My father had to find work, learn a new language, and adapt to this new country quickly so he could provide for himself and his parents. Being good at math, he was able to find a job making calculations for a company that designed ovens – a job that required him to speak mostly in numbers, and not in Portuguese.  Once he learned the language, he got a job as an assistant in a bank, making coffee and running errands.  And from there he grew.  He always told us that he was able to get ahead by doing more than what he was expected to do. That attitude coupled with years of hard work and dedication, allowed him to blossom into a successful businessman, creating a life for himself that no one could have imagined.

What inspires me most about his story is not just how he was able to reach financial success despite his humble background but his profound commitment to Judaism and giving back to his community. This commitment shaped the destiny of our family, and the lives of many Jewish students in Brazil. 

My two brothers and I were born in Rio de Janeiro, where my father had established his business. Rio had a very high rate of assimilation, and maintaining a Jewish identity while living there would be a challenge. Determined to have us grow up in a Jewish environment, my father uprooted his family to Sao Paulo, with its many vibrant synagogues and a big Jewish community center. 

Despite leaving his beloved Rio behind, he decided he needed to do something to help the community there. So he started a program called Kadima, which in Hebrew means to Move Forward. Kadima’s mission is to assist underprivileged Jewish students to attend college. These students come from very poor backgrounds, some even live in favelas (the notorious shantytowns of Brazil). Many students come from troubled families, some are orphans, and most of them have little or no knowledge of Judaism at all.

Once admitted to the program, Kadima students benefit by receiving a full scholarship for the undergraduate studies of their choice. In exchange, my father insisted that the students make three important commitments:  

First, they are required to participate in Judaism classes for four hours every Sunday.  

Second, Kadima students work hard and need to keep up with good grades. 

And third, each student is asked to pay it forward. This means that upon graduation, each student who has benefited from the program is asked to repay the kindness to others, by doing something to help another human being in need. 

To date, there are over 110 students who have graduated from Kadima, having studied all sorts of disciplines including communications, theatre, engineering, law, and medicine. Some Kadima students have gone to make Aliyah in Israel. Others have gotten married to each other.  Some have become more religiously inclined, and others have moved on to find meaningful employment.  

Upon concluding their studies, many students write letters expressing their gratitude to their anonymous donor, my dad, who chose to invest in these students without even knowing them. For years I have read these letters with much pride, and there is one in particular that really touched me. In this letter, the student wrote – Dear sponsor – With this program you have saved my life twice. First, you have given me a future. With a degree I’ll be able to find a job, earn a living, and hopefully start a family. But most importantly, you have also given me a past. I had no idea how beautiful and special it is to belong to the Jewish faith. Now I know my history, understand my roots, and am honored to belong to a community.

My father’s philanthropic projects played a big role in shaping who I am, and ultimately in my desire to start a school. When dreaming about JLA, Daniel and I were always aligned in what we wanted – to create a school that would ignite a spark within each one of you to become kind, compassionate leaders, who will give back to their communities.  Students who will shape the future while being proud of their past.

JLA has a goal of teaching you kindness, empathy, and what it means to do service for others. Our Service Entrepreneurship Program aims to expose you to diverse volunteering opportunities, serving children, the elderly, animals, and the environment.  The idea is for you to find out what are you are passionate about, and hopefully transform yourselves in the process. Our hope is that upon graduating from JLA, ALL of you will use your talents and skills not only to get far professionally, but also to help others and be part of something greater than yourselves. 

Not sure if you all know, but the circles present in our logo, circling around the words Jewish Leadership Academy, are meant to be ripples. It’s the ripple effect that your education will have on your family, your community, and hopefully the world. 10 years from now, more important than having a wall with the names of all colleges you have attended, will be having a book telling the stories of lives that have been impacted by your good work.

Today as we dedicate this beautiful Torah scroll in memory of my dad, my hope is that every time you read from it, you’ll be reminded of JLA’s unique mission. As we move forward, Kadima, I hope you will be inspired by being part of the JLA community, that the lessons and values taught by our amazing teachers will forever shape your lives, and that you too will pay it forward some day.

Lastly, I wanted to end by saying that my father is not here with us, but my mom Stella is. She has been involved with Kadima and many other philantropic projects herself, and she shares these same values and commitment to Jewish Education.  To honor you, mami, I would need much more than a Sefer Torah, perhaps a whole collection of them. So for now I’d just like to recognize your presence here, say thank you for everything, and I hope to make you proud everyday.