Mandell (Bill) Leslie Berman

Founder and Trustee. Mandell Berman helped build America through his involvement in the housing construction industry. He was a partner in Bert L. Smokler & Company from 1946 through 1975, a real estate development and building enterprise, and held the position of President of both that company and Dreyfus Development Corporation from 1969-1972, and is past Chairman of the Michigan State Housing Finance Authority and the Skillman Foundation. He established the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation. While serving as the president of the Council of Jewish Federations Berman co-founded the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) and subsequently the 2000-2001 NJPS. In 1986, he founded the Mandell L. Berman Institute North American Jewish Data Bank (NAJDB). Thanks to his concern for the youngest members of the Jewish world and the international community, in 1999 Berman established the Fund for Research on Children with Disabilities at the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute in Israel. He supported the Mandell L. Berman Center at University of Michigan Hillel and since 1997 Berman Fellowships have enabled committed individuals to receive training for careers as campus Jewish professionals. In addition to his involvement with the Jewish Theological Seminary and Brandeis University, Berman is co-founder of the Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA), serves on the Board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the United Israel Appeal. He served on the Board of the Jewish Agency and the Board of World Zionist Education Authority. Berman was the First Chairman of the Skillman Foundation, Past President and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Welfare Federation, and past Board Member of the United Way and various community arts organizations. Founder of the Berman Humane Animal shelter in Westland, Michigan.