hebrewpublic.org

Our Founders

Michael Steinhardt

Michael Steinhardt’s financial career began when he graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 1960. He worked as research associate, staff writer, and securities analyst in various firms. He formed his own money management firm in 1967, named Steinhardt Partners L.P., where he experienced unprecedented success. In his memoir, No Bull: My Life In and Out of the Markets, published in 2001, Mr. Steinhardt shares his life’s journey and the private and public experiences that have shaped his career.

He is married to Judy Steinhardt. They live in New York and have three children and 13 grandchildren. Michael Steinhardt founded The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, of which he serves as chair. He is also co-founder of Birthright Israel, a transformational program to bring young Jews to Israel for immersive 10-day visits.

Sara Bloom

Sara Bloom is the chair of the board of directors of the Hebrew Public. She is also the chair of the board of trustees of the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School in Brooklyn, and its sister school, Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School. From 2004 to 2008, she was a weekly columnist for The New York Sun focusing on raising children in New York City. She has been a regular guest on CBS Morning News and FOX News, as well as a frequent guest lecturer at local schools and community centers throughout the city. Before this, she was the Features Editor, and then the News Editor at the Forward,America’s national Jewish newspaper. From 2002 to 2005, Ms. Bloom chaired the board of one of the eight centers of the 92nd Street Y, the Makor/Steinahrdt Center. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, the Board of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the Board of Trustees of the Areivim Philanthropic Group. She graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University, where she studied history. Ms. Bloom lives in New York City with her six children.

The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life

The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life was founded in 1994 by Michael H. Steinhardt to strengthen and transform American Jewish life so that it may flourish in a fully integrated, free society.

Since then, the foundation has disbursed over $100 million to various educational, cultural, and service causes, including starting and/or funding the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education in 1997.

In 1999, The Steinhardt Foundation initiated one of its signature programs, Taglit-Birthright Israel, to provide young Jews, the opportunity to tour Israel for the first time.

The Areivim Philanthropic Group

Founded in 2005 under the leadership of Michael Steinhardt and the late William Davidson, the Areivim Philanthropic Group is a unique consortium of major North American philanthropists committed to developing and supporting transformational projects. Areivim works to significantly impact the next generation of Jews through formal and experiential Jewish, Hebrew, and Israel education.

The Working Group on Modern Hebrew Language developed the Hebrew at Camp/Kayitz Kef Program in 2013. Kayitz Kef gives American Jewish youth the ability to converse in Modern Israeli Hebrew and to own contemporary Israeli culture as part of who they are. An independent evaluation of the project has shown that returning campers are able to regain the language ability achieved during the previous summer after only two weeks and are then able to grow to even higher levels of proficiency. Beginning with one pilot program at Camp Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, New York, during the summer of 2013, Kayitz Kef served 625 campers in 2019 in the following communities: Cleveland, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Palo Alto, Washington, DC; Toronto, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Columbus, and two sites in New York. We are on the path to engaging over 2,000 children by 2024.

Other projects that Areivim endorses and works with include Onward Israel, OneTable, TAMID Group, and the Jewish Food Society.

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