What is the Legacy Circle?

The Legacy Circle is an opportunity to help Congregation Beth Shalom serve Pittsburghers for generations. Whatever you cherish most about Jewish life, whether it is the community, the learning, the prayer services, or caring for those in need, by leaving a legacy, you ensure that the things you value are sustained for the future. 

The Legacy Circle is a community of people who are committed to sustaining Congregation Beth Shalom and our families.

We know we have families who have been with us for generations, and we hope to serve those families and new families - even visitors - for generations to come.

Members of all ages and at all financial levels are participating in our Legacy Circle. The Legacy Circle is for everyone. We celebrateany promise in varying amounts or percentages.

How does it work?

The Legacy Circle is a commit now, provide later planned giving mechanism that gives you control over the course of your life to decide levels of giving that are appropriate for you.

Planned giving is any gift, made in lifetime or at death as part of a donor’s overall financial and/or estate planning. These include gifts of equity, life insurance, real estate, personal property, or cash, including appreciated securities/stock, real estate, artwork, partnership interests, personal property, a retirement plan, etc. 

By contrast, gifts to the annual fund or for membership dues are made from a donor’s discretionary income.

The Grinspoon Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

Through the relationship between the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Congregation Beth Shalom’s Legacy Circle has joined the dozens of other Jewish organizations in the Life and Legacy program.

The Life and Legacy program is an intergenerational 4-year program built on relationships that will ensure our important, supportive Jewish institutions, like Congregation Beth Shalom, are around for decades to come.

Through this program, over the next several years, we have incentives and opportunities for extra funding from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. We hope to have set numbers of congregants make a promise to Congregation Beth Shalom to help ensure it will be around for the next 100 years and beyond.

When people ask us about Life and Legacy, we can say that we are so glad they asked. 

Planned giving (legacy giving, after-life giving) has been around for a long time, but a larger-scale program of this nature is relatively new to our broader Jewish community, and Congregation Beth Shalom is proud to be part of the learning and support we receive from the Life and Legacy Jewish organization.

Want to talk to someone about it?
Ask questions and learn more?

Please be in touch with Rabbi Andy Shugerman at rabbiandy@bethshalompgh.org or 412.421.2288 x317 who will be happy to talk to you and answer your questions.

Legacy Circle Testimonials

Why I became a Legacy Circle Member?

Thank you Legacy Circle Members!

We are so grateful for our Legacy Circle members! This list is updated as of 8/31/23.

Moshe Baran
Dr. Elaine H. Berkowitz
Ari & May Chester
Milton Eisner (z"l)
Sarita Eisner
Gloria Elbling-Gottlieb (z"l)
Julian A. Elbling
Jay Fingeret
Deborah & Nathan Firestone
Ira Frank
Eva Friedman
Gary Friedman
Shiri & Josh Friedman
Robert Gleiberman
Jessica Hammer & Chris Hall
David S. Horvitz
Roy & Rebecca Jacobson
Gerald Kobell
Elaine Krasik (z"l)
Carl Krasik
Gina Levine
Jack & Bernice Meyers
Bunny Morris
Paul Munro
Gail Neft
Fred & Linda Newman
Harvey & Beverly Robins
Jane & Bruce Rollman
Yale (z"l) & Barbara Rosenstein
Sharon & Steven Schwartz
Mindy Shreve
Ellen Siegel
Mike Siegel
Joel Smalley
Lisa Steindel
Richard & Sharon Sweet
Paul Teplitz
Nancy & Gary Tuckfelt
Anonymous (2)

Legacy Circle Committee

Ira Frank & Mindy Shreve, Co-Chairs
Rabbi Seth Adelson
Julian Elbling
Debby Firestone
Robert Gleiberman, Executive Director
Carl Krasik
Bernice Meyers
Bunny Morris
Harvey Robins
Kate Rothstein
Rabbi Andy Shugerman, Development Director
Shari Woldenberg, Derekh Coordinator
Kristin Zappone, Marketing & Communications Specialist