A Final Wish to Share the Love of Learning

In the middle of the 2008 financial crisis - as Jewish institutions throughout Greater Boston were struggling - CJP's Charlie Glassenberg got a call that changed everything.

A man named Paul Wotitzky had left almost his entire estate to CJP. His only stipulation: that the bequest be used to support Jewish religious education. "At that time, we were trying to figure out how to navigate the crisis and the devastating financial impacts on educational institutions," says Glassenberg, CJP's Vice President, Risk Management and Investment Partnerships, remembering the day he learned of the gift. "And here came this miracle from a donor unknown to CJP."

This gift, which became the Davis, Isaacs and Wotitzky Fund, is the largest bequest ever received by CJP. It was put to immediate use, easing budget shortfalls and benefiting Jewish learners of all ages - from preschoolers to seniors to children with special needs and Jewish centers of learning such as day schools, synagogues, and camps.

This remarkable public legacy was the final gift from an extraordinary, but very private man. Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1927, Paul Wotitzky suffered a childhood illness that left him deaf at the age of 2. He attended schools for deaf children until the Nazis annexed Austria. He and his mother, Bertha, escaped through the mountains and forests of several countries; they eventually reunited with his father, Rudolf, in what later became the State of Israel.

In 1957, Paul moved from Israel to Greater Boston. He studied accounting and married Carol Isaacs, who had been born deaf. Carol was the daughter of Nathan Isaacs, a renowned business law scholar and one of the first openly Jewish faculty members at Harvard University. Nathan was an Orthodox Jew, and Carol was deeply committed to Judaism.

Paul and Carol lived a happy, private, and modest life in Brookline. Paul worked hard as a certified public accountant for Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young); Carol was a bookkeeper for Filene's department store. The couple had no children and were devoted to each other, their small group of friends, their careers, and their interests.

For Paul, one of these interests was a love of learning. He frequented the library, loved to read, and cared deeply about Jewish history, the Jewish people, and Israel. He felt especially passionate about ensuring that no one forgot about the Holocaust.

Carol died in 2006; Paul followed two years later. Through their bequest, Paul and Carol wanted to pass their love of learning to future generations. Their endowment fund will generate income in perpetuity to support Jewish educational programs long into the future.

And Paul and Carol's memory lives on in another special way. "The picture of Paul's kindergarten class sits on my desk, and I show it to new staff who join CJP," says Glassenberg. "I want to remind them that behind every donation, every gift, and especially every legacy gift, is a story of an extraordinary person. It's our job to honor their lives and their final acts of generosity."