Cardin School Recipient of Long-Term Gift

Cardin School Recipient of Long-Term Gift
A $50,000 annual donation for 90 years will stand test of time.August 28, 2009Neil RubinEditor
The Shoshana S. Cardin School has received a most unusual gift in memory of a most unusual person.

The multi-denominational Jewish private high school announced last week that Ethel Blumenfeld of Washington, D.C., has given $4.5 million — payable in $50,000 for 90 years — to the school’s Jacob “Jack” Sokoloff Scholarship Fund, named in memory of her late brother whose estate she controls.

Sokoloff, who died in 2002, was known in local philanthropic and communal circles for occasionally eccentric behavior, asking numerous questions at various board meetings and donning a wide-brimmed hat wherever he went.

“Most people didn’t realize that he had serious thoughts as well,” noted Shoshana S. Cardin, the school’s chairman emeritus and namesake. “He used to ride around town on his bicycle and people thought he was a clown and didn’t realize who he was.”

Sokoloff always held an interest in Jewish education, seeing how as children he and his sister received scholarship funds to attend Hebrew school, Mrs. Blumenfeld said. In later years, as Sokoloff gained success in real estate investments, he became increasingly generous.

Mrs. Blumenfeld fondly remembered her brother for taking her to lunch and giving waiters “an unusually large tip,” as well as recognizing people at bus stops with little means and stopping to give them money.

“What Jack never forgot was his roots,” she said.

Prior to the school’s opening, Mrs. Cardin was discussing the venture with Sokoloff. “He really cared about people and most of all he wanted respect between the Jewish denominations,” she said. “He said he would want to do something to help.”

But not long after that he became ill and died. Apparently, however, he had discussed a major donation to the school with his sister. Mrs. Cardin, however, was unaware of that until she was called by the estate’s attorney.

The bequest will help the Cardin school fund roughly $360,000 this year in tuition assistance, Mrs. Cardin said. While that’s only slightly above last year’s number, it is significantly up from three years ago, she added.

She also is hoping that it encourages other funders, as the Cardin school seeks to fund a permanent home. “It shows confidence in the school,” Mrs. Cardin said.

The school has held classes at Temple Oheb Shalom on Park Heights Avenue since opening in 2003. When it finds a location of its own, its beit midrash (study hall) will be named in Sokoloff’s memory.

Why 90 years for the donation? No one is quite sure.

“It didn’t strike me as unusual because he did unusual things,” Mrs. Blumenfeld said with a chuckle. “Jewish education will be taken care of even when I’m gone. This is what he wanted to do and I think it’s a wonderful thing.”

This is taken from the Jewish Times: http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/local_news/cardin_school_recipient_of_long-term_gift/