Allan Mendelowitz

Allan Mendelowitz

Allan Mendelowitz

[I hope that our Jewish community will] be a vehicle for the preservation and continuity of the values and ethics that have been the core of Jewish civilization.

Photo of Allan MGrowing up in Connecticut on the heels of the Holocaust and World War II, Allan Mendelowitz recalls the feeling of unease about the stability of the new state of Israel, saying it “weighed” on his family and the Jewish community. This feeling shaped Allan’s childhood. He was active in the youth group Young Judaea, focusing his efforts on supporting Israel as well as fighting injustice in America. In August 1963, he traveled to Washington, DC with a Young Judaea delegation to participate in the March on Washington.

Much has changed since Allan’s youth. “For my grandfather’s generation, Jewish life was all encompassing and experiential: a Jewish language and a living Jewish civilization,” he says.

“Today, the descendants of those earlier generations who made it to America live in a free society. A challenge for Jews living in this free society is how to retain a vibrant Jewish community and the core values that have been central to the survival of Jewish civilization over the millennia.”

For Allan, a Roots Society donor (a donor who has given for 20+ years), part of the reason why he continues to give is that The Jewish Federation helps meet this need.

“It is hard to stay on top of all the different needs that are served by Federation; its structure provides a way to vet priorities and help a large number of good causes,” says Allan.

It’s these various good causes and the strength of our Jewish community that keep Allan hopeful for a vibrant Jewish future.

“[I hope that our Jewish community will] be a vehicle for the preservation and continuity of the values and ethics that have been the core of Jewish civilization.”