At the May 15 meeting of the Summit Elks Club, the leaders of the organization presented a check for $63,000 to Federation CEO Dov Ben-Shimon. All the funds raised at their record-setting annual fund raiser held on April 18 are in support of Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund.
Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler Fred Honold noted, “This noble effort led by James Reiss and the team he assembled, has touched our minds and hearts. It demonstrates the good that happens in this world when good people step forward to take care of people half-way around the world who exist in a desperate and dire situation… to provide them the simple necessities of life that we here take for granted. Our community is blessed to have these good people in our midst.”
“Even though the vast majority of those present, and those who gave, aren’t Jewish, to know that we stand together as neighbors and friends, for American values and western values, is truly uplifting,” said Ben-Shimon.
Jimmy Reiss, an Elks Club member, a Federation donor, and the son of Lion of Judah Lois Reiss, brought the idea of a raffle in support of the Israel Fund to his club, which is mostly non-Jewish. The board got behind him and his idea grew to an event complete with music, food, open bar, and a tricky tray in addition to the first prize raffle of a $10,000 basket of expensive whiskeys. At the fundraiser, speakers Ben Lehrhoff, Elks member and Federation lay leader; Rabbi Erin R. Glazer of Temple Sinai in Summit; Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz of Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills; and Reiss shared their personal stories of Israel and antisemitism and thanked the members of the Elks Club for being true friends to the Jewish community.
Pictured above are Jeff Karp, Elks committee member; Dean Goldberg, Elks committee member; Howard Rabner, Federation CFO; Rick Wolfe, Elks trustee; Dov Ben-Shimon, Federation CEO; Ben Lehrhoff, Elks committee member and Federation lay leader; Jimmy Reiss, Elks committee member and Federation member; and Fred Honold, Elks Exalted Ruler.