Jack Kadesh rejoiced when Dan Shechtman won the 2011 Nobel Prize for Chemistry last month, and not only because Shechtman revolutionized the modern understanding of matter with his discovery of quasicrystals. The two men are also friends.
Twenty years ago, as executive director of the American Technion Society’s local chapter, Kadesh gave the future Nobel laureate a tour of the Bay Area. They made the rounds, seeking donations to the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, where the chemist teaches and conducts research.
Over his 22 years on the job, Kadesh took his chapter from less than $1 million in annual donations to the university, to an average of more than $80 million in recent years.
Kadesh, 73, has just retired from the organization, though as emeritus he still consults for it. Former associate director Gary Cohn has taken over the top spot.
“Having the opportunity to be able to represent the Technion, I couldn’t have been prouder,” said Kadesh. “This is one of the leading high-tech universities in the world.”
Cohn says Kadesh has been an exemplary leader of the chapter, in large part because of his low-key style.
“People give money to people they like,” Cohn said. “And Jack is a likeable guy. He’s not a traditional fundraiser who came out of social service or federation. Jack was in business for 25 years.”
Founded in 1924 and located in Haifa, the Technion has been home to leading research in biotechnology, stem cells, aerospace, water management and many other fields. It has produced three Nobel Prize winners in the last seven years alone, something Kadesh called “unbelievable for a fairly small university in a tiny country.”
The American Technion Society has raised more than $1.6 billion for the university since the organization formed in 1940, a necessary task considering the Israeli government provides limited funding. Professors’ salaries are set by the state, which provides 62 percent of Technion’s operating budget.
It’s not enough, according to Kadesh.
“Over the last few years they have been cutting the budget for all universities in Israel,” he said. “The Technion still attracts the best and brightest in Israel. But when it comes to certain research projects, supporting professors, labs, Technion relies on ATS and [similar] societies around the world.”
A native of Albany, N.Y., Kadesh came to the nonprofit world after a long and gratifying career in furniture sales. He owned showrooms in the old Icehouse near Levi Plaza and the Galleria design center.
He had also been very active as a lay leader in the Jewish community, serving as president of Congregation Beth Israel Judea and as a board member of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation.
In 1990, he felt the time had come for a career change. His wife, Jeanette, suggested he do something for Israel. “She said to me, ‘That’s your first love.’ At the time I was on the federation board, and I told them I was considering becoming a professional Jew.”
That led to applying at ATS, and soon he was named executive director.
Over the years he’s led many missions to Israel and the Technion, and almost always he ends up convincing potential donors that the university makes for a smart investment.
One philanthropic couple who had resisted going on a mission finally agreed once Kadesh told them he’d throw in a quick trip to Europe. The couple took the bait, and once they toured the Haifa campus, they decided to up their gift from $750,000 to $2 million. “Over the next 10 years they went on other tours,” Kadesh said, “and added multimillions to their giving.”
He says the secret of his success was nothing more than enthusiasm for the university and Israel itself.
“The Technion is an institution that has so much going on, not just for Israel but for the world,” Kadesh noted. “My feeling is when you represent something, it’s about people to people. I liked the people I worked with and I believe in the Technion.”
According to Kadesh, the economic uncertainty has hurt fundraising for his nonprofit, but not as badly as it might have. He says ATS counts on a handful of generous donors, who come through year after year.
“People in the Bay Area are terrific about Israel and want to support it. My job has been to show the best way to do that was support the Technion.”