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Monday July 28, 2008

‘Wonderful ride’ at BJE ends after 34 years

by stacey palevsky
staff writer

When Kerin Lieberman joined the Bureau of Jewish Education in 1974, a loaf of bread cost 28 cents. KISS released its debut album. Yitzhak Rabin was elected Israel’s fifth prime minister, succeeding Golda Meir.

It certainly was a different world. Did Lieberman ever think that 34 years later she’d still work at the S.F.-based BJE?

“Not in a million years,” she said.

Lieberman officially retired from her post as associate director July 9. In her honor, the BJE celebrated her achievements July 17 with a ’70s-themed party at the BJE office in San Francisco’s Richmond District.

Historical references were printed out and posted around the room, candy from the ’70s (Pop Rocks, Charleston Chews, candy button strips) decorated the tables and ’70s classic rock ‘n’ roll played on the stereo.

When Lieberman joined the BJE — a nonprofit that provides consulting and support to local Jewish educators — her monthly salary was just $800.

She started as an office manager and worked her way up to associate director in charge of finance, business systems and administration. She worked with 16 board presidents and six executive directors.

She helped launch the Feast of Jewish Learning and the Phantom Ball, the agency’s signature fundraising event. She also helped grow the Bureau’s financial aid program from just $12,000 for overnight camps to $250,000 — and now that money is available not just for campers, but also for day school and college students in Israel and the United States.

“It has been a wonderful ride,” said Fred Isaac, a friend who spoke in Lieberman’s honor and also created a fund for her signature program, the Feast of Jewish Learning, pledging $180 for each of Lieberman’s 34 years.

“That really is a fitting tribute to Kerin’s legacy,” said David Waksberg, executive director of the BJE, who is conducting a job search to fill the position.

Seven colleagues and friends spoke in her honor. They talked about Lieberman’s loyalty, vision, humor and kindness. They talked about her talent for turning ideas into reality. They recalled how she nurtured younger staff members and how she ensured the BJE’s fiscal stability.

Bob Sherman, former BJE director, worked with Lieberman for 14 years. He said in a phone interview from his New York office that Lieberman’s dedication and behind-the-scenes work were instrumental to the agency’s growth.

“It’s kind of heroic the way she stayed and helped the organization over and over again as it went through various changes,” Sherman said. “She did the kind of things that made it possible for the organization to thrive.”

Flora Kupferman, a BJE consultant, recalled how Lieberman always had a drawer full of toys and shelves loaded with teddy bears to entertain any children that might be in the building.

“She provided that warm and fuzzy place in addition to the high work standards she upheld here,” Kupferman said.

The 63-year-old Lieberman was born in Holland at the tail end of World War II, and her family fled to New Zealand before settling in New York. She arrived with her husband in San Francisco in the 1970s and found the BJE job through Jewish Vocational Service.

Lieberman was diagnosed with cancer last April. She worked through her first round of chemotherapy; her colleagues wore buttons, handmade by her daughter, that read “F— cancer” and “Cancer sucks.”

When the cancer returned in August, Lieberman decided it was time to retire. The decision was a difficult one.

“Yes, I was a wife and mother, but the BJE also was my identity,” she said. “These people have been as close to me as family.”

In retirement, she plans to travel (in California and abroad), volunteer, and focus on her mental and physical health. She admits she hasn’t made herself a priority for quite some time. Friends agreed.

Judy Baston, a friend and BJE volunteer, said Lieberman is uniquely interested in the people with whom she works and interacts,

“But the corollary is that she puts others’ needs before her own,” Baston said. “I don’t think Kerin understands how important she is.”

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