It was supposed to be a minor fundraiser to fix the leaking roof over Margate's Jewish Community Center gym. But thanks to a generous benefactor, the shore community enjoys a state of the art building filled with opportunity.
Family and friends of philanthropists Marjorie and Lewis Katz, who passed away within months of each other in 2013 and 2014, were on hand Sunday to witness their son Drew and grandson Leo rededicate the building in their honor and unveil a new sign atop the front entrance.
One of those friends was former state Sen. Bill Gormley of Margate who spoke about how the near 100-year-old JCC came to be rebuilt in the early 2000s.
“I wanted to do a fundraiser to raise $100,000 to fix the leaky roof in the gym and I asked Lewis to attend,” Gormley said. “When I asked him to attend, Lewis asked if I would mind if he got up to speak. When it was his turn, Lewis said, ‘Bill and I are going to build a new JCC.’”
During his comments to the crowd, Gormley said Katz not only got the big idea to rebuild, but he also had a complete plan to get it done. It was not the only impact Katz had on the Absecon Island community.
Gormley noted that Lewis Katz also stepped up to help save the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, which at the time was slated to close.
“Not only did he donate $250,000 to keep it open, he sent (Chief Executive Officer) Marg (Rosenblatt) and the JCC staff to run it,” he said.
Rosenblatt said Katz was the kind of person who believed that if you have the resources to help someone have a better life, it will give you purpose in life and a real reason to exist.
Katz — who grew up poor in Camden, worked odd jobs at the shore, and later became a successful businessman — pledged the $1 million needed to start the rebuilding project.
JCC Board President Rosalie Lopez said that she never got to meet Lewis Katz, but the more she learns about him, the more impressed she becomes.
“He put the JCC on the path to becoming the vibrant institution that it is,” she said. “Now, it’s time to transition to the next generation.”
Drew Katz agreed to continue supporting the Milton & Betty Katz JCC, which his father named to honor his parents, and he suggested the building be renamed for his parents, who were instrumental in seeing the project to fruition.
“Their love for this community was unparalleled,” past President Steven Brog said.
They not only used their own money to see the JCC rebuilt, they enlisted the commitment of other donors who continue to support the non-profit agency.
“What does a name matter on the side of the building?” Drew Katz asked when it was his time to speak. “To many people it matters a lot. Those who knew him, loved him.”
Having their names on the building matters to the Katz family and to the community, he said.
“By renaming the Milton & Betty Katz JCC to the Marjorie and Lewis Katz JCC, we honor the legacy of my parents. This change is a tribute to the indelible mark they left on this community.”
Although she would shun such recognition, Marjorie Katz believed in giving and giving anonymously, he said.
“She used the resources she was blessed with to make an impact one person at a time and one child at a time. She was an angel to those who experienced her kindness. Although she may not want it, she truly deserves this honor,” Drew Katz said.
The JCC is a cornerstone of the community where people of all ages come together in a setting that embodies the values his mother and father stood for – inclusion, education and wellness, he said.
“It is a reminder of how they lived their lives, always giving back, always caring for others and always being committed to making the world a better place. Their spirit lives on in this vibrant community of the JCC and in the hearts of everyone here and all who knew them.”
Drew’s son, Leo Lewis Katz did the honors as two men at the top of the building unfurled the covering to display the new sign bearing the words Marjorie and Lewis Katz JCC.
