Pardes News
Fran Immerman Elected President of the American Pardes Foundation
New York, NY – September 17, 2007 – Fran Immerman of Cleveland has been elected President of the American Pardes Foundation, which serves as the U.S. arm of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
Ms. Immerman has been a member of the American Pardes Foundation Board of Directors for over five years, and frequently participates in Pardes programs in Jerusalem, most recently studying Talmud and Bible at Pardes this summer. Ms. Immerman, a retired lawyer, recently completely a term of service as a committee member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, following her role as Chairperson of the Cleveland-Beit Shean Partnership 2000 committee from 2000 to 2004 and membership in the Young Leadership Cabinet of the UJC from 1991-1997. She currently serves on the board of Camp Ramah Darom and the Agnon School in Cleveland.
“Fran is a true post-denominational Jew whose creativity and sensitivity benefit a large number of institutions. It’s exciting to have her become President,” stated Rabbi Daniel Landes, Director of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.
“We’re extremely pleased to have Fran bring her educational experience and organizational skills to Pardes,” stated Josh Chadajo, Executive Director of the American Pardes Foundation.
“I embrace the challenge of moving forward with Pardes during this key time as the organization enters an unprecedented period of expansion,” stated Ms. Immerman.
Additional American Pardes Foundation officers elected today include Michael Rosenzweig of Atlanta as Vice President, Neil Schechter of Baltimore as Treasurer, and Deborah Shapira of New York as Secretary.
The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies The independent Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies immerses its students in the study of classic Jewish texts. Men and women of diverse backgrounds learn together in a rigorous, challenging, and open-minded environment. This learning experience nurtures a deep and personal connection to Jewish heritage, a love for the Jewish people and Israel, and a commitment to becoming leaders in the Jewish community. Founded in 1972, Pardes offers Year, Summer, Executive, Advanced and Educator learning programs for university students and graduates.
Fran Immerman
Ms. Immerman retired from the practice of law in 1989 and has embraced her dual career as a mother and professional volunteer ever since. Fran graduated from the University of Michigan in 1980, from the Boston University School of Law in 1983 and from the Wexner Heritage Foundation in 1995. Born in Akron, Ohio, Ms. Immerman’s Jewish communal responsibilities began in the mid-1970s with United Synagogue Youth and have continued with an active career in the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. Most notably, Ms. Immerman served as chairman of the Cleveland-Beit Shean Partnership 2000 committee from 2000 to 2004. An active member of the Young Leadership Cabinet of the UJC from 1991-1997, Ms. Immerman now serves on a Committee of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency. Ms. Immerman’s interest in Jewish education is reflected in her involvement with the Agnon School, the Siegal College of Judaic Studies, JESNA, the American Pardes Foundation, Tal Torah (an intergenerational women’s learning institute in Jerusalem), The Kolot Institute (a Jerusalem based organization dedicated to educating the emerging Israeli leadership in Jewish thought and tradition) and Pinat Shorashim, located on Kibbutz Gezer. Ms. Immerman’s interests in Jewish education and Jewish community have merged and evolved to encompass the future of the Conservative Movement, both locally in Cleveland and nationally through the Shefa Network. Ms. Immerman and her husband Bob live in Moreland Hills, Ohio with their three children Rachel, Sarah and David and their wire-haired fox terrier, Maccabee.
Michael Rosenzweig
Mr. Rosenzweig was Senior Vice President for Corporate Development and General Counsel of Johns Manville, a Denver-based building materials company, which he joined in November 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Rosenzweig was in private practice as a corporate and securities lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia, most recently as a senior partner in the Atlanta office of McKenna Long & Aldridge. Mr. Rosenzweig graduated summa cum laude from The University of Michigan (A.B. 1973) and with Highest Distinction in Scholarship from Columbia Law School (J.D., 1976). He was a member of the faculty at The University of Michigan Law School from 1979 through 1987, teaching corporations, securities regulation, corporate finance, business planning and mergers and acquisitions. He is widely published, including articles in The Harvard Law Review, The Yale Law Journal, The Columbia Law Review and The Michigan Law Review. Mr. Rosenzweig was a participant in the Atlanta seminar of the Wexner Heritage Foundation from 1989-91. He was co-founder and founding president of a trans-denominational Jewish day high school in Atlanta, originally called the New Atlanta Jewish Community High School, now the Weber School. He has been active on the boards of other organizations, including the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the Epstein School (Solomon Schechter School of Atlanta), the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Neil Schechter
Mr. Schechter, has been a member of the American Pardes Foundation Board of Directors for two years and has been a regular participant in the annual, week-long Pardes Executive Seminar in Jerusalem. For the past seven years, Mr. Schechter served as the Washington Regional General Counsel for Toll Brothers in its Washington D.C. region and recently became the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Clark Turner Communities in Baltimore. A resident of the Annapolis area, Mr. Schechter and his wife Margie and their two children are active members of Temple Beth Shalom of Arnold where Mr. Schechter has served as Board President, Chairman of the Building Steering Committee, and as a teacher.
Deborah Shapira
Ms. Shapira studied in the Pardes Year Program in Jerusalem in 1996-1997 and 1998-1999, and has been a member of the American Pardes Foundation Board of Directors for over five years. Ms. Shapira is a graduate of the HaSha'ar teacher training program at the Drisha Institute, and taught Judaic and secular studies at the Beit Rabban Day School in Manhattan.