Supporting Foundations
Meet the Reitmans
"TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN MUCH IS EXPECTED? ARE WORDS THAT JEWISH CLEVELANDERS SYLVIA AND BOB REITMAN LIVE BY." They both learned at an early age the importance of giving tzedakah (charity). Sylvia's mother was a leader in Pioneer Women and her father was the first Russian president of a Hungarian shul (Heights Temple). Bob's father emigrated from Poland to West Virginia where they owned a store, with a shul upstairs. At the center of their philanthropy is their Judaism. Together, they have made it a custom to take care of others. Living generously is part of their lives. The Reitmans raised their son and daughter in the same fashion they were raised, to think of others, to give what you can, and to work to repair the world. "We have a small family which intensifies the feelings of need for familial engagement," they said. As an estate planner, Bob understood the vehicles which they could use to be philanthropic. And his leadership experience with the Federation's annual Campaign for Jewish Needs helped him focus on the importance of unrestricted giving. When Bob and Sylvia decided to create the Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation in the late 1990s, they anticipated it would not only help them accomplish their philanthropic goals but also would serve as cohesion between them, their children, and grandchildren. Through the family foundation, each would become more formally engaged with Bob and Sylvia's philanthropic values and principals and the foundation would serve as their legacy for when they are gone. As they describe it, the foundation is a legacy for "Who we are/were." "We enjoy the immense satisfaction that comes from making a positive impact on the world. There isn't much that we need and in our time we hope we'll be known as people who made a difference," they said.More Info
Contact Us
Matthew Kaliff
Senior Director/Endowment Development & Supporting Foundations
216-593-2831
[email protected]
