Bernie Marcus, Home Depot Co-Founder & Prof. Alan Dershowitz Honorees at ZOA Gala
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Bernie Marcus, philanthropist, pro-Israel activist and co-founder of Home Depot was among the honorees at the ZOA’s November 20th Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award Dinner at the New York Hyatt. Introduced by Dinner Co-Chair Michael Leven—whose comment: “I’ve never been to a hardware store—I’m a Jew!” elicited chuckles and a few groans, was rescued by Marcus—a good sport—who called out to the audience: “How many people here shop at Home Depot?” Applause, hoots and hollers! . “Thank you very much”, said Marcus as he led off with an oft told joke about the “old rabbi who prays at The Wall for years, seven days a week for some sixty years and when asked by a reporter what he prays for, replies: “I pray for peace in the world, that my family be healthy, that the Jews and Arabs support one another.” The reporter says” That’s wonderful! And how do you feel about that?” The rabbi shrugs: “It’s like talking to the wall.”
A very relaxed Marcus informed “I wanted to be a doctor since I was fourteen years old. I studied anatomy books, muscles, bones. When I went to the doctor I told him what was wrong with me. I took two years of pre-med, was a good student. Applied to medical school and I couldn’t get in. Guess why? There was a 10% quota for Jewish students—this was 1950. That was my first beginning of what anti-Semitism looked like and it stayed that way. I did the next best thing—I ran a hardware store.”
“Something changed the world with the establishment of Israel in 1948,” said Marcus. “ I tell young people today—‘You don’t know how good your life is because of what happened in Israel…. Many of you who are in universities, joining anti-Israel organizations don’t understand that Israel saved your lives and your careers because when Israel was formed—things changed for Jews in the United States!
“There were no Jewish bankers—they had to form their own—like Goldman Sachs.. I remember selling Israel bonds in the ‘70’s to one of the major companies in the United States. They put me in front of the Board of Directors — they had 10,000 people working for them— and I said to them: “Are there any Jews here? They looked at me. “Do you at least have a Jewish accountant, a Jewish lawyer? And the CEO sheepishly looked at me and said: “No, I don’t!” Not a single Jew! So when I speak to you about Israel, I am talking about something that helped us become stronger, better and survivors!”
The evening’s roster of presenters and honorees included Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon recipient of the Dr. Bob Shillman Award for Outstanding Diplomacy, James Tisch who introduced a very passionate Prof. Alan Dershowitz recipient of the Mortimer Zuckerman Award for Outstanding Pro-Israel Journalism, dinner co-chair philanthropist Ken Langone who endowed the Langone/NYU Medical Center and Langone NYU evening MBA Program and ZOA president Mortimer Klein who rallied the evening’s more than 1200 guests including some 250 yeshiva and college students—the largest ever assemblage at a ZOA dinner.
The Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award was established in memory of Louis Dembitz Brandeis who was born in 1856 in Louisville, Ky., grew up with little Jewish identity yet became one of the most important leaders in the history of American Jewish community. His role as arbitrator in the 1911 garment industry strike in New York City gave him his first contacts with the world of East European Jewish immigrants. His relationship with President Woodrow Wilson helped ensure U.S. support for the Balfour Declaration. Justice Brandeis died in 1941.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
