For almost four decades, Paula and Jerry Gottesman have shaped the past, current and future of the school that now bears their name. With deep commitment to Jewish education and the future of the Jewish people, as well as passion, vision, a pioneering spirit, and extraordinary generosity, the Gottesmans have created groundbreaking models—in middle income affordability, endowment development, teacher professional development, and more—that have not only transformed the school, but also shaped the broader Jewish community and the future of day school education in North America.

 

Now, they have set a blueprint for the school’s next several generations, and helped anchor the Jewish community of Morris County, through a historic gift to create a new building and campus, scheduled to open in September, 2015.

 

National leaders in the field of Jewish day school education, Paula and Jerry believe that a thriving Jewish future requires educated Jews, and that it is a communal responsibility to provide the means for quality Jewish education. The Gottesmans were among the first in the nation to provide a cap on tuition for students from middle income families who attend a Jewish day school. A decade ago, they created the “Base Grant” program at the then-Hebrew Academy of Morris County. The program has since become a model for Jewish communities across the country.

 

In 2007, the Gottesmans created the largest program endowment in the history of the Greater MetroWest community by endowing the school’s tuition program and becoming founding donors of the Greater MetroWest Day School Campaign and of the Herskowitz Society, a day school donor society named in memory of Jerry’s family members. The highly successful community-wide effort became the model for a national day school endowment program that has spread to communities across North America.

 

In other endeavors, the Gottesmans have been innovators in the field of Jewish camp, creating the largest endowed community-based Jewish camp program in North America. They have also supported many innovative programs in Israel, have endowed a position for a full-time Jewish student director at Vassar College, and also helped underwrite the cost of religious school at the Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael.

 

Paula, a retired attorney, has served as a key leader of the Greater MetroWest community for decades. She is a past president and long time board member of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest, a member of the board of the NJ Y Camps and The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life of MetroWest, and past president of the Women’s Department of United Jewish Appeal of MetroWest NJ, and the Morristown-Morris Township Library Foundation. The Gottesmans are trustees of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and major supporters of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

 

Jerry, along with his late brother Harold, established Edison Parking in Newark in 1956. Now known as Edison Properties, the diversified firm specializes in mini storage, parking, and real estate development. The company, still headquartered in Newark, has created a charitable trust which is used solely for Newark causes. Jerry is on the board of the Newark Museum.

 

The Gottesmans are the proud parents of four daughters: Sally, Archie, Jane, and Abbie, each of whom has become active in Jewish life in her community. They have 17 grandchildren.

 

 

In September, 2000, Kim Hirsh asked her oldest child, Elana, an entering 3rd grader, how her first day went at the then-HAMC. Elana said, “The kids are great, but there’s no library.”
 
Kim raised $100,000 to create one.
 
Since then, Kim has worked to enhance and grow the school that she and her family have come to love. As a professional, she created the Development Director role at the school, helping to build an annual campaign, establish an endowment program and alumni relations, lay the groundwork for professional marketing, and launch the annual 8th grade Israel trip.
 
Since leaving the school in 2005 to work for the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Kim has worked closely with school leaders and benefactors on building the school’s endowments, developing excellence programs, taking part in strategic planning, and helping to shape the future of the school through the Our Future Together Campaign.
 
In her role Director of Philanthropic Initiatives at the JCF, she has worked with Paula and Jerry Gottesman and other day school philanthropists to create the Greater MetroWest Day School Campaign and build a community-wide day school education collaboration.
 
A nationally recognized expert in major gifts and community-wide campaigns, Kim  has worked closely with leading philanthropic families and partner agencies to raise more than $75 million in support of Jewish identity programs, including Jewish day schools, Jewish camp, Birthright Israel, PJ Library and Jewish teen philanthropy.
 
She has established her own consulting firm, Hirsh Consulting Group LLC, which counsels national and local Jewish non-profit organizations in fundraising and leadership development. In the broader community, Kim serves on the Board of Trustees of Newark Academy.
 
She is married to Dr. Mark Widmann, chief of Thoracic Surgery for Atlantic Health. They have three children: Elana, class of 2006; Zack class of 2008; and Sara, class of 2011.