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Schechter Life | High School
Daniel and Jane Och Make $2 Million Gift to SSDSEU
Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union (SSDSEU) announced on April 4th that Daniel and Jane Och of Scarsdale, NY have given an outright gift of $1 million and a challenge gift of $1 million targeted to making SSDSEU high school tuition more affordable to enrolled and prospective students.
Daniel Och is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, a leading, global institutional alternative asset management firm and one of the largest alternative asset managers in the world, with approximately $30 billion in assets. Mr. Och was among the first students enrolled at SSDSEU, founded in 1965 by a group of community leaders including his parents, Dr. Michael and Golda Och. The gift is being made on the occasion of the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary and in recognition of the senior Ochs’ long-standing and continued involvement in the school.
Golda and Michael Och have served in numerous roles in the school. Michael Och was a member of the Executive Committee and Golda Och has occupied several leadership roles at the school, including president of the Parents’ Association and president of the Board of Trustees. In addition, she was the Business Manager of SSDSEU and taught Jewish History in the High School.
"It is our privilege to make this gift in honor of my parents and their decades-long commitment to Jewish education and SSDSEU,” Daniel Och said on behalf of himself and his wife, Jane.
He also thanked Paula and Jerry Gottesman of Morristown, the lead benefactors of the MetroWest Day School Campaign, aimed at securing major endowments for affordability and academic excellence in the community’s three Jewish day schools, including SSDSEU.
“We thank the Gottesman family for blazing this trail,” Daniel Och said. “Day school education is very important to Jewish continuity, and we feel fortunate to be involved with such a fine institution.”
Dr. Joyce Raynor, Head of School, accepted the gift with pride and gratitude. “Daniel and Jane’s gift is meaningful to the school on many levels. As a former student, Daniel understands that the academic lessons and Jewish values he learned in our school have helped him to become the individual he is today. Together, Daniel and Jane recognize that Jewish day school tuition poses tremendous difficulty to families who want to instill those lessons and values in their own children, but are unable to pay over $20,000 per year when college tuition is looming beyond high school years.”
President of the Board of Trustees, Mark Lederman of Martinsville called this gift “transformational.” Mr. Lederman further stated that “Daniel and Jane have stepped into a leadership role with their commitment to affordability and academic excellence in Jewish day school education.”
Chair-Elect Eleanor Kramer of West Orange added that “Jane and Daniel join nationally recognized Jewish day school benefactors, Paula and Jerry Gottesman, in championing the cause for Jewish day school affordability.”
In April, 2007, the Gottesmans established the Herskowitz Society of MetroWest, recognizing donors making commitments of $100,000 or more to a day school endowment fund administered by the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) of MetroWest, which is coordinating the campaign.
The $2 million Och gift will be matched with $1 million from the MetroWest Community Day School Fund, established by the Gottesmans and other day school donors, including United Jewish Communities of MetroWest/JCF. SSDSEU is challenged to match the second $1 million with gifts made by other donors.
For more information about matching this gift and making other gifts to the Herskowitz Society, please contact Kim Hirsh, Development Officer, JCF at 973-929-3026 or Stephanie Bash-Soudry, Director of Development, SSDSEU at 973-602-3612.
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