FROM B’YACHAD MAGAZINE
A Spiritual Legacy in Israel
A community carries forward couple's love for Israel
Planned Giving
I usually write about the financial benefits of looking to Jewish National Fund for creative financial planning or income-producing ways to support the land and people of Israel. Today, I wanted to share a true story of how a properly designed charitable gift plan can save income and estate taxes to fulfill your dreams.
Shirley and Robert Levitt of Greensboro, North Carolina established a Charitable Gift Annuity. They were attracted to our competitive annuity rates and wanted to support Israel. We kept in touch through the years, updating them on our work and the importance of their ongoing contributions. Robert passed away, and Shirley continued to receive the Charitable Gift Annuity income.
About a year later, Shirley called me and said that when she passed, she wanted herself and Robert’s legacy to be remembered for making a difference.
Around this time, Jewish National Fund was involved in planning a bedroom community in the Negev desert near Be’er Sheva. Carmit would attract young families to the Negev with modern and affordable housing.
For a long time, Carmit was nothing more than a vision amongst sand dunes. Shirley saw the potential though. She believed in its importance and its future. She decided to build a synagogue in this town not yet created to make a statement that Carmit would be built.
Shirley signed an irrevocable pledge for $2.5 million to build the synagogue. We completed the project, and the Robert and Shirley Levitt Synagogue was dedicated.
The effect was dramatic. Within a few months of completion, lots were sold, and families lined up to become a part of a dynamic new community.
Shirley lived to see pictures of the completed synagogue and witness the dedication virtually. Shimon Peres sent a letter thanking her and Robert for their vision. More powerful though, is the letter from a Carmit resident to Shirley and Robert’s family that shared how more than 300 families are now building homes around the synagogue.
No organization touches the lives and land of the people of Israel as profoundly as Jewish National Fund. We should all be proud of our work, commitment, and support.
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