|
Meet Brian Kriftcher, President of the JCC
President's Address Rabbi Cohen; Rabbi Hammerman; David Kweskin; Past Presidents of the JCC and Federation; Fellow Board Members; Fellow Community Members; JCC professionals; Mrs. Hoffman and other distinguished guests - welcome! As I look out into the crowd here, I see not just familiar faces, but so many dear friends and family members that it is difficult to imagine that Jeannie and I have ever called anywhere else "home". That is what I have found so remarkable about the JCC since the day I arrived here with Jeannie nearly 13 years ago - its power to draw the community in, and then to connect and anchor it here forever. And it is for that reason that I am so proud and excited to be taking over as President for these next two years. I stand atop broad shoulders in taking on this position. To my dear friend and colleague Maxine Freilich, I know I speak for everyone here when I express our deep gratitude for your many years of dedicated service to our Center, and to our community at large. Beyond your accomplishments as President - and there have been so many - the energy, grace and optimism you displayed in confronting unforeseen personal difficulties the past two years has been an ongoing inspiration to me and all who know you. It has been my great privilege to work so closely with you as your Vice President, and I look forward to many future years of friendship and collaboration with you on behalf of our community. To our Tzahal Shalom officers, I want you to know how much it means to me to be sharing this stage and this evening with you. Israel's significance in the struggle for Jewish continuity and survival the world over - as well as its place in my own life - has never been clearer; and we are forever in your debt for serving on its front lines. We pray for your ongoing safety, and hope the Stamford community forever occupies a special place in your hearts. While I accept the Presidency, fully and without reservation, I appreciate that the road immediately ahead may be less than smooth. The current economic environment poses challenges the likes of which our community has not seen in many years. Enrollment in the very youngest segments of our early childhood educational programs are down, as families have begun to tighten their belts and parents seemingly have determined that "formal education" for 2-year olds is a luxury not a necessity. We face greater competition in our fitness segment. And general membership, while holding steady, requires constant watch. And yet, despite these challenges - and in some ways because of them - I have never been more convinced of how vital the Center is to our community, or more optimistic about how much more we can accomplish if we collectively possess the foresight, commitment and energy to do so. The Torah describes the Jews at Mount Sinai as "one people with one heart" - reflecting how their clarity of common purpose at that moment in time inspired them to put aside individual differences and competing interests, in favor of forging stronger and more long-lasting communal bonds. In our community, a strong and thriving JCC must always remain a priority destination, and we must challenge ourselves to achieve "one people with one heart" as our means of getting there. That we can continue to achieve greatness despite today's challenging climate should not be doubted. In the words of English poet William Blake, "great things are done when men and mountains meet." I am so pleased to be assuming the leadership of such a forward-looking, courageous, passionate, intelligent and entrepreneurial Board of Directors who evaluates every issue and opportunity that comes before us - cautiously, but thoughtfully - in an effort to determine the highest and best uses of the Center's cash and human capital. During my Presidency, I can assure you that the Board will continue to approach decisions in this manner - in searching for additional revenue opportunities, and considering innovative programming and services consistent with the Center's core mission and values. Along these lines, it gives me great pleasure to formally welcome to the JCC Board our newest members, Bob Dorf, Joy Katz, Jared Mehl and Rob Zabronsky, each of whom we can expect to be significant contributors to the Board for years to come. We also thank outgoing Board members, Doug Karp, Lorraine Kweskin, Susan Peyser and Robin Wexler for their yeomen's service to our Center and our community these past many years. At the same time, the whole community must recognize that JCC Board Members and professional staff, alone, cannot bear the full brunt of the Center's stewardship and ongoing success. Rather, for the Center to continue to thrive in the 21st Century to the same degree it did in the 20th, each one of us must find our own unique role to play. My father speaks of contributing one or more of the "three W's": wealth, wisdom and work. In that sense, I would encourage each of you here - and others you may know who have been beneficiaries of the gift of the Center that was bestowed on us by earlier generations - to renew their involvement in the Center by contributing to whatever extent and manner feels most comfortable. It has never been more important for us to develop and pursue an all-hands-on-deck approach to "paying forward" our Center, and guaranteeing that future generations have at least the same advantages of membership as we have had.
So where do our priorities lay for the Center in the Term ahead? Second, we must tend to the Center's aging physical infrastructure. At a minimum, replacing certain of the outdated mechanical and structural systems that gird the William & Sally Tandet Building we inherited 30+ years ago can no longer be deferred. While projects like these are neither inexpensive nor sexy, we must recognize that failure to complete them risks devaluing the Center's chief investable asset. Third, we must continue to challenge ourselves and incent the Center's professional staff to pursue new and relevant programs, including those that cater to the needs and wants of our teenage and over-50 populations. "Excellence" must be the guide in all that we do! "Not using the fitness center" can no longer be an acceptable reason for members of our community to curtail their support of the Center. And last - but maybe most importantly - we must make collaboration with our Federation and other agencies across the spectrum of Jewish life and practice our "calling card". We must take the lead in elevating the dialogue in our community from concerns of "turf" and historical baggage to considerations of what is in the community's collective best interests. We have real needs - and we must increasingly find ways to leverage each other's resources to most effectively achieve them. There is no other way! Finally, in closing, I would be remiss if I didn't direct a formal thank you and Mazel Tov to Jeannie Kriftcher, my wife - on being selected as this year's recipient of the Harold Hoffman Humanitarian Award. More than merely an extraordinary wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend - you are the consummate volunteer, who always puts actions above words in representing the very best of Tikun Olam: repairing the world. Biased as I may be, neither the community - nor I - would be the same without you! Thank you all ... for the trust and confidence you place in me tonight. I look forward to working together with you - in good times and in bad - to ensure, in perpetuity, the JCC's ongoing health and prominence as the Center of our Community. Biography At the Jewish Community Center's annual meeting on May 7, 2009, Brian S. Kriftcher was elected to serve as president of the JCC board of directors. Brian joined the JCC's board of directors in 2003, and has served on the executive committee as treasurer and as first vice president. He also serves on the board of directors of the national Jewish Community Centers Association. Following a successful eighteen-year career on Wall Street, including more than twelve years in the hedge fund/asset management business, Brian left the industry at the end of 2006 to pursue his lifelong passions for teaching, coaching, and involvement in community and charitable affairs. Today, he is the head freshman boys basketball coach and assistant junior varsity and varsity boys basketball coach at Westhill High School. He teaches seventh grade civics at the George Jackson Academy, a private all-boys middle school in New York City catering to talented but economically disadvantaged inner city youth. In addition, Brian is the founder of Stamford Peace, a local youth program that uses basketball training and competition as a means of motivating participants to strive for excellence on the basketball court, as well as in the classroom, in the community and at home. Brian serves on the board of directors of the new Jewish High School of Connecticut, and is a member of the executive board of PeacePlayers International, a global organization that uses the game of basketball to bridge the divide among children in various conflict and post-conflict areas such as Israel and the Middle East, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Cyprus and New Orleans. Other not-for-profit organizations with which he is involved are Lovelane, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and the Medical Simulation Center at Sheba Medical Center in Tal Hashomer, Israel. In his earlier professional life, Brian worked for major financial firms such as Cantor Fitzgerald Securities and Neuberger Berman. In the mid 1990s he was the chief operating officer and general counsel of S.A.C. Capital Advisors, LLC, one of the largest hedge fund operations in the world. In 1999 he co-founded Satellite Asset Management, L.P., a diversified multi-billion dollar investment firm, where he was a principal and chief operating officer for nearly eight years. Brian earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Albany, and later a Juris Doctor degree from the St. John's University School of Law, which he attended at night. Since 1996, Brian has lived in Stamford with his wife, Jeannie, and their three daughters, Hannah, Charlotte and Sophie.
|
