STACEY & MARK LEVY MAKE HISTORIC $10 MILLION GIFT TO JEWISH FEDERATION TO ADDRESS URGENT & ONGOING OVERSEAS NEEDS
HISTORIC $10 MILLION GIFT TO JEWISH FEDERATION TO ADDRESS URGENT & ONGOING OVERSEAS NEEDS
Landmark gift will establish the Stacey & Mark Levy Center for Israel & Overseas
Among the most philanthropic, dedicated and impactful leaders of the Palm Beaches and global Jewish communities, Palm Beach Gardens residents Stacey and Mark Levy have made a transformational gift of $10 million to Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County to launch the Stacey & Mark Levy Center for Israel & Overseas (Levy Center). On the heels of two other significant gifts to Federation this season, the Levys have also made one of the largest contributions in the organization’s history, including a legacy gift to permanently support our local and global communities.
Announced at the H. Irwin Levy Founders Event at Palm Beach Country Club on January 9, 2023, the Levy Center will provide a permanent source of funding to support the historic connection between Jewish Palm Beach and Israel through local initiatives like the Israel Program Center; to further connect people in the Palm Beaches with Jewish people around the world; and to strengthen Federation’s investments that care for Jewish communities in 70 countries during crisis or conflict and every day.
Fueled by the couple’s decades-long commitment to global Jewry and astounding generosity, and at a time of rising antisemitism, the Levy Center will further Federation’s multi-million-dollar annual investments with Federation’s global partners — such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and The Jewish Agency for Israel — to ensure that families and communities around the world have resources and services they need to survive and thrive.
Locally, the Levy Center brings together learning and community building opportunities about Israel through Federation’s Israel Program Center; Federation’s programs to welcome young adults from Israel to the Palm Beaches to familiarize people at home with Israel; as well as immersive overseas Missions and travel experiences.
The Levy Center also will become home to Partnership2Gether, Federation’s nearly 30-year partnership with Israel’s TZAHAR region, which comprises the northern Israeli cities Tzfat, Hatzor HaGlilit and Rosh Pina, as well as the Palm Beaches’ newer partnership with the Jewish community of Budapest, Hungary. Our deep and lasting partnership with these overseas communities includes regular visits between our communities, volunteer opportunities, joint projects, and shared experiences that have built lasting, authentic people-to-people relationships of shared care and responsibility.
The Levys’ inspiring gift includes a multi-year commitment to Federation’s Annual Campaign, the organization’s primary fundraising vehicle to address the needs of today’s Jewish community. They are also generous annual supporters of local Jewish organizations and programs, including Alpert Jewish Family Service, Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches, mosaic TV show and podcast, and global organizations Birthright Israel and The Jewish Agency, including its Amigour Senior Housing Project that provides housing for seniors in Israel who would otherwise live in poverty. In the broader community, the Levys have been long-time supporters of a number of organizations, including Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and the United Way of Palm Beach County.
“Mark and Stacey are extraordinary role models, inspiring our community’s most significant leaders to create a strong Jewish future through their philanthropy, time, and expertise,” shared Michael Hoffman, president, and CEO, of Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. “Mark’s parents, Jeanne Levy, of blessed memory, and Irwin Levy, were pioneers of the Palm Beach Jewish community. Today, Mark and Stacey are shaping and securing our community’s future, supporting the dramatic expansion of one of the largest Jewish communities in North America, with an unwavering commitment to our global Jewish family.”
Doron Almog, Major General (Res), Chairman of the Executive, The Jewish Agency for Israel, shared, “On this special day honoring Mark and Stacey Levy, I’d like to add my personal gratitude for their many years of unwavering support of The Jewish Agency for Israel and the global Jewish people. They are true leaders, always ready to step up and help address any challenge we face. I salute them and am thankful for their leadership that is inspirational to others.”
Click here to read more about the Levy Center impact in the Palm Beaches and around the world.
The Levys’ transformative gift also serves as a nucleus commitment to Campaign for the Future, the largest fundraising campaign in Jewish Palm Beach’s history. This comprehensive fundraising campaign seeks to grow annual fundraising, increase the number of multi-year pledges, and create new endowments to meet the needs of our growing community – Today, Tomorrow, and Forever. The campaign integrates many forms of giving, including the Annual Campaign and Targeted Giving—to support our community’s needs of Today and Tomorrow, and Forever needs through endowments at the William A. Meyer Jewish Community Foundation.
To discuss your involvement in this bold effort, contact your Federation representative or Matt Kernkraut, Chief Development Officer, at 561.242.6640 or matthew.kernkraut@jewishpalmbeach.org.
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About Stacey K. & Mark F. Levy
Mark, a Palm Beach County native and lifelong resident, has always felt connected to his Jewish community. He has shared that his first trip to Israel at 16 years old fueled his commitment to Israel. Nearly a decade later, upon returning to the area with Stacey after his graduation from law school, became increasingly involved in the Jewish community and Jewish Federation. Over the years, Mark has visited Federation’s partners, grantees, and families who have benefitted directly from Federation’s support, including Jewish communities in Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Budapest, Ethiopia, France, St. Petersburg (Russia), Albania, Prague and more. He has also served in numerous leadership roles with many organizations, including The Jewish Agency for Israel, Board Chair of the Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Preparatory School (then called Jewish Community Day School), and Alpert Jewish Family Service. Mark was Federation’s Board Chair from 2010 to 2013 – a post that his mother Jeanne served in the early 1980s.
Stacey, who shares Mark’s commitment and drive to ensure a strong Jewish future, was initially inspired to get involved locally by Mark’s mother. Over the years, she has charted her own path, including serving as Board Chair of Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches, a member of Federation’s Board of Directors, a member of the William A. Meyer Jewish Community Foundation Board of Directors, and a member of the Campaign for the Future Cabinet. She’s Federation’s former Major Gifts Chair and Marketing Chair, and a frequent Co-Chair, with Mark, of Federation’s overseas Missions, where they work to ensure that individuals and communities around the world have the resources and services they need to survive and thrive.
