John R. Schwabacher
"Who really knows what the future will bring? How could I have known, as a little boy growing up in a small town in Germany, that our family would lose everything and many members of our family would disappear in the concentration camps? Who could have foretold that I would be spared my life in a time that took six million Jewish lives only to start life anew in a country, using a new language?
"Who could have predicted, when I was 12, and so close to losing my life during the bombing in Germany, that I would start two major Silicon Valley companies?
I could not have anticipated the losses, or the wonderful help system that kept my brothers and me going—our nanny and righteous families who fed us and hid us. Nor could I have anticipated the blessing that 78 years of life has brought me.
"I have undergone hardship, but I also have had tremendous support from generous and loving people in my life. This is what I focus on when I think of those that will follow."
Reba Cohen
"I made the decision to leave the JCC in my will at least 40 years ago and I
just never told anyone. I recently learned of the Pomegranate Society and
decided to 'go public' about it.
"I joined the JCC when it was in a house on Middlefield Road after seeing an ad
in the now defunct Palo Alto Times single column for singles wine and cheese
which I attended. I joined the JCC then because I believed in supporting Jewish institutions. Primary offerings were Ta'anah and the senior activities. Over the
years, the JCC, whether it was the South Peninsula Jewish Community Center, the
Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center, or the OFJCC, it was the place where I met
and saw members of the Jewish community who were not members of my synagogue.
"And now, it also provides means of meeting people from many diverse cultures as
well. I'd like for the OFJCC to be part of my legacy because I believes it's
important to help ensure that there continues to be a place for the diverse
Jewish community of the Bay Area, from toddlers to seniors, which for some
supplements their synagogue membership and for others provides their connection
to the Jewish community."
Shirley Liebhaber
"It is important for me to make a donation to the Pomegranate Society in memory of my late husband, Milton I. Liebhaber, because he was proud of the way the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center served the Palo Alto area. Also, Milt was on the JCC board many years ago, not when they met in a building, but when they met in a small house in Palo Alto. It was important to both of us that the young and old had a place for meetings, lectures, lunches, etc…If he was alive today he'd be so proud of our new JCC and all it has to offer to the entire community."
Dorothy Saxe
"It's important that the OFJCC continue to thrive to help assure a healthy, involved and committed Jewish community for generations to come."