, a daughter Avery To Paul and Naomi Lamb, Ohio State 2007, a son Simon Benjamin To Josh and Ilana Mandel, Ohio State 2000, a daughter Rosie Jordana To Howard and Tanya Margolese, McGill 1991, a daughter Alexandra Olena

To Geoffrey and Amy Woods, California-Santa Barbara 2008, a daughter Daphne Rose To Jeremy and Lisa Yoskowitz, Washington-St. Louis 1997, a son David Lawrence *Correction from Spring 2013 issue: To Peter and Robbie Cohen-Millstein, Brown 1998, a daughter Lilah Evea

aepi.org


Letters

Fraternity Records

Noteworthy

Noteworthy

05

Eleven

Foundation Annual Report

Alumni Accolades

Life’s Paths

Michael A. Leven (Eta Deuteron – Tufts 1959) giving a speech at The Venetian after receiving the Arthur and Simi Teich Award for Distinguished Alumni Achievement at the banquet dinner of the 2013 West Coast Regional Conclave.

Alumnus Announces Historic Gift AMONG THE MANY HIGHLIGHTS AT THE CENTENNIAL

Celebration in New York City was a luncheon that focused on the philanthropic activity and Jewish communal service of AEPi’s undergraduate chapters. During the program, Supreme Master Elan Carr (Chi Alpha – California-Berkeley 1990) and Foundation Managing Director Jay Feldman (Nu Delta – Central Florida 2003) had the honor of announcing a $750,000 gift from alumnus Michael A. Leven (Eta Deuteron – Tufts 1959) and the establishment of the Michael A. Leven Advanced Leadership Institute. Supreme Master Carr said, “The Leven Institute is a game-changer for AEPi and will significantly transform the leadership development programming offered to our undergraduate members.” Leven’s investment in AEPi represents the largest single donation in the organization’s 100-year history. After the announcement, Leven addressed the audience, sharing memories of his own undergraduate days in AEPi. He explained, “My experience as Rush Chairman and Master taught me about marketing, leadership, and how to manage people. Today, AEPi is no longer a fraternity of Jews, but a Jewish Fraternity. As I became

aepi.org

reacquainted with the fraternity and its monumental success in developing leadership for the global Jewish community, I knew I wanted to do something special for AEPi.” Earlier this year, Leven was presented with the Arthur and Simi Teich Award for Distinguished Alumni Achievement. Leven is President & COO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., where he is responsible for the overall operations of the company’s U.S. and international locations. He is a veteran hospitality executive with more than 50 years of experience in the business and a distinguished well-recognized record of success. He was formerly President and CEO of US Franchise Systems, Inc., the company he founded in 1995, which developed and franchised the Microtel Inns & Suites and Hawthorn Suites hotel brands. He was previously the President and COO of Holiday Inn Worldwide, President of Days Inn of America, and President of Americana Hotels. Leven is also involved with civic and philanthropic activities, serving as a trustee of the Marcus Foundation and as a board member for the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, the Birthright Israel Foundation, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization. ✦

Fall 2013

THE LION


06

Letters

Fraternity Records

Noteworthy Noteworthy

Eleven

Published!

Facebook.com/ AEPi.fraternity

Foundation Annual Report

A Quest for Excellence

Alumni Accolades

Ira Jacobson, Omega Deuteron – Michigan 1950

Life’s Paths

In response to a picture of Centennial Celebration attendees making care packages for our Armed Forces during the B’nai B’rith Community Service Project: “Thanks, as my son-in-law is on the Nimitz Aircraft Carrier in the Persian Gulf!” -Lee Waitz, cousin of AEPi’s Director of Centennial Development Michael Waitz (Beta Delta – DePaul 2009)

Instagram #AEPi

coryjosephs: The first time a flag not representing a country has been hung from the Waldorf #aepi #aepi100 #waldorfastoria

Twitter.com/ AEPi @erinkaplan_: “Israel is a society that makes the world a better place” @AEPi #IsraelAmplified @nicfraternity: Best wishes to @AEPi Fraternity on their 100th Anniversary Convention. That’s a wonderful milestone! #AEPi100 @BnaiBrith: Yesterday we teamed up with @AEPi to repaint a community center ravaged by Hurricane Sandy in NYC. Check it out – bit.ly/15k4a4y

THE LION

Fall 2013

If you would like to have your book featured, please email us at thelion@aepi.org.

Daniel Debow (Lambda Omega – Western Ontario 1995) announcing his $100,000 gift to the AEPi Foundation of Canada during the Gala Banquet of the Centennial Celebration (Photo by BarryBrown.com).

History in the Making in CANADA This past summer, the Canadian Revenue Agency approved the formation of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation of Canada. This sister organization of the U.S.-based Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation will provide alumni and friends who are Canadian residents with the opportunity to make tax-deductible contributions to support the Fraternity’s educational activities, enhance its Jewish enrichment programs, and provide scholarships. Many Canadian Brothers have begun making philanthropic commitments in honor of AEPi’s 100th birthday. One such alumnus, Daniel Debow (Lambda Omega – Western Ontario 1995), announced at the Centennial Celebration’s Gala Banquet that he would donate $100,000 to the Canadian Foundation, thus becoming the Canadian Foundation’s first Centennial Founder. Upon sharing the news, Debow stated, “My experience in Alpha Epsilon Pi has taught me more than I could have ever imagined. I am happy to make this gift, and proud to give back to an organization that has played a role in shaping me into the person and businessman I am today. This doesn’t come close to repaying what I have received.” Debow resides in Toronto with his wife and two children, where he is a successful entrepreneur and business executive. ✦ Please contact AEPi Foundation Managing Director Jay Feldman at jfeldman@aepi.org for more information about the Canadian Foundation. To read more about Debow and other successful AEPi entrepreneurs, turn to page 18.

For 50 years, Brielle Galleries was a worldrenowned retail destination filled with the most exquisite collections of porcelain sculptures, crystal, silver, jewelry and other magnificent creations. Ira Jacobson’s legendary events and dedication to customer service earned him a devoted clientele of celebrities, politicians, world leaders, CEOs and people who appreciated the fine and unusual objects d’art in which he specialized. A Quest for Excellence, hand signed by author Ira Jacobson, is available at Amazon.com.

The Cure

Douglas E. Richards, Eta – Ohio State 1984 The Cure provides an eye-opening look at what is known about psychopathy within an intriguing, explosive, roller-coaster-ride of a novel that will keep both thriller fans, and science fiction fans, reading deep into the night. The Cure can be found at Amazon.com.

The Death of Medicine Piso Mojado (Jack Reisman), Omega Deuteron – Michigan 1968

The Death of Medicine is the startling saga of the man called ‘The Savior of Mothers.’ Historians have given Doctor Ignaz Semmelweis this honor because he miraculously reduced death rates in every maternity clinic that he directed. However, even in the present day, there is not only a possibility, but also perhaps even a probability that the devastating epidemics confronted by Doctor Semmelweis could recur. Therefore, his innovations are relevant not only to mothers and mothers-to-be but to citizens everywhere. Find it at Amazon.com. aepi.org


Fraternity Records

Noteworthy

Eleven

Eleven

07

Foundation Annual Report

The Best Tweets from the Centennial Celebration Alumni Accolades

@iansn Over a thousand @AEPi brothers gathered for a picture at our birthplace #bornbeneatholdnyu #centennial #goldandblue

Life’s Paths

@JFrites: Amazing event tonight at the Intrepid honoring the men of @AEPi who have served their countries.

@WaldorfNYC: Just met Mr. Andrew Borans, Executive Director at @AEPi! A wonderful man representing this spectacular group we have here this week! #AEPi

@AlexHorwitch: Happy 100th birthday to @AEPi. You don’t look a day over 18-22. #ESPONDA

@syklein:

@dbearak:

Looking forward to hearing from @wolfblitzer at tomorrow’s @AEPi banquet. #AEPi100 #shabbatshalom

@AEPi has created an international fraternity full of young (Jewish) leaders and I couldn’t be prouder of them #AEPi100 #ESPONDA

@TexasAEPi 3 Texas @AEPi chapters enjoying dinner and brotherhood aboard Circle Line Cruise #HookEM #AEPi100

@AndrewSmith88: I am absolutely in awe of what our brothers do to make this world a better place @AEPi #AEPi100 #philanthropylunch

@EllenKleinhaus: @JasonTennenbaum: Congrats to our newest USGs Danny Tay and Elliot Malin on their new duties to @AEPi! I know you will serve us well. #AEPi100

aepi.org

@Sharsheret is all set up at the @AEPi registration area. The #AEPi100 celebration looks like it has started!

@jewsingreen Accepted the award in front of 100’s of my @AEPi brothers w/ the USS INTREPID as the backdrop. #onceinalifetime

Fall 2013

THE LION


08

Catalyst

Undergraduate Brothers Jonathan Kamel (Tau Delta – Northwestern 2016, far left) and Aaron Liener (Gamma Deuteron – Texas 2014, far right) with representatives from Palau and B’nai B’rith Board of Governors Member and AEPi Regional Governor Jacob Reckess (Lambda – Chicago 2005, third from the right).

Opening the U.N. General Assembly AS PART OF A B’NAI B’RITH

International delegation, several Brothers had the opportunity to meet with world leaders and open the U.N. General Assembly. This past September, a B’nai B’rith International delegation met with presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other senior officials attending the opening of the 68th United Nations General Assembly session. International President Allan J. Jacobs (Honorary Brother), Executive Vice President Dan Mariaschin (Delta Beta – New Hampshire 1971) and Chairman of the Executive Committee Gary P. Saltzman (Honorary Brother) led THE LION

Fall 2013

the delegation of nearly 20 B’nai B’rith members, supporters, and staff. Among the various topics discussed throughout the week of meetings, B’nai B’rith raised the urgent challenge posed by Iran and its ongoing attempt to acquire nuclear weapons capability, the civil war in Syria, a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and continued bias against Israel within agencies of the United Nations, not least its Human Rights Council. B’nai B’rith—which coordinated meetings on behalf of a broad coalition of international and American Jewish organizations—met with

leaders from Russia, France, India, Greece, Jordan, Spain, Hungary, Norway, Georgia, Paraguay, Italy, Palau, the Czech Republic, Azerbaijan and Honduras, among others. B’nai B’rith included one of its largest-ever groups of young leaders in an array of high-level meetings. This new generation of involved Jews is dedicated to the goals and mission of B’nai B’rith, including a strong commitment to communal advocacy. Jonathan Kamel (Tau Delta – Northwestern 2016) and Aaron Liener (Gamma Deuteron – Texas 2014), two undergraduate Brothers, joined Jacobs, Saltzman and Mariaschin in the delegation. Director of Civic Engagement Aaron Baskin (Chi Alpha – California-Berkeley 2013), B’nai B’rith Board of Governors Member and AEPi Executive Director Andy Borans (Phi Tau – Florida State 1980), and B’nai B’rith Board of Governors member and AEPi Regional Governor Jacob Reckess (Lambda – Chicago 2005) also represented Alpha Epsilon Pi in New York. ✦ aepi.org


09 Reflection The following is an excerpt of a reflection written by Aaron Liener (Gamma Deuteron – Texas 2014) on his recent experiences with B’nai B’rith: B’nai B’rith had never played a role in my life until a few months ago. Last April, Chuck Kaufman, an international VP of B’nai B’rith International and professor of communications at Texas State University, joined in the Walk to Remember event, a joint initiative with the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He offered a few remarks as we lit memorial candles and marched around campus, handing out leaflets with information about the Holocaust. We stayed in touch, and over the course of the summer he visited my home in Dallas and we sat down to discuss how our two organizations could work together to improve Jewish life on campus. A few months ago, I received a phone call from Aaron Baskin (Chi Alpha – California Berkeley 2013), Director of Civic Engagement for Alpha Epsilon Pi, asking me if I would like to go to the United Nation General Assembly in New York with B’nai B’rith. This opportunity was too good to pass up, so I packed up and headed off to NYC on September 22nd. I met with leaders in B’nai B’rith such as President Allan Jacobs (Honorary Brother), Executive Vice President Dan Mariaschin (Delta Beta – New Hampshire 1971), and Director of Latin American Affairs Dr. Eduardo Kohn. Witnessing firsthand the amazing work B’nai B’rith does at the United Nations took me by surprise: I had no idea that an NGO could hold enough clout in the U.N. to get meetings with high ranking officials of nearly every member country. I was invited to tag along to meetings with the assistant foreign minister of Croatia and the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Georgia, Palau, and Jordan. Just think about it for a second: a college senior is invited to meet with those powerful dignitaries, who play such a complex role in the lives of Jews around the world. People would normally pay thousands of dollars and spend years jostling for a spot on this kind of trip, but AEPi and B’nai B’rith chose and paid for me to go. Unbelievable.

aepi.org

Leading Israel Advocacy On Campus IN ADDITION TO A SURPLUS OF

undergraduate interns, the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) named a Brother as its Executive Director after working at AIPAC for several years. The Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) was founded in 2002 as a partnership between Hillel and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Today, the ICC is an independent non-partisan organization working in close partnership with Hillel and the national network of pro-Israel campus organizations to foster a positive campus climate for Israel at colleges and universities across the United States. The ICC offers information, resources, training and leadership opportunities to supporters of Israel on campus. The ICC recently announced that Jacob Baime (Lambda Beta – Brandeis 2008) has been named the organization’s new executive director. An experienced public affairs professional and campus

ICC Grinspoon– Morningstar Interns: E zra Benus (Rho Eta – Hunter 2014) Asher Breverman (Delta Rho – Drexel 2016) Abraham Evans (Beta Rho – Brown 2016) Jacob Finn (Xi Deuteron – California-Los Angeles 2016) Landon Klein (Omega Upsilon – Oklahoma 2015), Leead Negri (Phi Alpha – Florida Atlantic 2016).

AIPAC Diamond Summer Interns: J onathan Etra (Iota – Columbia 2015) Grant Fineman (Chi Alpha – California-Berkeley 2016) Ethan Fishman (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2015) Jonathan Haber (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2014) Jonathan Kamel (Tau Delta – Northwestern 2016) Evan Ribot (Eta Psi – Harvard 2014)

organizer, Baime will oversee the organization’s work to create positive campus change for Israel. He joined ICC’s Washington, D.C.-based headquarters in mid-October. Baime is an expert on pro-Israel campus affairs. As former National Field Director with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), he supervised a national team of professional campus organizers, oversaw strategic campus initiatives, and managed ten national training platforms for college and high school students. Baime has also served as the Chapter Advisor for the Sigma Kappa Psi Chapter at Northeastern University. Baime will spearhead the ICC’s efforts to create a more Israel-friendly climate and counter BDS and the delegitimization of Israel on campus. He will expand and enhance ICC’s role in coordinating campus strategy and partnerships, providing leadership opportunities and resources to campus supporters of Israel, facilitating communication among pro-Israel campus constituencies, and conducting cuttingedge research on campus trends and best practices. Additionally, the ICC has named
several Alpha Epsilon Pi Brothers as GrinspoonMorningstar Interns for the 2013-2014 academic year. This amazing program allows interns to develop and implement creative, ongoing, strategic,
and collaborative long-term initiatives designed to improve the perception of Israel on campus. Furthermore, AIPAC, under the direction of Leadership Development Director Jonathan Kessler (Honorary Brother), offers
40 spots each summer in their prestigious Diamond Summer Internship program. Diamond Interns develop their own political activism skills by bringing research, writing, and eventplanning experience to a host of projects that help advance AIPAC’s mission. When they return to campus, each Diamond Intern is expected to promote pro-Israel political action as AIPAC portfolioed activists. ✦ Fall 2013

THE LION


The

Centennial Celebration The 100th Anniversary Convention of Alpha Epsilon Pi

Centennial Celebration attendees gathering for a commemorative picture in front of the Washington Square Arch, where Alpha Epsilon Pi was created 100 years ago.


11

Photos by BarryBrown.com

APPROXIMATELY 1,400 BROTHERS AND

guests, including over 600 undergraduates, from around the world, came to the WaldorfAstoria Hotel in New York City for the Centennial Celebration - the 100th Anniversary Convention of Alpha Epsilon Pi.

DAY ONE The historic series of events opened on Thursday, August 8, at New York University, the site of the Fraternity’s founding in 1913. Dr. John Sexton, the President of NYU, and Ambassador Ido Aharoni (Honorary Brother), Consul General of Israel in New York, addressed a capacity audience at the campus’ Skirball Auditorium. Following the opening ceremonies, all attendees gathered at the Washington Square Arch for a commemorative picture in front of the fraternity’s symbolic image. The evening ended with a dinner cruise around lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty on board several Circle Line boats.

DAY TWO On Friday, August 9, $175,000 raised by the undergraduate chapters all over the world was donated to the seven Official Philanthropy Partners. Representatives from Save a Child’s Heart, Friends of the IDF (FIDF), the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Sharsheret, Elem, Keshet, and Leket Israel attended a luncheon at the Waldorf, sponsored by AEPi’s long-valued partner B’nai B’rith International (BBI). David Suissa (Honorary Brother), President of Tribe Media Group and Editor of the LA Jewish Journal, gave the opening speech that focused on the meaning and importance of a Jewish brotherhood. BBI Executive Vice President Dan Mariaschin (Delta Beta – New Hampshire 1971) addressed the audience and praised Alpha Epsilon Pi’s peerless record of philanthropy. “When one speaks of Jewish continuity, you think of AEPi. In training the leaders of tomorrow, promoting pro-Israel advocacy, and civic responsibility, AEPi has a proven formula for the present – and for the future. B’nai B’rith is proud to partner with them, and in our 170th year, wishes AEPi well on its 100th and many more years of success – and of making a difference.” Immediately following the moving

aepi.org

philanthropy luncheon, all convention attendees took part in the B’nai B’rith Community Service Project for Operation Gratitude, which is an organization that sends care packages to the U.S. Armed Services. All attendees worked together to assemble 3,000 care packages for deployed troops. Carolyn Blashek, the Founder and President of Operation Gratitude and mother of Marine Officer Jordan Blashek (Pi Tau – Princeton 2009), was on hand to thank AEPi for assembling these care kits. Later that day, everyone headed to Pier 86 to board the U.S.S. Intrepid aircraft carrier. During the moving Shabbat program on the pier, the Fraternity honored its Brothers who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and the Israeli Defense Forces. Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel (Eta – Ohio State 2000), who twice deployed to Iraq as a U.S. Marine, was the evening’s keynote speaker, and was introduced by Major General (ret.) Larry Taylor (Zeta – Georgia Tech 1962) of the Marine Corps. The inaugural Jacobson Family Award for Military Service was presented to Captain Jason Rubin (Sigma Alpha – Virginia Tech 2003), a Marine fighter pilot who also founded the Jews in Green support organization. Supreme

Above: Executive Director Andy Borans (Phi Tau – Florida State 1980) addressing 1,440 Brothers and guests in the Grand Ballroom of the WaldorfAstoria Hotel during the Gala Banquet.

Below: Past Supreme Master and Centennial Chair Philip H. Cohen (Alpha – NYU 1957, left) and Supreme Master Elan Carr (Chi Alpha – CaliforniaBerkeley 1990, right) presented Dr. John Sexton of NYU a donation of $25,000 to sponsor an annual Greek life award in commemoration of AEPi’s founding at NYU.

Fall 2013

THE LION


12 Honorary Initiates During the Centennial Celebration, 24 extraordinary men were initiated as honorary Brothers. These men were chosen because of their commitment to the ideals and values of Alpha Epsilon Pi.

2013 HONORARY INITIATES: JONATHAN ADELMAN Professor at the University of Denver

IDO AHARONI Consul General of Israel in New York

SHAHAR AZANI Consul for Media Affairs of Israel in New York

Above: Undergraduate attendees on one of the Circle Line boats for dinner and a tour around Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

PAUL BRICK Brother of AEPi’s Director of Initiatives, Daniel Brick (Mu Deuteron-Missouri 2012)

DAVID DABSCHECK Deputy Managing Director of the Israel Action Network

Left: Participants wrote letters to include with the care kits to the U.S. Armed Services.

DON ETRA Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer and father of Harry Etra (Epsilon Upsilon-Yale 2009) and Jonathan Etra (Iota-Columbia 2015)

IZZY EZAGUI American-born squad commander in the Israeli Defense Force

FREDERIC FUTTERMAN Father of AEPi’s Northeast Educational Leadership Consultant, Jamie Futterman (Rho Deuteron-Delaware 2012)

PAUL GOLDENBERG Director of Secure Community Network and father of Alex Goldenberg (Zeta Pi-Vermont 2016)

MALCOLM HOENLEIN Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

IAN KANDEL Director of AZA/BBG & The Teen Movement for BBYO

GIL LAINER Consul for Public Affairs of Israel in New York and cousin of Supreme Master Elan Carr (Chi Alpha-California-Berkeley 1990)

Master Elan Carr (Chi Alpha – CaliforniaBerkeley 1990), a currently serving Major in the Army reserves and a veteran of the Iraq War, addressed the audience as well. The event was lead by former Army chaplain and Past Supreme Master Rabbi Stanley Davids (Tau Deuteron – Case-Western 1961), who is also the past president of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA).

many speeches about AEPi’s central role in developing Jewish leadership. Las Vegas Sands Corp. President and COO Michael Leven (Eta Deuteron – Tufts 1959) opened the luncheon with a moving speech in which he said that AEPi is the best

DAY THREE The following day on Saturday, August 10, convention attendees were joined by leaders of Alpha Epsilon Pi’s partner organizations, including AIPAC, JNF, Hillel and BBI during the Partners and Awards Lunch, which included

Right: CNN’s Wolf Blitzer (Upsilon Beta – Buffalo 1970, left), the host of the Gala Banquet, with guest speaker Malcolm Hoenlein (Honorary Brother) who is the Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. THE LION

Fall 2013

aepi.org


13 Honorary Initiates (continued) BARUCH LEVY Father of AEPi’s Mid-Atlantic Educational Leadership Consultant, Gideon Levy (Alpha Psi-Wesleyan 2013)

ARTHUR S. LIBLIT Cousin of Past Supreme Master and Foundation Chairman Ed Scherer (Epsilon Deuteron-Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1963)

Above: Past Supreme Master and Centennial Chair Philip H. Cohen (Alpha – NYU 1957, left) and Supreme Master Elan Carr (Chi Alpha – California-Berkeley 1990, right) presenting Seth “Yossi” Siegel (Beta – Cornell 1974) with the Arthur and Simi Teich Award for Distinguished Alumni Achievement.

INGRAM LOSNER Co-Founder and CFO of PROVEN, Inc. and father of Josh Losner (Upsilon OmegaOregon 2014), the Master of his chapter

MORRIS MASLIA Father of AEPi’s Lorber Director of Jewish Programming, Adam Maslia (Chi Omicron-Charleston 2011)

Top Rigth: A speech by Howard Lorber (Alpha Epsilon – C.W. Post 1970) after he received the inaugural Samuel J. Blustein Outstanding Foundation Leadership Award.

GARY MINTZ Business Entrepreneur and Attorney, and step-father of AEPi Foundation Board member David Nigliazzo (Phi GammaFlorida 2007)

Right: Convention attendees saluting the U.S. Armed Forces and Israeli Defense Forces members.

insurance policy for the survival of the Jewish people and announced a $750,000 gift to the AEPi Foundation to ensure this endeavor. The three-day celebration culminated with the Centennial Gala later that night, which was hosted by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer (Upsilon Beta – Buffalo 1970). A capacity audience of 1,440 members and guests filled the Waldorf’s Grand Ballroom. Seth “Yossi” Siegel (Beta – Cornell 1974) was presented with the Arthur and Simi Teich Award for Distinguished Alumni Achievement, the Fraternity’s highest award for career achievement. Vector Group CEO Howard Lorber (Alpha Epsilon – C.W. Post 1970) received the inaugural Samuel J. Blustein Outstanding Foundation Leadership Award in recognition of his contributions to the Jewish Programming Department that bears his name. Malcolm Hoenlein (Honorary Brother), Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of

aepi.org

JOEL MOWBRAY Award-winning investigative journalist and Fellow for the Foundation of Defense Democracy

Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, spoke about Israel’s enduring strength in the face of adversity. Supreme Master Carr said of the events, “Even more important than celebrating AEPi’s remarkable record of success for the past 100 years, these three days made a powerful statement about our commitment to Jewish identity and Israel advocacy for our next century.” AEPi’s Executive Director Andy Borans (Phi Tau – Florida State 1980) said, “For too long AEPi has been the Jewish community’s best kept secret. I hope you’ll all agree that 100 years is long enough! The work that our undergraduates and alumni are doing, both in tzedaka and tikkun olam are changing the Jewish collegiate world. AEPi is truly doing groundbreaking work for a fraternal organization. We’ve always been compelled towards good by our strong Jewish values, so it is inspiring to see that our own community now recognizes us.” ✦

FRED ORELOVE Father of AEPi’s Director of Chapter Services, Sam Orelove (Chi Omicron-Charleston 2011)

BRUCE PASCAL Former Senior Vice President and current Board of Governors member of B’nai B’rith International

SHAYNE PILPEL Recruitment Coordinator of the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation

DAVID RITTBERG Senior Program Officer of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

DAVID TOLL Grandson of AEPi Executive Vice President Emeritus George Toll (Gamma-Pennsylvania 1934)

DANIEL TUKSAR Director of Resource Development for Isreal Defense Force Widows and Orphans Organization

Fall 2013

THE LION


14 Convention Award Winners CHAPTER AWARDS

Members of the Upsilon Kappa Alpha Colony at St. Andrews with Past Supreme Master Marc Katz (Phi Delta – Pittsburgh 1976) after receiving the Marc and Dana Katz Outstanding Colony Award.

Louis Sherr Outstanding Chapter Award

Stanford H. & Sheila Odesky Outstanding Rush Results Award

Tau Delta – Northwestern

Beta Alpha - San Francisco State

Marc and Dana Katz Outstanding Colony Award

Philip H. and Susan Cohen Jewish Communal Activity Award 1st Place

Upsilon Kappa Alpha - St. Andrews

Chi Sigma - California-San Diego

Abe and Renette Corenswet Chapter Progress Award

Edward and Francine Gold Jewish Communal Activity Award 2nd Place

Beta Upsilon - Bradley

Beta - Cornell

Tenzer Family Chapter Progress Award

Philip H. and Susan Cohen Jewish Communal Activity Award 3rd Place

Gamma Alpha - Georgia State

Eta Sigma - Georgetown

Allan R. Wolfe Outstanding Chapter Publication Award

ESPONDA Level Giving: Recognition for Chapters Raising Over $10,000

Tau Delta - Northwestern

Leider Family Outstanding Website Design Award Gamma Deuteron - Texas

Risk Management Award 1st Place: Beta - Cornell 2nd Place: Omicron Deuteron - Cincinnati 3rd Place: Beta Upsilon - Bradley

Tau Delta – Northwestern ($25,000) Omicron Deuteron – Cincinnati ($11,300) Beta – Cornell ($10,477) Chi Delta – California-Davis ($10,327) Chi Upsilon – Colorado ($10,000)

Undergraduate members of the Tau Delta Chapter at Northwestern with Chapter Advisor Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein (Honorary Brother, far left) and Executive Director Andy Borans (Phi Tau – Florida State 1980, far right), on stage with Wolf Blitzer (Upsilon Beta – Buffalo 1970) during the Gala Banquet after being named the recipient of the Louis Sherr Outstanding Chapter Award.

THE LION

Fall 2013

aepi.org


15 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS I.E. Goldberg Outstanding Undergraduate Award Elliott Miskin (Upsilon Kappa Alpha – St. Andrews 2014)

David M. Bacharach, Jr. Outstanding Undergraduate Award Ethan Merel (Tau Delta – Northwestern 2013)

Philip H. Cohen Undergraduate Achievement Key Gabriel Benji (Sigma Delta – San Diego State 2014) Josh Cohen (Beta Iota – Indiana 2015) Josh Sushan (Beta Delta – DePaul 2016)

Harvey S. Bodker Outstanding Leadership Award Jonathan Kamel (Tau Delta – Northwestern 2016) Jordan Schwartz (Lambda Beta – Brandeis 2016)

Arnold B. Hoffman University Service Award Eran Mordel (Zeta – Georgia Tech 2013)

George S. Toll Expansion Activity Award Aran Clayton (Upsilon Kappa Beta – Leeds Metro 2014)

Outstanding Pledgemaster Award Adam Foosaner (Tau Delta – Northwestern 2014)

Irving Axelrod and Raphael Wolf Outstanding House Manager Award

Order of the Lion

A. Edward Scherer Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

Alpha Epsilon Pi’s highest award is The Order of the Lion. It is recommended by a special committee and is conferred by vote of the Supreme Council. The basis for the award is service to the fraternity over a long span of years, above and beyond the call of duty. At Supreme Council, the Order of the Lion was conferred upon:

Jason Feld (Chi Phi - California StateFullerton 1995)

Past Supreme Master Stephen Bernstein (Xi – Wayne State 1969)

David Pinales (Omicron Deuteron – Cincinnati 1994)

Past Supreme Master Rabbi Stanley Davids (Tau Deuteron – Case-Western 1961),

Recognition of a Lifetime of Commitment to Alpha Epsilon Pi

Past Supreme Master Allen Paschen (Nu – Marquette 1950)

Jeffrey Kerbel (Mu – Virginia 2015)

Robert Silverman Outstanding Scribe Award Darren Lane (Alpha Kappa Carnegie Mellon 2013)

Maynard Rosenbloom (Mu Deuteron – Missouri 1951)

Marc and Dana Katz Interfraternal Award Bonnie Wunsch (Executive Director Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority)

Tom Di Capua (Israel Alpha – Interdisciplinary Center 2013)

Gitelson Medallion for Jewish Communal Service

The Gitelson Medallion is awarded to an alumnus of Alpha Epsilon Pi who has excelled in the area of Jewish communal service. The Medallion is presented in memory of the scholarship and communal activity of Nehemiah Gitelson, Talmudic scholar and father of M. Leo Gitelson (Alpha – NYU 1921). The medallion has on its obverse side a likeness of Nehemiah Gitelson in traditional tallit and tephillin, indicating devotion to learning and religion. On the reverse side are several symbols of Judaism: the Menorah, the Scroll, the Laurel Wreath and the Torah. During Supreme Council, the Gitelson medallion was conferred upon the following Centennial Founders:

Gitelson Medallion for Jewish Service Aaron Liener (Gamma Deuteron – Texas 2014) Elliot Malin (Upsilon Nu – Nevada-Reno 2014)

Morris Berke Outstanding Master Award Zachary Cohen (Delta Rho – Drexel 2014)

Phi Sigma Outstanding Lieutenant Master Award Jake Farris (Zeta Tau – California-Irvine 2014)

Louis Heller Outstanding Exchequer Award Jason Diamond (Delta – Illinois 2014)

Past Supreme Master Philip H. Cohen (Alpha – NYU 1957)

Andrew S. Borans Outstanding Rush Chairman Award

Howard M. Lorber (Alpha Epsilon – C.W. Post 1970)

Jared Litroff (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2014)

Past Supreme Master Richard Stein (Delta – Illinois 1974) Captain Jason Rubin (Sigma Alpha – Virginia Tech 2003) being presented with the inaugural Jacobson Family Award for Military Service.

aepi.org

Fall 2013

THE LION


16

Mutual Helpfulness Mutual Helpfulness

‫הדדית ﬠזדה‬

Members of the Tau Delta Chapter at Northwestern after completing Dog Days in spring 2013.

Flourishing Philanthropy Alpha Epsilon Pi achieves a record-breaking year in philanthropic efforts. AS AN ORGANIZATION, ALPHA EPSILON PI HAS

always exhibited a commitment to philanthropy, which absolutely flourished during the 2012-2013 academic year. Partnerships were strengthened and records were broken both within Alpha Epsilon Pi and the Greek life community.

Developing Partnerships For the past three years, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) has been one of Alpha Epsilon Pi’s Official Philanthropy Partners and has been the recipient of

THE LION

Fall 2013

$75,000 with an additional $25,000 pledged. As AEPi completes one philanthropy project and moves on to another, JNF and AEPi have decided to continue to build upon their partnership, moving out of the realm of philanthropy and into a strategic Israel advocacy, travel, and educational partnership. This new partnership will feature subsidies for undergraduates and alumni to attend JNF events, a unique JNF-funded Tu B’shvat initiative for chapters to participate in, an AEPi column in JNF’s widely-distributed B’Yachad magazine, and exclusive educational and travel opportunities for our

aepi.org


17 undergraduate brothers both living and studying abroad in Israel. In the past, JNF has been a top-sponsor of AEPi’s hallmark Israel advocacy conference “Israel Amplified,” and AEPi looks forward to continuing and growing the relationship between our organizations, both of whom place Israel advocacy and education as a top priority.

Mizzou’s Rock-a-Thon In an inspiring display of philanthropic spirit, the Mu Deuteron Chapter at the University of Missouri raised over $123,000 for the American Cancer Society during the 2013 installment of their biennial fundraiser, Rock-A-Thon. The Mu Deuteron chapter surpassed its own record for the largest single-chapter philanthropy event in the nation, which was set at $80,000 in 2011. The event has become so well known and successful that many AEPi chapters have hosted their own version of Rock-A-Thon. Rock-A-Thon, the focal point of the chapter’s calendar since its inception in 1969, revolves around one brother elected as the “Rocker,” who sits in a rocking chair on stage at 9th and Broadway in Downtown Columbia for 63 straight hours. Brendan Lyss (Mu Deuteron – Missouri 2013), whose brother and father are both cancer survivors, assumed this position in 2013, while the rest of the brotherhood solicited donations throughout the state of Missouri. Brothers “canned” at locations in the college town of Columbia, other locations in Mid-Missouri, as well as St. Louis and Kansas City. Other highlights of Rock-A-Thon week included the inaugural Rock-A-Thon Golf Classic in St. Louis and a chair decorating competition between six sororities. While on the front lines, when donations poured into the cans, social media was blowing up. People from around campus, town, and the state praised the RockA-Thon effort on both Twitter and Facebook. The event’s Facebook account reached more than 200,000 people over the course of the week. The highlights of the social media buzz can be found at tinyurl.com/ RockAThonSocial, where you can also find a clip about Rock-A-Thon that appeared on ESPNU. Rock-A-Thon concluded with the 135-man brotherhood, along with members of the Columbia community, gathering at the downtown stage to watch Lyss stand up from his rocking chair and hear the announcement of the grand total. With donations pouring in until the very last moment both on the streets of Columbia and online, the counting process

aepi.org

kept spectators waiting, as graduating seniors reflected on their final Rock-A-Thon. When Rock-A-Thon chairman Andrew Weil (Mu Deuteron - Missouri 2013) finally announced the six-figure total, there was pandemonium on Broadway. Brothers, family, friends and alumni embraced one another. Seniors and freshmen alike shed tears of pride. For three days, everyone had been part of something bigger than himself.

Northwestern’s Dog Days

Mu Deuteron Brothers at the University of Missouri rejoice around the rocker, Brendan Lyss (Mu Deuteron – Missouri 2013), after the chapter announced they raised a record $123,000 for the American Cancer Society (Photo Courtesy of Mizzou AEPi).

Every year, the Tau Delta Chapter at Northwestern University hosts Dog Days, a weeklong philanthropy event in the spring that benefits Sharsheret, one of Alpha Epsilon Pi’s Official Philanthropy partners. During every day of this week, Brothers grill and sell hot dogs at three locations across campus. This year, Dog Days raised $22,710, which is nearly $10,000 more than the amount raised previous year. Much of this added success can be attributed to using Square to process credit cards on smartphones, a new online delivery system, and selling bagels and bagel dogs. When combined with another philanthropy event in the fall, the Tau Delta Chapter raised $25,000 during the 2012-2013 academic year. Never before has a chapter donated more than $20,000 in a single year to AEPi’s Official Philanthropy project. AS A WHOLE, ALPHA EPSILON PI chapters raised

over $500,000 for various causes, which makes this past school year a record one for philanthropy. ✦

Fall 2013

THE LION


18 So, you want to start a

BUSINESS?

Tech start-ups are emerging at a rapid pace, and tech entrepreneurs are becoming leaders in big business.

THE LION

Fall 2013

aepi.org


19

By Adam Matsil (Tau Delta – Northwestern 2012)

NOW THAT IT IS CHEAPER THAN EVER

to develop an idea into a company, new tech start-ups are emerging constantly. Many AEPi entrepreneurs are being recognized as leaders in the tech industry and business as a whole. Many often credit their success to skills they learned while an undergraduate Brother and the strong Alpha Epsilon Pi network they became a part of. Over the past couple of decades, many AEPis had small ideas that have sprouted into extremely useful concepts that often lead to successful companies. The first occurred in the early 1990s through the ideas of Alan Galumbeck (Pi Zeta – Old Dominion 1968). During this time, the internet was still an unchartered territory. Galumbeck decided that it could be useful for Landmark, the company that owned The Weather Channel at the time, to buy the domain weather.com. Weather.com is now an online powerhouse. Perhaps the most well known of AEPi’s tech entrepreneurs is Mark Zuckerberg (Eta Psi – Harvard 2006) who co-founded Facebook in 2004 with his fraternity Brother Eduardo Saverin (Eta Psi – Harvard 2006). Facebook is now the largest social networking site in the world with over one billion users. Zuckerberg isn’t the only AEPi to launch a successful start-up. Tomer Kagan (Sigma Zeta – California-Santa Cruz 2005) founded Quixey, Daniel Debow (Lambda Omega – Western Ontario 1995) helped create Rypple that later became Work. com when acquired by Salesforce.com, Josh Kopelman (Gamma – Pennsylvania 1993) founded Half.com that was purchased by eBay and TurnTide that was acquired by Symantec, Matt Van Horn (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2006) launched Zimride that has formed Lyft, Justin Miller (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2010) founded Notehall that was recently acquired by Chegg, and Jeremy Smith (Delta – Illinois 2008) helped create SpotHero. See the various sidebars for more information about each of these companies. For many entrepreneurs, the desire to start their own company came from

aepi.org

experiences they wanted changed when working for a larger corporation. Jeremy Smith was working in the corporate finance department for Motorola. “There were things I liked and didn’t like about Motorola,” Smith said. “Then the iPhone came out, and that rocked the company. Overnight, people switched from flip phones to smart phones. The company changed drastically and laid-off a ton of people, and I was included in that. After this, I realized I didn’t want to go back to a corporate setting and that I wanted to do my own thing and start my own business.” Others have acknowledged their entrepreneurial aspirations for quite some time. “For fun [in high school], just because we were big nerds, we would just put

Networking is critically important to achieve success in the tech industry, which goes hand-in-hand with collaboration and mentoring. together web pages that were super simple ideas that we wanted to test and out and see,” says Matt Van Horn. “We would just try different ideas and see what stuck.” Van Horn carried his passion for creating tech start-ups with him when he attended the University of Arizona, where he studied entrepreneurship, in addition to business and marketing. Even though Van Horn wanted to be learning on his own from his experiences, his studies were extremely valuable. “Entrepreneurship is company-building and it’s better to learn by doing than learning about doing,” he said. “What was nice about Arizona and the entrepreneurship program is that it’s a second major and you have to have another

Tech Start-Ups Atmospheir Atmospheir is an emerging company founded in part by Alex Rich (Omega Deuteron – Michigan 2011). Atmospheir is an app that allows users to divide their info into personal and professional profiles, and choose which profile(s) to share each time a connection is made. Atmospheir will be on iPhones soon.

Facebook Facebook is a social networking site that was created by Mark Zuckerberg (Eta Psi – Harvard 2006) and Eduardo Saverin (Eta Psi – Harvard 2006), along with several other contributors. Users must register before accessing the site, which then allows them to create a profile and add other users as friends, send messages, and receive notifications for the specifications they set. Users can join common-interest groups that can be organized by work, school, and other characteristics. There are over one billion Facebook users.

Half.com and TurnTide Josh Kopelman (Gamma Pennsylvania 1993) founded Half.com in July of 1999, and led it to become one of the largest sellers of used books, movies and music in the world. Half.com was acquired by eBay in July 2000, and Kopelman remained with eBay for three years and grew eBay’s Media marketplace to almost half a billion dollars in annual gross merchandise sales. In late 2003, Kopelman also helped to found TurnTide, an anti-spam company that created the world’s first anti-spam router. Symantec acquired TurnTide just six months later.

Glimpse Glimpse is an app founded in part by Elan Miller (Phi Gamma – Florida 2009) that helps users discover how others see the world. Glimpse will display pictures and artwork by connecting to users through Instagram. Glimpse is on its way for iPhones.

Fall 2013

THE LION


20 Tech Start-Ups (contiued)

Notehall Justin Miller (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2010) founded Notehall with Sean Conway, D.J. Stephan, and Fadi Chalfoun. Notehall was an online marketplace where college students could buy and sell class notes. Notehall received notoriety after it was on the reality TV show Shark Tank in 2009. Chegg, a largely successful textbook-rental company, purchased Notehall. Chegg expects Notehall’s features to be available in 2014.

Quixey Quixey was co-founded by Tomer Kagan (Sigma Zeta – CaliforniaSanta Cruz 2005) and Liron Shapira. It is the simplest way to find apps for any device that do what you want. Quixey allows users to search for apps without knowing its name or title – simply by its function. So far, Quixey has focused mostly on powering app searches for companies, but is striving to become a place where all users can find the answers they are looking for. Quixey recently raised $50M in funding led by the Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which has grown into one of the world’s largest online marketplaces.

SpotHero Jeremy Smith (Delta – Illinois 2008) and Mark Lawrence, CoFounders of SpotHero, were outraged with the parking dilemma in Chicago and came up with a solution by launching SpotHero to take the pain out parking. SpotHero is bringing the power to park right into drivers pocket. Drivers can open the SpotHero app or go online to find and reserve their perfect spot. For the first time, drivers can have a sense of control of their parking experience.

THE LION

Fall 2013

major first. During your senior year you attempt to start a company and that’s all you do [for the major] in your senior year.” Interestingly enough, Van Horn contributes a significant amount of his knowledge of running a company to his experiences in Alpha Epsilon Pi as an undergraduate. “As Rush Chairman, you’re in the difficult position of finding the most talented people on campus that you want to become your Brother. It’s sales and working with someone and making them realize they want something they didn’t know they wanted. Those skills I picked up from rush are arguably the most valuable skills I have today.” Van Horn then expanded upon these skills when he was Master. “I learned how finances worked – by making sure we didn’t go under and that we paid our bills on time. And then motivating Brothers to show up at events and getting your executive board to do things when they’re not being paid, which are hard things to do. It’s such an incredible learning experience. I learned more about business from AEPi than I did anything else.” Smith has also benefitted from his experiences in Alpha Epsilon Pi. “AEPi preaches the value of being a good person. It also helps you develop networks and open connections. So many doors have been opened for me just because I’m in AEPi.” Many tech start-up founders get their ideas from everyday problems. For Smith, his idea for SpotHero came from his struggles with Chicago parking. Right after he left Motorola, Smith was working as a pizza deliveryman while he was figuring out the next step in his career. “While I was delivering pizzas, I accumulated over $5,000 in parking tickets. I realized I needed to do something about this,” Smith said. He then went on

to found SpotHero with his roommate, Mark Lawrence, in an attempt to make reasonably priced parking readily accessible to those who need it, especially on a moment’s notice. For Van Horn, his ventures often originated from experiences he was taking part in. One of Van Horn’s initial projects in college was MacBand.com. Van Horn and some friends were at the Macworld conference where Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the release of GarageBand. The group wanted to create a space for users to share the music and creations they made on GarageBand with others. It was the only marketplace where people could do this, as MacBand.com was conceived before SoundCloud, which is currently

aepi.org


21 the largest platform for sharing music online. Another of Van Horn’s ideas for a company came when he was backpacking in Zimbabwe in 2005 with his friend, Logan Green. “Logan noticed the incredible efficiency that people in Zimbabwe had with their transportation.

“I learned how finances worked – by making sure [the chapter] didn’t go under and that we paid our bills on time. And then motivating Brothers to show up at events and getting your executive board to do things when they’re not being paid – are hard things to do. I learned more about business from AEPi than I did anything [anywhere else].” – Matt Van Horn (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2006), Founder of Zimride

You would not find cars without seats filled,” said Van Horn. “We then asked why don’t we have more efficiency in the United States? Why are there so many empty seats in cars?” At the time, Craigslist was the largest platform for ridesharing, but Van Horn realized there

aepi.org

could be a better platform. “It would just be a Craigslist add with no photos and you have no idea who the person is. We said there has to be a better way to do this.” At that time, Facebook was also beginning to emerge into the social networking powerhouse it is today. “We required that you had to use Facebook to connect. We were one of the first Facebook platform partners in the world. So, you could see the Facebook profile of the person posting the ride, which added legitimacy to it.” Zimride officially launched in 2007, and in June 2012 Zimride formed Lyft, which is an instantaneous version of Zimride, offering a peer-to-peer ridesharing network at the push of a button. Van Horn credits the rise in the number of start-ups to the ease with which one can put together a product. “All you need is a book on programming and an idea and you can hack something together,” says Van Horn. For those interested in creating their own tech start-up, Van Horn recommends studying and gaining technical skills or being able to recruit those who do have these skills. “If you’re an undergrad, study engineering. Learn how to build things. If you’re not able to build things, make sure you’re good at rush to recruit others to build things for you.” As Smith alluded to, networking is critically important to achieve success in the tech industry, which goes hand-inhand with collaboration and mentoring. Van Horn truly enjoys these aspects when advising others on their start-ups. “Collaboration is an important part of the start-up culture. For me, it all stems back to AEPi. When I was the old guy during my senior year, I was still involved with rush and convinced people to run for Master or another position, or do a specific activity on campus. These types of situations really inspire me. I love helping people do great things. By helping one another, greater excellence can be achieved.” ✦

Tech Start-Ups (contiued)

Shwrüm Shwrüm was co-founded by Ben Erez (Phi Gamma – Florida 2012) and Jared Perlman. Shwrüm offers the only customer relationship management solution for high-end boutiques, as building and maintaining customer relationships is hard work. For more information, visit Shwrum.com.

Work.com Daniel Debow (Lambda Omega – Western Ontario 1995) and David Stein founded Rypple in 2008 as an attempt to create a simple way of asking for feedback anonymously at work. Rypple was a cloud computing-based social performance management platform that helped managers and employees improve performance through coaching, feedback, and recognition. Salesforce.com purchased Rypple in 2012 and rebranded it as Work.com.

Zimride and Lyft Zimride was founded in part by Matt Van Horn (Upsilon Alpha – Arizona 2006) with Logan Green and John Zimmer. Zimride connects inter-city drivers and passengers through social networking and is the largest rideshare program in the United States. In 2012, Zimride announced Lyft, which is an app that allows users to request a driver immediately to get a ride and asks riders to pay with a donation, which is much cheaper than a conventional cab ride.

Fall 2013

THE LION


22 Right: Jonny Israeli (Kappa Upsilon – Kansas 2013) at the chalk board, which has become his home over the past few years.

Chapter Chronicles

Who’s Got Time for That?

Johnny Israeli (Kappa Upsilon – Kansas 2013) became the fastest Masters graduate in the history of the University of Kansas.

IN THE FALL OF 2011, JOHNNY ISRAELI (KAPPA

Upsilon – Kansas 2013) started his freshman year at the University of Kansas. He graduated high school with the rest of his 18 year-old friends and had plans of spending the next four years of his life in Lawrence, Kansas. Israeli started as a math major while also taking classes in physics out of curiosity. In his first semester, Israeli started theoretical research that studied bacteria. He successfully developed equations and computer simulations to demonstrate the physical characteristics of bacteria when they are infecting human cells. To gain the knowledge needed for his research, Israeli initiated a series of one-on-one studies with math and physics faculty and obtained credit by testing out of classes with similar topics. Combining this feat with taking a greater than normal class load allowed Israeli to finish his undergraduate degree after the first semester of his sophomore year. Eager to learn more, he started a Masters degree in physics while finishing his undergraduate degree, which he completed during the second semester of his sophomore year. While pursuing his Masters, Israeli continued his research, which became his Masters project. Israeli defended his Masters THE LION

Fall 2013

this past May and graduated with honors, marking him as the fastest Masters graduate in the history of the University of Kansas. Again, Israeli didn’t stop there. Even though he graduated with a Bachelors and a Masters, Israeli wanted to continue his education. He realized he wanted to pursue a PhD only a few weeks before the application deadline for all schools. Israeli wanted to pursue a PhD in biophysics, which combined his love of physics with the research he conducted while at Kansas. Stanford University had the best program that fit Israeli’s interests, so he spent whatever time he had before the rapidly approaching deadline working on his application. After being offered an interview and then placed on the wait list, Israeli was eventually offered a spot in Stanford’s PhD program, which he accepted. Israeli started this past September and is the youngest person in Stanford’s PhD program. Currently, Israeli is working on research about protein folding, which is a topic that has baffled researchers for quite some time. After completing his PhD in biophysics and a PhD minor in computer science, Israeli plans to apply his knowledge of protein folding within the pharmaceutical industry. ✦

aepi.org


23 UNDERGRADUATE ACCOLADES

CONCLAVES

Gabriel Benji (Sigma Delta – San Diego State 2014) was named the Greek Man of the Year on campus.

Regional Conclaves offer an amazing opportunity for undergraduates – pledges, new members, and Brothers – to attend extremely insightful seminars about leadership, chapter management, and Jewish life. Every year, we see incredible results after Conclave attendees bring what they learned back to campus. The winter 2014 Conclaves will take place at:

Scott Scheinberg (Rho Deuteron – Delaware 2013) was named the Outstanding Greek Community Male Leader on campus. James Madison University granted the All Together One Award to Ian SpiegelBlum (Omega Epsilon – James Madison 2013). JNF of Wisconsin honored Ronen Monosov (Mu Epsilon – WisconsinMilwaukee 2014) as a Next Generation Leader at the Wisconsin Annual Tribute Banquet.

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON January 31 – February 2, 2014 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS February 7-9, 2014 NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY February 14-16, 2014 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS February 21-23, 2014 Alex Roth (Epsilon Upsilon – Yale 2015) recently climbed Mt. Kinabalu that is located in Borneo, a country in Southeast Asia. This winter, Roth is preparing to scale his 10th mountain, which will be Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina.

NEW EXPANSIONS

COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY February 28 – March 2, 2014 EUROPEAN CONCLAVE IN BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND March 7-9, 2014

Upcoming Expansions

DELTA CHI Florida Gulf Coast

EPSILON CHI McGill/Montreal

ALPHA GAMMA Dalhousie

SIGMA PHI Manitoba/Winnipeg

GAMMA EPSILON Georgia Southern

THETA PSI Calgary

If you know of a young man attending one of the schools below, please contact Jamie Futterman, Director of Expansion, at jfutterman@aepi.org:

ZETA DEUTERON Boston

NU PHI Brock

University of Alberta Case Western Reserve University Drake University University of Edmonton Franklin and Marshall University Rutgers University Texas A&M University University of Victoria

The Founding Fathers of the Epsilon Chi Colony at McGill University in Montreal. aepi.org

Fall 2013

THE LION


24 Trouble When Lightning Strikes On June 29, 2013, a lightning storm came out of nowhere and struck three young children at a Jewish summer camp. The life-saving efforts of the camp counselors changed the lives of everyone involved. WHEN LIGHTNING APPEARED ON AN OTHERWISE CLEAR SHABBAT AFTERNOON

Above: From left to right: the Hoberman family with Michael Levy (Omicron Deuteron – Cincinnati 2016), Aaron Melemed (Pi Upsilon – Purdue 2015), and Jordan Keitel (Rho Deuteron – Delaware 2015). Top right: Lily Hoberman showing her love to one of the Brothers who helped save her life Photos by BarryBrown.com

THE LION

Fall 2013

at the URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute in Zionsville, Indiana, and struck three children to the ground, the weeks that followed contained more than their share of pain, fear, and doubt. But, they also brought a sense of hope, faith, community, and strength. The additional gift for me was a reconnection with the unique and special fraternity to which I had pledged myself 25 years earlier. Noah Auerbach (9 from Louisville, KY), Lily Hoberman (9 from St. Louis, MO), and Ethan Kadish (12 from Loveland, OH) were in a Shabbat frisbee tournament when the lightning strike came of nowhere. Within moments, several staff members, most of whom were between the ages of 18 and 23, surrounded each camper and began performing life-saving procedures. By the time paramedics arrived, hearts had been started, breathing had resumed, and our young staff members had fulfilled one of the most vital of mitzvot, pikuakh nefesh, the saving of life. Noah returned

aepi.org


By Rabbi Mark Covitz (Lambda Beta-Brandeis 1992), Director of URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute

to camp, Lily returned home, and Ethan continues his recovery at the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati. The flurry of emails and phone calls over the days that followed was truly inspiring and overwhelming. The first email to which I felt the strength to respond was from Alpha Epsilon Pi’s Executive Director Andy Borans (Phi Tau – Florida State 1980), with whom I had not spoken since my undergraduate days at Brandeis. I was able to give Andy the happy story that two of the first responders who saved Lily were both Brothers: Michael Levy (Omicron Deuteron – Cincinnati 2016) and Jordan Keitel (Rho Deuteron – Delaware 2015). If that were it, dayenu, a nice coincidence. But learning that Lily’s father, Jason Hoberman (Sigma – WashingtonSt. Louis 2001), is also a Brother made it meaningful, and even more so when we realized that both of Lily’s grandfathers are Brothers. We later recognized another Brother, Aaron Melemed (Pi Upsilon – Purdue 2015), as the third member of Lily’s life-saving team. Also on the scene providing support were Chase Foster (Pi Upsilon – Purdue 2009) and Josh Kleymeyer (Omicron Deuteron – Cincinnati 2009). Levy, Keitel, and Melemed had all received CPR training from camp only three weeks earlier. Three Brothers, with the assistance of two others, saved the life of another Brother’s child and two Brothers’ grandchild at a camp directed by yet another Brother, which is only 4.5 miles from Alpha Epsilon Pi’s Headquarters. Recognizing that little else could better symbolize the quality of young men that comprises our fraternity, arrangements were made for Levy, Keitel, and Melemed to be brought to the Centennial Celebration as a show of appreciation for their courage, strength, and compassion. Anyone who has not been to an AEPi Convention and attended the Philanthropy Luncheon, as I previously had not, needs to know what a truly awe-inspiring experience it is. The number of young men around the

aepi.org

world who wear our letters and dedicate themselves to helping others and improving the world is flat-out inspirational. Following a presentation by Levy, who accepted an award on behalf of his chapter for their work raising funds to fight breast cancer, Keitel and Melemed were asked to join him on stage. After an introduction that included news clips of the lightning strike, I welcomed the Hoberman family to join us on stage. Jason shared his thoughts on the type of young men who stood before us all and on what they meant to his family. If this was not enough, Lily then stepped to the microphone and began singing “Gold and Blue.” However, little did anyone know that this precocious 9-year-old had rewritten the words for the occasion. It was a moment that will always be remembered by everyone who was present. It was a moment that sadly reminds us of the fragility of life and it was a moment that joyfully reminds us that if we are truly fortunate, we navigate the treacherous waters of this life in the company of family upon whom we can always rely. For me, the summer of 2013 will be remembered for many things: the lightning, the community, and the moment when I learned to look up to employees much younger than me with great admiration. And I will always remember that Alpha Epsilon Pi was woven through it all. To close, I’d like to end with Lily Hoberman’s lyrics for the end of “Gold and Blue”: Gold is for the gleaming sun, For courage even in your youth. Blue is for the heavenly one, Who guided you on that day. Gold and blue, gold and blue, Thy colors waive on high, I will always trust in you, Aaron, Jordan, and Michael. ✦

25 “Lightning just hit the athletic field. We have three unresponsive campers.”

URJ Goldman Union Camp Summer Institute (GUCI) GUCI is a Reform Jewish Movement summer camp serving the Midwest since 1958. Since its inception, the camp has helped build friendships that last a lifetime, developed the sense of Jewish belonging instilled in young people, introduced the role models and mentors that are recognized by campers, and provided a “second home” where campers and staff alike flourish as they contribute to the camp’s community. Under the Direction of Rabbi Mark Covitz (Lambda Beta - Brandeis 1992), the Leadership Staff, Counselors, and Faculty create a warm, friendly environment and program that includes creative and experiential Jewish education, arts, sports, and swimming activities. Campers return home after each session with memories and friendships that last a lifetime, as the Goldman Union Camp Institute is a place where children grow and mature into responsible, knowledgeable Jewish young adults.

Fall 2013

THE LION


26

Eleven

Foundation Annual Report

Alumni Accolades Alumni Accolades

BROTHER STRONG Life’s Paths

In the days following the Boston Marathon, one Brother stepped up to improve the lives of several victims of the attack.

Dr. Robert Winston (Sigma Beta – California-Santa Barbara 2003) worked with Boston Marathon bombing victims, their prosthetics, and recovery.

DR. ROBERT WINSTON (SIGMA BETA – California-Santa Barbara 2003) recently graduated

from Residency at Harvard University in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and is now completing a Fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury, also at Harvard University. The field of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation cares for patients with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, musculoskeletal/ sports injuries, and other neurologic injuries such as THE LION

Fall 2013

stroke. One of the lesser-known areas of this field of medicine is prosthetics and getting people walking, running, and functioning again the way they saw themselves prior to amputation. When the bombs went off during the Boston Marathon, Dr. Winston was about two blocks away from the scene. Since he does not generally deal with emergencies of this nature, he was not called in to the hospital that day. But, Dr. Winston had a feeling he would be called upon the following day for the continued care of these patients. It was important for Dr. Winston and his colleagues to go see these victims as early as possible to show them the end result after surgery and explain that their life was not over; they would be able to run, go for a walk on the beach, go horseback riding, and so much more. Dr. Winston ended up caring directly for five of the bombing victims, all of whom had lower extremity amputations (four above the knee and one below the knee), while many had severe burns, shrapnel injuries, and mild traumatic brain injuries. Equally important, Dr. Winston and his colleagues recruited many volunteers from the community who have prosthetic limbs to come in and meet the victims who did not even realize their visitors were amputees until they were told! Shortly after surgery, each of the victims was transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation where fitment for prostheses and gait training began. Dr. Winston can proudly say that all five of his patients recovered quite well and have been discharged home with their families. ✦

aepi.org


27 Bringing American Law Abroad Tom Glassman (Omicron Deuteron Cincinnati 1988), below center, recently served as a guest lecturer at two law schools in Odessa, Ukraine, on behalf of the Leavitt Institute for International Development. While in Ukraine he made contacts in the Jewish community and is now working with Temple Sholom in Cincinnati on projects to assist the resilient Jewish community of Ukraine. Current projects include supporting Tikva, a Jewish children’s home in Odessa, and partnering with a local congregation.

Room Naming in the Truman Library The premier classroom in the Truman Library’s White House Decision Center in Independence, Missouri was named for Harvey S. Bodker (Kappa Upsilon – Kansas 1957). A dedication ceremony for the newly named President’s Room was held to recognize Bodker’s generous and longtime support of the Truman Library Institute. The White House Decision Center is the flagship educational program at the Truman Library and the standard for education programs at the presidential libraries nationwide – since its inception in 2002, more than 55,000 students have visited this classroom.

AEPi Alumni Birthright Trip Never been to Israel? Are you a recent graduate? If so, Alpha Epsilon Pi has the trip for you! There will be an AEPi alumni Birthright trip for Brothers ages 22-26 that have not yet been to Israel. The trip will take place at the end of May 2014 (the exact dates are TBA). If interested, please contact Dave Press, Director of Alumni Relations, at dpress@aepi.org. Registration opens on February 5, 2014 at IsraelOutdoors.com.

Top Lawyer in Michigan Past Supreme Master Ed Gold (Xi – Wayne State 1961) has been named to the Leading Michigan Lawyers list in the areas of family law and family law ADR. This news appeared in DBusiness magazine. This distinction is extremely prestigious as it is earned by being among those lawyers who are most often recommended by their peers in statewide surveys. Gold is also listed in the current edition of the Best Lawyers in America and has been continuously listed for the past 20 years.

Gold

aepi.org

Fall 2013

THE LION


28

Alumni Accolades continued

Homeland Security Advisory Council Member Paul Goldenberg, an honorary initiate from the Centennial Celebration and president and CEO of Cardinal Point Strategies, was appointed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to serve a three-year term as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). Goldenberg is also the Director of the Secure Community Network, the top security official for Jewish organizations. THE LION

Fall 2013

Alabama Reunion

Brothers from the 1950s and 1960s from the Iota Deuteron Chapter at the University of Alabama reunited at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida this past spring. Approximately 30 Brothers were in attendance, some from places as far away as Hawaii, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico, and New York. Sandy Gorelick (Iota Deuteron – Alabama 1959) and Jerry Geist (Iota Deuteron – Alabama 1962) took the lead in organizing the weekend. The highlight was the banquet dinner at the hotel, where Gorelick made life-size masks of each Brother from photos from college.

Gilad Shalit and B’nai B’rith Alpha Epsilon Pi Executive Director Andy Borans (Phi Tau – Florida State 1980) traveled to London for the B’nai B’rith International board meeting, as he is a member of their board. While there, Borans had the opportunity to meet with Gilad Shalit, Israel’s most well known soldier since Yoni Netanyahu. Shalit was very impressed with Alpha Epsilon Pi’s commitment to Judaism and Israel, as demonstrated by the many AEPi chapters in Israel. aepi.org


29 Tzadik Award

Executive Vice President Emeritus Sid Dunn (Xi – Wayne State 1968) and his wife Linda were named recipients of Congregation Shaarey Tefilla’s Tzadik Award. The synagogue in Carmel, Indiana presents this award in recognition of outstanding, lifetime service to the congregation. Sid currently serves as the gabbai and Linda is the Sisterhood’s president, in addition to all the other responsibilities they have taken on over the years.

Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award Aaron Frank (Alpha Sigma – Arizona State 1992) was named a recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award from the University of San Francisco. Frank is one of the most valued Adjunct Professors in the environmental program, having taught classes in both undergraduate environmental studies and the graduate program in environmental management. Frank’s specialty is environmental law. In addition to being an outstanding teacher, he is the Co-Founder and past President of the California Wildlife Center, an organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of native wildlife.

Bradley Brothers Reunite

On October 18-20, 2013, alumni from the Beta Upsilon Chapter at Bradley University gathered in Las Vegas, many of who had not seen each other in nearly 50 years. Ted Schmidt (Beta Upsilon – Bradley 1969) did an outstanding job in taking the lead and coordinating this fabulous event. aepi.org

Fall 2013

THE LION


30

Alumni Accolades continued

COACH! Scott Garson (Sigma Beta – CaliforniaSanta Barbara 1998) was named the head basketball coach at the College of Idaho. Garson was formerly an assistant coach at the University of Utah and UCLA. To watch the press conference of the announcement, please visit d.pr/ogtE.

Emergency Medicine Director The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) has announced that Brett Rosen (Delta Rho – Drexel 2007), R-2 Emergency Medicine Resident, has been elected as the resident member to its Board of Directors. The SAEM Board only has 11 members in total, and one resident member. Rosen will be representing Emergency Medicine Residents across the nation.

New York City Lawyer of the Year Bruce Bergman (Beta – Cornell 1966), partner of Berkman, Henoch, Peterson, Peddy, and Fenchel, P.C. and author of the now fourvolume treatise Bergman on New York Mortgage Foreclosures, LexisNexis, has been named New York City Litigation – Real Estate “Lawyer of the Year” in the 20th edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

THE LION

Fall 2013

Dominating Jewish Life in Las Vegas

Alpha Epsilon Pi Brothers are dominating Jewish life in Las Vegas. Recently, Gil Kahn (Nu Sigma – NevadaLas Vegas 2011) stepped down as Hillel’s Director at UNLV in order to attend law school. Andrew Spivak (Nu Sigma – Nevada-Las Vegas 2010) will replace Kahn. Additionally, Regional Governor Hayim Mizrachi (Nu Sigma – Nevada-Las Vegas 2003) was appointed Chair of UNLV’s Hillel Committee.

Top Practitioner Under 33 Diplomatic Courier named Steve Glickman (Eta Sigma – Georgetown 2002) in their annual Top 99 Under 33 feature as an outstanding practitioner. Glickman most recently served in the Obama Administration as the Director for International Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council and National Economic Council. Glickman was also his chapter’s founding Master.

President of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Ross Evans (Omicron Deuteron – Cincinnati 1983), Managing Partner of Katz, Greenberger, and Norton LLP, has recently been elected President of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). Evans, who commenced his term at the conclusion of the 14th Annual Forum held in San Antonio in October, now leads the 500-plus member organization that has an established presence in 20 countries around the globe. The IACP is an international community of legal, mental health, and financial professionals working in concert to create client-centered processes for resolving conflict. The vision of the IACP is to transform how conflict is resolved worldwide through Collaborative Practice.

aepi.org


By Lynsie Morgan

Recollections

31

Treasured Torah The International Headquarters of Alpha Epsilon Pi was dedicated on August 19, 1988. The culmination of the ceremony was the Torah processional. After many months of negotiation, the Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation received word that the Memorial Scrolls Trust of London assigned on permanent loan a Torah captured from the Nazis during World War II. The Torah (scroll number 1413) was one of the Czechoslovakian Torahs recovered and stored in London after the war. A beautiful ark was designed as a home for the scroll. Twenty-five years later, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of AEPi, the Torah is still one of the most treasured pieces of history in the building. âœŚ

aepi.org

Fall 2013

THE LION


32

Foundation Annual Report

Alumni Accolades

Life’s Paths Life’s Paths

An Alpha Brother the Same Age as Alpha Epsilon Pi TED LENN (ALPHA – NYU 1938) How did you hear about Alpha Epsilon Pi while at NYU?

In a history class as a freshman in 1934, I made friends with a classmate, Jack Leventhal (Alpha – NYU 1937). He was a very likeable guy who commuted from Brooklyn. Jack, who would later become Master of our chapter and a Superior Court Judge in Washington, D.C., had just pledged. Jack invited me to the Chapter House, which was in a Washington Square basement, and introduced me to about 20 guys in the chapter. What were the guys like?

Most were commuters from the Bronx or Brooklyn, with a few coming from out-of-state. My family had recently moved to New York City from Connecticut - rural Connecticut. This was very big time for me with all of these guys and their different personalities, some studying pre-med, some pre-law, others in Commerce (currently the School of Business Administration), others in Music, and so on.

between 1938 and 1940, give or take a year. Fraternity life was very, very rewarding. What happened after your group of friends graduated?

About a dozen of us became real close and began to meet socially very often. But before we got settled in, World War II hit and that took three to four years out of our lives, if we were lucky. I was one of the lucky ones, as I got married and had two little girls. But, we still did our best to stay friends and help each other out. One Brother who was active in the New York Alumni Club knew of my military service. He was a realtor and provided me with a very nice apartment when housing was unavailable in the city. Another member of the New York Alumni Club helped me obtain a very good prep school teaching position while I was pursuing my graduate studies. This experience, in combination with the G.I. Bill, helped me go on to get a PhD at NYU. I was Professor of Sociology

at Central Connecticut State University for 25 years, interspersed with Visiting Professorships at the University of Maine, the University of Alberta, New York University, and Trinity College (Hartford). Did your group have regular events over the years?

Every year since 1946, my group had at least one weekend meeting at some modest hotel or resort in places like the Catskill Mountains, the Jersey Shore, and the Pennsylvania Poconos. We brought our fading university and fraternity banners. We had fun. Mostly, we liked to stand up with a drink in our hand and sing, “Come lift up your glasses, I’ll give you a toast…” But the years moved along. Three years ago, Jack, who was mentioned before and who was one of my best friends in my whole life, passed away. He was the last of our Alpha group (excluding me). I miss him, along with the other Brothers my age, very much. ✦

So you liked the guys enough to pledge?

Of course I pledged, and I even became Scribe along the way. What was your time like in AEPi as an undergraduate?

It was very rich and very invigorating. But it really was not technically rich, as it was during the peak of the Great Depression. There were just a few who did not have to work at all, as their parents still had very viable businesses. But most of us needed to have some part-time employment. Nobody in Alpha owned a car. My gang graduated THE LION

Fall 2013

aepi.org



Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation & International Headquarters International Headquarters 8815 Wesleyan Road Indianapolis, IN 46268-1185

ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED

st 101

Anniversary Convention Join us in Toronto to install Larry Leider (Eta Pi – York 1991), as AEPi’s first Supreme Master from Canada.

Don’t forget your passport! August 6, 2013 – August 10, 2013 Marriott Eaton Centre, Toronto, ON Email office@aepi.org for more information.

Non-Profit U.S. Postage

PAID

Columbus , WI Permit #73


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.