Ben and Reva Kibort Bring Lessons Home With Scholarship Fund
It is written in the Torah, "And you shall make them known to your children, and to your children's children" (Deuteronomy 4:9). Ben (z"l) and Reva Kibort have lived their lives by this commandment.
As young survivors of the Holocaust, Ben (z"l) and Reva Kibort arrived in Minneapolis in 1947. Reva and her sister came as orphans and were cared for by the Minneapolis Jewish Family and Children's Service. Ben z"l arrived with his family intact. Ben (z"l) and Reva married in the 1950s, and with modest financial resources they were welcomed as Adath members—an accommodation that the couple never forgot and appreciates to this day. |
Ben (z"l) and Reva worked hard over the years and were committed to repaying their community for its kindness. Ben's is a classic immigrant story: Starting with a simple job, he took evening business courses and worked his way up the company ladder to become a partner in Kauffman Knitting Mills. Ben credits Reva with keeping their household together while he worked long hours for many years. Ben also served on the Adath board and was presented the Shem Tov Award in 2001. The years in America were kind to them, and they have become able to act generously on their commitment.
The Kiborts took a major step by endowing the Ben and Reva Kibort Scholarship Fund. Their six-figure endowment will provide need-based scholarships to young people of Adath Jeshurun Congregation for Jewish summer camp and Israel experiences, with a special emphasis on visits to the concentration camps. Scholarships are meaningful for Ben (z"l) and Reva for several reasons. "I want young people to see what happened and remain mindful of the horrors of the Holocaust," said Ben (z"l). Reva remembers that as a child she could not afford to stay at Habonim camp as long as she wished.
Today, Ben (z"l) and Reva have three children who also are members of Adath, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. This new scholarship fund will create opportunities to inspire Jewish youth who will then bring their lessons home to our community. "It is essential to continue to give and ensure the synagogue's future; we wanted to give while Ben and I are still alive to see the results," says Reva.
Any endowment, including those made through the new IRA rollover provision, will provide a gift that lives after you. To learn more about creating an endowed legacy with The Adath Jeshurun Foundation, contact Talor Blustin at 952.545.2424 or [email protected].
The Kiborts took a major step by endowing the Ben and Reva Kibort Scholarship Fund. Their six-figure endowment will provide need-based scholarships to young people of Adath Jeshurun Congregation for Jewish summer camp and Israel experiences, with a special emphasis on visits to the concentration camps. Scholarships are meaningful for Ben (z"l) and Reva for several reasons. "I want young people to see what happened and remain mindful of the horrors of the Holocaust," said Ben (z"l). Reva remembers that as a child she could not afford to stay at Habonim camp as long as she wished.
Today, Ben (z"l) and Reva have three children who also are members of Adath, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. This new scholarship fund will create opportunities to inspire Jewish youth who will then bring their lessons home to our community. "It is essential to continue to give and ensure the synagogue's future; we wanted to give while Ben and I are still alive to see the results," says Reva.
Any endowment, including those made through the new IRA rollover provision, will provide a gift that lives after you. To learn more about creating an endowed legacy with The Adath Jeshurun Foundation, contact Talor Blustin at 952.545.2424 or [email protected].