The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation records contain 32 linear feet and 12.2 GB of records from the Mandell and Madeleine Berman Foundation. It also contains personal papers from Mandell and Madeleine Berman further demonstrating their devotion to local and national philanthropic causes.
The records have been organized into 2 series:
The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation records series contains administrative files, correspondence, meeting agendas, financial documents, and other information related to the work of the foundation. The sub-series contains the files of the executive director of the foundation, information related to grants and projects and administrative records. The records highlight the work of the foundation with major Jewish organizations including the United Jewish Communities, the Jewish Education Services of North American and the Berman Jewish DataBank.
The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman papers series contains personal materials from the Berman family. Materials include correspondence, papers, photographs, video interviews, and speech transcripts. The series highlights Mandell Berman's service and leadership in major Jewish organizations, the impact of the Berman Center for Performing Arts and the personal history and accomplishments of the Berman family.
The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation was founded in Michigan in 1994. The foundation has provided financial support for the research and study of the Jewish community in the United States. One of the primary initiatives of the foundation is the Berman Jewish Data Bank @ The Jewish Federations of North America, a repository of data and population studies about the Jewish community. The foundation also funds positions for Jewish scholars, supports Hillel chapters across the country and issues grants to other organizations in the United States and Israel. The foundation has also supported organizations in the Detroit area including the Humane Society, the Berman Center for Performing Arts and the Berman Foundation scholarships at Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University.
Mandell "Bill" Berman was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1917. He earned degrees from Harvard College (1940) and Harvard Business School (1942) and served as a naval officer in World War II. Following the war, he embarked on an extremely successful career as a real estate developer for the Bert L. Smokler Co., founded by Berman and his brother-in-law, Bert Smokler. Berman was heavily involved in the Jewish community in the Detroit area and nationally, serving as president of the Council of Jewish Federations from 1987 to 1990. Berman passed away in Longboat Key, Florida in 2016 at the age of 99.
Madeleine Berman was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1917. She earned degrees from Northwestern University and Wayne State University and worked professionally as a journalist and art critic. Madeleine Berman served on the President's Committee for the Arts under President Bill Clinton and President Barak Obama. She also served on the Michigan Council of the Arts from 1981 to 1990 and established the Berman Center for Performing Arts at The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan in West Bloomfield, Michigan in 2011. Berman also supported the Detroit Zoological Institute where she established the Madeleine Berman Academy for Humane Education, the Michigan Humane Society and many other organizations. She passed away in 2018.
