Carrying a Legacy

Growing up in Salisbury, NC, Richard Lerner’s parents made a great effort to instill a sense of Jewish pride in both him and his brother, Mark.

The brothers each took their own path in life but maintained a close bond to each other, their identities, and to their Jewish homeland in Israel. Mark moved to Boston and eventually settled in New York to work as a radiologist, while Richard stayed local, moving to Greensboro and becoming a musician. He now fronts the band Rich Lerner and The Groove and is also a founding member of the klezmer band Sinai Mountain Ramblers.

“We had very different tastes and personalities and interests, but we bonded over our shared values and history and had a mutual respect and admiration for each other,” said Lerner.

When Mark died suddenly from a cardiac event in 2018, Richard was devastated. However, Mark left behind a legacy – a charitable trust for Richard to administer. “I was charged with allocating some of those funds where I think it would be appropriate,” Lerner said. “I wanted to support causes I thought my brother would support.”

Enter Jewish National Fund-USA.

Lerner had known about the organization from his childhood, but it wasn’t until the last few years that he discovered just how deep their impact in Israel was. “I remember the Blue Boxes and planting trees in Israel as a kid,” he said. “It was only recently that I have come to learn more about the organization and what they’re doing today.”

In particular, he learned about Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss), Jewish National Fund-USA’s college prep, study abroad experience for American teens. In addition to several Greensboro students who have gone on the program, the leadership at Temple Emanuel also told him about it.

“Rabbi Andy Koren (Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel) was a student there,” he said. “One of his teachers there was Rabbi Fred Guttman, who’s our Rabbi Emeritus, and I have a close personal relationship with both. I would really say it’s primarily through them that I became aware of the Muss program.”

So when Lerner had an opportunity to support Muss’ renovations, he saw it as a chance to use his brother’s charitable fund in a way that would make him proud.

“My parents instilled in us a deep love and importance of education,” said Lerner. “I felt the combination of supporting Israel, Jewish kids, and education was in line with the things my brother would want to support.”

Lerner generously gifted $100,000 to Muss, supporting thousands of future Jewish leaders for years to come. As an acknowledgement of his support, the Muss music room will be named after his family.

“The original proposal was the Richard Lerner Music Room, but I had it changed to Lerner Family Music Room,” said Lerner. “My brother loved music too and was a talented clarinet player in his youth, and since it came from what he left to be used for charitable purposes, I thought it was appropriate.”

Now, thanks to Richard, his and Mark’s legacy will live on through his support of thousands of American students.

“I think it’s a fantastic experience for Jewish kids of that age to go to school in Israel and learn about the country,” he said. It’s important for the kids and it’s important for Israel. I just think it’s a really good program.

“And it’s nice to support something that my brother would be proud of,” he added. “It feels like I’m honoring his name and memory.”

To learn more about Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel, visit amhsi.org.