Jane Goldstein and Jon Fleischaker will chair the 2017 Federation Campaign. “The community is fortunate to have two of the most well-respected individuals and leaders join together as they step up to co-chair the 2017 Campaign,” said Federation Vice President of Philanthropy Stacy Gordon-Funk. “These long-time friends will make great partners.”
Jane Goldstein and Jon Fleischaker, 2017 Federation Campaign Chairs
“This is going to be an interesting year because I do think we are finally moving actively and aggressively toward a plan and implementation of a plan for the future” of our Jewish community,” said Jon Fleischaker. “I think that is a big step for all of us, and a necessary step to increase excitement for the community and commitment to the community.”
It is also a time of transition for the leadership of the Annual Federation Campaign. Fleischaker and Goldstein agree that in addition to raising money for immediate community needs, they will focus on getting younger people involved in the Campaign and ensuring that they have the skills they will need to be next year’s leaders.
“We need the people … to get involved if they want to have a Jewish community in this town for their children and their grandchildren,” Goldstein said.
“We’re going to be talking about the long- and short-term needs,” Fleischaker continued.
There needs to be a strong Jewish community today to ensure that young Jewish families today have the right opportunities to cultivate their children’s Jewish identities. That means giving them choices of Jewish educational opportunities from PJ Library books to Jewish day camp and overnight camp experiences to engaging classes at our Jewish supplemental schools to a strong, active BBYO program.
There needs to be a strong Jewish community today to ensure that when the need arises, Jewish Family & Career Services is able to offer employment counseling, support for families in transition – whether that be adopting a child, going through a divorce, choosing a college, putting food on the table or finding services that will enabling aging parents to continue to live independently in their own home.
There needs to be a strong Jewish community “to interact on a daily basis with the larger community,” Fleischaker stated. “We cannot segregate ourselves as if we’re the only ones who matter.”
There also needs to be a strong Jewish community to look at our own infrastructure and ensure that the community will move forward on internal issues. Fleischaker believes the Jewish Community of Louisville (JCL) Board is positioned to do this and will be sharing information with the community shortly.
Fleischaker and Goldstein encourage all who are interested in the future of the Louisville Jewish community to become involved and to participate in Jewish communal activities. If you’d like to help them ensure the future of the Jewish community by helping with the Campaign, contact Federation Vice President of Philanthropy Stacy Gordon-Funk, 502-238-2755 or sgordon-funk@jewishlouisville.org.
Fleischaker is a partner of the Dinsmore & Shohl law firm and has more than 40 years’ experience with media law and defending and prosecuting First Amendment cases guaranteeing the freedoms of speech and press as well as the related First Amendment freedoms of religion, assembly and the right to petition government.
A graduate of Seneca High School, Fleischaker was a good student as well as a good athlete who helped the school’s basketball and golf teams win regional and state championships. He played both sports at Swarthmore College as well and graduated second in his class from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
In 2008, he and his wife, Kim Greene, created the Fleischaker-Greene Fund for Excellence in First Amendment Issues at Western Kentucky University. The fund supports a scholars program that offers top journalism students the opportunity to take an advanced special topics class each year and brings nationally recognized speakers to the school. The couple takes pride in the good projects the class undertakes each year.
In the Jewish community, Fleischaker is the JCL’s vice Board chair and chair of it Planning and Allocations Committee. He spent countless hours serving on the By-laws Committee when the JCL was created through the merger of the Jewish Community Federation and the Jewish Community Center.
Fleischaker and Greene have two children and seven grandchildren.
Always a strong supporter of the Annual Federation Campaign, Goldstein is a Lion of Judah and has endowed her Annual Campaign gift. She co-chaired the 2005 Federation Campaign with Steve Shapiro and chaired the 2006 Federation Campaign and has served the JCL and other community organizations in many capacities.
Goldstein is a past president of the Jewish Community Federation, a past president of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Family & Vocational Service (now Jewish Family & Career Services). She has served on many committees, often as chair, for both organizations including Planning and Allocations, Strategic Planning, Campaign and committees that dealt with issues like services to the elderly.
She is a past president of the national board of the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies. She has also served on various national committees of Jewish Federations of North America and JCCA. In addition, she served on the Mission Committee of Jewish Hospital St. Mary’s Heath Care and the Brown Cancer Center Advisory Board.
Until her retirement, Goldstein worked for the University of Louisville as assistant dean of the College of Business and Public Administration.
