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| | Email this article • Print this article | Abe Pollin, philanthropist, sports magnate, builder, 85
by Debra Rubin
Editor
[NOTE: Abe Pollin died Tuesday, following Washington Jewish Week's early Thanksgiving deadline. A lengthier version of this will appear in next week's WJW.]
There were the arenas he built, the two sports teams that he brought to the District, the buildings, both commercial and residential that dotted the area, with several named for family members, and the role he played in revitalizing D.C.'s once-blighted Chinatown area.
And, then there was Abe Pollin's philanthropy, both quiet and well-known, which touched thousands.
Pollin died Tuesday of corticobasal degeneration, a rare neurological disease. The Bethesda resident and Philadelphia native was 85.
His reach in the Jewish community extended far. Pollin was one of a trio of local developers who rescued a historic synagogue building, helping to create the nonprofit that became the thriving Sixth & Historic Synagogue in the District.
His involvement in that took just one call from Shelton Zukerman, who had been alerted by his son, Stuart, a Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington board member, that the former Adas Israel Congregation building, then owned by the Turner Church, was to be sold to a purchaser who had plans for a nightclub.
The purchase made sense for Pollin, whose efforts to rebuild the Gallery Place/Chinatown downtown area included the building of the Verizon Center, which opened as the MCI Center in 1997.
At the time of the old Adas purchase in 2002, Pollin had no doubt that the area would attract Jewish professionals. "There are 3,000 apartments under construction," Pollin told WJW at the time. "Another 6-7,000 are planned."
Pollin made many visits to Israel, and his father, Morris, a Russian Jewish immigrant, had been among the Jewish state's earliest supporters. Back in 1947, his father had taken him to a meeting where funds were being raised to buy the ship that would become the Exodus and bring Jewish refugees to prestate Israel.
"Zionist is a label," Abe Pollin told The Washington Star in 1978. "But I am pro-Israel, as my father was. I have done and shall do all I can to help."
In 1995, he was so distressed by the assassination of his friend, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a frequent guest at his home, that he began the process of changing the name of his basketball team from the Bullets. Ultimately, the Wizards was selected as the new moniker.
"My friend Rabin was shot in the back," Pollin told The Washington Post, when he returned from the funeral in Israel. "The name Bullets for a sports team is no longer appropriate. That is more important than the history of the franchise."
At the time, Pollin also formed an anti-violence campaign for D.C. schools.
"All that we do in the community will be focused on an antiviolence message with a conflict-resolution theme. Our name change will go hand in hand with the Bullets' antiviolence campaign," Pollin told the Post. "The Bible says that if you save one life, you save the world. Hopefully, we will save many more than that."
He supported State of Israel Bonds, was a board member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and assisted The Israel Project. "He was especially proud of the TV ads we had done showing Israel as a vibrant nation," remembered Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, TIP's president, who said he often gave advice to the group that she had founded in 2002.
Jewish principles guided his attitudes in business and philanthropy, Pollin told WJW in 1999. "Jews have been inculcated with the fact that we are our brother's keeper," he said at the time, noting the biblical injunction that "when we harvest our fields, you're supposed to leave the corner unharvested so that people can come and get the food and not be embarrassed that they are poor."
It is incumbent, he said, to "give back to the community."
And, that he did.
Among the organizations that benefited from Pollin and his wife, Irene's, philanthropy were the Jewish community centers in D.C. and Rockville, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
In 2004, he donated use of the then MCI Center to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, which held opening ceremonies there for the JCC Maccabi Games.
At the time, he said, the event "will go down as the highlight of this MCI building."
"This is a very, very special moment for me," he said, comparing it in significance to the American gathering of Holocaust survivors held at his old building, the Capital Centre, in 1983.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Article comment by:
Paul A. Friedman
Abe was a special man, not just because he spent his money to improve our community and people's lives but because he also showed up to back up his support.
I was proud to have him appear and speak at an Israel Bonds Legal and Financial Division luncheon and a gala luncheon for Save A Child's Heart. His appearances made those events extra special and, of course, encouraged others to attend.
While many will say that his loss to our community and to the many people who relied upon his generosity is irreplaceable, but it doesn't have to be.
Even in our current economy, there are people who can step up.
The sad reality is that even as many in our community are philanthropic, there are many more who aren't. That means the same group of people are often asked to do more than their fair share. What's amazing is that they often do so - and happily.
The greatest tribute to Abe would be for his passing to inspire new major donors to come forward and help both our community and causes that inspire them. It is my hope and expectation that they will find the same joy in spending their time and resources to make our world a better place that motivated Abe.
Go Wizards!
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