Elly Kleinman

Elly Kleinman (born 1952) is an American business executive and philanthropist best known as the founder and CEO of The Americare Companies.^[1] He is the Co-Chairman of OHEL Board of Directors, Chairman of Camp Kylie Board of Trustees and Former Trustee of the Maimonides Medical Center.^[2][3][4] In 2012 he was the Chairman of 12th Siyum HaShas.^[5] Kleinman is a well known community activist with a major philanthropic personality, whose generosity is accompanied by personal involvement in charitable activities. He is also involved in the Jewish religious and communal life – from education and publications to social services.

Early life and education

Elly Kleinman was born in 1952, to Ethel Kleinman and Reb Avrohom Isaac. Both of them were survivors of the Holocaust. His parents left Europe for America in 1949. In 1955 they settled in Borough Park where his father accepted a position at B'nai Israel of Linden Heights.^[6] Kleinman perused his education at Brooklyn College. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Psychology, he immediately started working and has since built a successful career in the home healthcare industry.^[7]

Americare Companies

Elly Kleinman founded The Americare Companies (Americare) in 1982.^[8] It is a New York-based company providing a wide range of healthcare services, including home healthcare and rehabilitation services, international nurse recruitment, encompassing professional, paraprofessional and ancillary support services. The Americare Companies consists of four separate organizations: Americare Certified Special Services, Inc.; Americare, Inc.; Americare Therapy Services; and Global Professional Staffing, Inc.^[9] Kleinman has led The Americare Companies since its establishment, and he still oversees all aspects of management and strategy for all divisions. He maintains a strong community presence through his involvement in many cultural and charitable pursuits. In 2010, Elly Kleinman’s Americare Companies became the sole major sponsor for the Lag Baomer Parade.^[10] In 2014 Kleinman, announced the introduction of “MusiCare” – a music therapy program with Lipa Schmeltzer.^[11]

KFHEC- The Kleinman Family Holocaust Education Center

Elly Kleinman is the founder and president of KFHEC, an organization and museum which serves as a memorial to the Holocaust. The center was established to document the history of the Holocaust, with the purpose of perpetuating the legacy of those who remained loyal to Jewish faith and practice after the Holocaust, and worked to rebuild the Torah Judaism in the United States.^[12] The KFHEC enables both Jewish and diverse audiences of all faiths and background to better understand the Holocaust in its entirety with a special emphasis on the Orthodox Jewish perspective and experience. Kleinman is the driving force behind it, as evidenced by the fact that it bears his family’s name. As a son of Holocaust survivors, and in his capacity as President of the KFHEC, he has been an important contributor at many Holocaust–related events. Kleinman describes the KFHEC as a venue where a range of organizations and programs can join their resources and make them work in a comprehensive way. The new KFHEC museum is located in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, NY, and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2016.^[13] The initiative for this museum was welcomed and supported by the NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.^[14] The center was designed by David Layman, who also had a profound hand in designing the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan.^[15][16]

Community Affiliations

Elly Kleinman is the Co -Chairman of OHEL’s Board of Directors.^[17] In 2009 Elly and his wife Brochie funded the opening of OHEL Regional Family Center in Far Rockaway. As a token of appreciation, Kleinman was honored at OHEL’s inaugural legislative breakfast.^[18] Elly Kleinman is a private donor for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.^[19] He was one of the six first donors of "18 Pillars of Remembrance" supporting the Auschwitz- Birkenau Foundation and donated one million Euros for the cause. On January 27, 2015 Kleinman and other philanthropists were recognized at the 70th anniversary ceremonies of the liberation of the Nazi German concentration and extermination camps.^[20] Kleinman is also on the Board of Directors of The Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education, a non-profit organization that was founded in 2001 with a mission to enhance and enrich the quality of Jewish education throughout the United States.^[21] Kleinman is Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society (RCCS) Board Member.^[22] He was the initial donor for funding the new division of RCCS, in memory of his father.^[23] Elly Kleinman and his wife are leading benefactors of the Yeshiva Darchei Torah School. They funded the new preschool building and were honored for their contribution at the yeshiva 38th annual diner in 2011.^[24] Elly Kleinman is Board Member and supporter of Shuvu, an Israeli organization with a network of schools, assisting immigrant Russian children and their families acclimatize in Israel.^[25] In 2011 he was presented with the Congressional US Israel Friendship Award, by Senator Joe Lieberman.^[26]

Religious Involvement

Elly Kleinman is a committed member of the Orthodox Jewish community. He is an active and committed supporter of the Torah and chesed institutions in America, and around the world. Kleinman served as the chairman of the Twelfth Siyum HaShas. The ceremony, which took place at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, N.J in 2012, is considered as the largest such gathering in history. Although unity was the main theme of the evening, revival of Orthodoxy after the Holocaust and dedication to Torah study were also stressed. The event was an opportunity to showcase the strength of so-called Torah Judaism and its resurgence in America following the Holocaust.^[27]

References

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