A Guardian Angel for the Children

When you first meet Jack Stromfeld, he seems like every other nice, Jewish South Florida retiree. But once he starts to talk about his passion, the uniqueness of his commitment to a distant Israeli organization shines through.

At almost 91, this affable gentleman is the US director for the Pardess Hanna-based children's village, Neveh Michael. Despite working a full-time schedule, both night and day, that would tire out a much younger man, he has never wavered in his commitment to help sustain his beloved cause. He can usually be found in his retirement community, in the home he shares with Charlotte, his wife of almost 60 years, working almost round the clock, answering phone calls and at his "mail station" which is only for e-mails. He does not have a regular computer or know how to use the Internet.

Established to provide a safe haven for at-risk children who cannot live in their own homes, Neveh Michael provides several hundred children with education, food, shelter, clothing and loving attention. Some of them have been removed from their homes by social workers due to harsh home environments or abuse. Many arrive as young as five and some remain until they are 18. Neveh Michael is under the umbrella of Emunah, a religious women's organization.

In 1991, Stromfeld came here during the first Gulf War to lead a group of Volunteers for Israel. He had occasion to wander south from his Haifa assignment to Pardess Hanna, where a Florida neighbor had asked him to deliver a package for a child she was sponsoring at Neveh Michael.
Little did Stromfeld know that a favor for a friend would lead to an intense, 17-year volunteer commitment and an attachment to an organization with which he had no previous association.

Most people would have walked away. But when public relations director Esther Rubenstein showed him around and invited him to lunch with the 200 resident children and staff, he fell in love. When Rubenstein asked if he could try something that had not been previously done in America and go home to recruit sponsors and donations for the village, he was hooked.

"To tell the truth, it was very simple; like everything I've ever done," Stromfeld says. "While I was in Israel, I was very impressed with the many Israelis whom I met and the visit to Neveh Michael Children's Village capped it all off. Meeting such an exuberant person like Mrs. Esther Rubenstein inspired me, so I knew I had to try to help in some small way. My wife, Charlotte, agreed and I was off on another long project which started at age 74."

With a previous career in the dress business behind him, fund-raising was not a familiar activity and it was not going to be easy to raise significant money for Neveh Michael. But after having connections to Israeli charities for 40 years, his instincts directed him to first look to family and friends. After convincing family members to take individual sponsorships of $250 per child, he expanded to his doctors, accountants and other friends.

When dead ends began to appear, Stromfeld was not deterred. He literally took to the streets, establishing new relationships with local synagogues, organizations and schools and recruiting others to help him spread the word about Neveh Michael and sign up sponsors. He was tireless in his efforts.

Along the way, other angels offered up their help, inspired by Stromfeld's selflessness. Out of nowhere, a gentleman in South Carolina heard about Stromfeld's efforts and called to offer his assistance.

"This wonderful Jewish teacher, Mike Epstein, from a small town in South Carolina, population 2,000, called and asked why I didn't develop a Web site," says Stromfeld. "Since I was 'computer ignorant,' I asked, 'What's a Web site?' So he said he would develop something and put it on the Internet for free."

Even with the relatively crude, homemade site, hundreds more sponsors started rolling in from around the country. Today, Stromfeld has about 750 individual sponsors all over the US and even a few in Europe who help him raise about $300,000 annually to help support the children of Neveh Michael.

To other Jewish and Israeli organizations, this amount may not seem like much at all, but it has gone to very good use and often very distinct purposes. Stromfeld has also had some successes on additional projects to support his beloved children's village.

After being designated as a critical need following the Second Lebanon War, the Neveh Michael US Board of Directors decided it needed to raise additional money. Stromfeld approached the Jewish Federation of Broward County which allocated $52,000. A brand-new bomb shelter is under construction at Neveh Michael.

Additionally, after much prodding from some of his donors, Stromfeld took on another project raising extra money to provide English lessons for the children ages five through nine. To date he has raised an additional $20,000 toward bringing in English teachers.

His last and most recent interest was actually presented by the Israeli government which is interested in using Neveh Michael to establish the first crisis center exclusively for girls who have been on drugs or alcohol or are pregnant. The government said that if Neveh Michael would initiate the program, the government would fund it. To date, no funds have been earmarked for this project, but Stromfeld is already exploring options on how to help get the ball rolling.

At an age when most of his friends are enjoying their golden years, Stromfeld is finally thinking of retiring. But, this is not the first time he has considered a life of leisure. "I tried to retire three times. God told me I needed to work a little longer. Maybe this time will be different," he says.
Stromfeld knows that finding a replacement will not be easy and that most likely he will need to pay someone to take on his previously volunteer role. However, in today's world, finding someone to fill Jack Stromfeld's very large and loving shoes will not be an easy task at all.