San Diego Jewish Leader Remembered in Israel

By Mara Fahl

BE’ER SHEVA, Israel — His family, Jewish identity, and Israel were three things past President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County Michael Jeser (z”l) held dearest. Instilled in him from a young age, these core values defined his work and philanthropy and continue to guide his family’s mission to memorialize his life and how he made a difference. Guided by these principles, two Jewish National Fund-USA dedications were recently held in Israel in his honor.

First, Michael’s parents, Faye and Paul Jeser, along with his wife Laura and their daughter, Eleanor, dedicated a memorial plaque in Be’er Sheva at Jewish National Fund-USA’s Wall of Eternal Life. The location of this memorial wall holds special meaning for the family, as Michael participated in a gap year program serving at an innovation center in the Negev in 1999. As Paul explained, “We wanted to do something in the Negev because of Michael’s connection there.” Much has changed in the region, as the Negev has rapidly developed over the last few decades through a partnership with Jewish National Fund-USA, and the wall’s location provides a clear connection between past and present for the Jeser family.

The second stop was a bomb shelter in southern Israel that had been painted in Michael’s memory. However, when the San Diego Board of Directors for Jewish National Fund-USA dedicated that bomb shelter and requested it be painted with a Disney theme, they couldn’t have predicted the profound impact that choice would have.

Jewish National Fund-USA works to fund and paint bomb shelters in southern Israel to make the imposing but necessary concrete structures feel safer and more welcoming to children. When Michael’s family visited the shelter for the first time, a local father thanked them for the donation, saying that his daughter preferred that shelter when the sirens sounded. He explained, “She said nobody would hurt Mickey Mouse. So, she feels safe in this shelter.” Paul and Faye shared that Michael always called Disneyland his “happy place” and that he had visited there many times with his wife and daughter. The shelter includes a portrait of the three of them together arriving at the Disney park, a tribute to the many joyful hours shared there, and a hope that the children living in that area can be comforted a bit by the bright and familiar painted characters.

Paul, Faye, Laura, and Eleanor carry Michael with them wherever they go, and these dedicated spaces will keep his memory alive in the place he valued so deeply. Speaking about these special memorials, Jewish National Fund-USA Director, Greater Los Angeles, Neuriel Shore said, “We are there for each other in good times and challenging times. I am inspired by the Jeser family’s memorial plaque for Michael in Be’er Sheva and how our Board of Directors for San Diego came together to beautify a bomb shelter in his memory.  In this way, we bind the memories of our loved ones to our eternal commitment to infuse life into our homeland.  May Michael’s memory be a blessing always.”

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Preceding provided by Jewish National Fund-USA