Schmitt family
Hirsch and Patti Wise
Submitted by JNF
Twelve Cincinnati residents will receive Jewish National Fund-USA’s Tree of Life® Award at the organization’s annual gala, taking place on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 6:00 pm.
Chaired by Marty Betagole, Barb & Randy Miller, and Nina Paul, the dinner will honor Hirsch and Patti Wise, known for their dedication to various Jewish causes and in memory of their parents, Lena & Sol Wise z”l, as well as pro-Israel advocates from the Christian community: Erika & Jerry Judd, Beth & Jim Judd, Judy & Bob Schmitt, Diane & Jim Schmitt, and Susan & Mike Schmitt, and in memory of their parents, Joan & Don Schmitt.
Hirsch Wise is the former President of Jewish National Fund-USA’s Cincinnati Chapter and has spent 60 years as a volunteer and philanthropist in Israel and Cincinnati. Patti’s extensive volunteer experience includes working with the Fernside Center for Grieving Children, and she is currently in her 10th year as the founder of the Adath Israel Bereavement Group, “Circle of Friends.”
“My passion for the work I do in Israel stems back to my grandfather Abraham B. Wise, born in Jerusalem,” said Hirsch. “He and my grandmother, Esther Wise, sent me to Israel when I was 16. My parents, Lena & Sol Wise, were very involved with Jewish National Fund-USA in my teen and college years. My father was President of our local chapter in the mid-70s. I watched him diligently make call after call soliciting for the organization. In the mid-1990s, I was approached to be President of our local Jewish National Fund-USA chapter, and the rest is history. I have been to Israel Chai (18) times, mostly to work on projects involving our Cincinnati Jewish community. My wife Patti taught at Yavneh Day School for 17 years and, in the past 11 years, created and led a Cincinnati Jewish Bereavement group.”
The Schmitt and Judd families are proud of their pro-Israel advocacy efforts and commitment to their Christian faith and community. Following their participation in a Jewish National Fund-USA mission to Israel, they saw how the organization’s impact and values resonated with those of their parents, and the family has become an integral part of the organization’s community in Cincinnati.
“The Schmitts and the Judds were the owners of Shurgood Cookie Company, and in 1998, they purchased AB Wise,” said Jewish National Fund-USA Ohio Valley Board President Barb Miller. “It was an easy transaction as both families had far more in common than just food. Inspired by their incredible parents, Sol and Lena Wise and Don and Joan Schmitt, the boys in both families were raised in homes that valued their religious traditions, love and kindness, hard work, and the desire to make the world a better place. Through many years of friendship, both shared and appreciated each other’s faiths, celebrating holidays together.”
“In the Spring of 2023, Randy and I had the opportunity to travel to Israel with the Schmitts and the Judds,” Barb continued. “The 12 of us visited the Christian and Jewish holy sites — an experience we will never forget. Our itinerary included several amazing initiatives of Jewish National Fund-USA. We saw the fortified playground of Sderot, the Cincinnati painted bomb shelter, the campus of ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran, the Ayalon Bullet Factory, and near the tail end of our trip, we stood together at the border of Gaza and Israel, placing messages of peace upon the wall. A mere six months later, on October 7, our dear friends, the Schmitts and the Judds, were once again there for us. During a time of increasing antisemitism and divisiveness in our own country, it is heartwarming to know that friends of different faiths can come together to support one another in good times and in bad.”
Ambassador Ido Aharoni Aronoff will be the keynote speaker at the event. Aharoni is a 25-year veteran of Israel’s foreign diplomatic service who oversaw the operations of Israel’s largest overseas mission from 2010-2016 and was the longest-serving Israel Consul General in New York and the tri-state area. The Global Distinguished Professor for International Relations at New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science will share his expertise, current and previous, about the ongoing war started by Hamas on October 7, as well as the growing issues with antisemitism both in the United States and internationally.
Guests will also be treated to an exclusive performance by the Special in Uniform Band, a group of musically inclined Israeli soldiers with disabilities who perform with pride, passion, and talent, showing the world there are no limits. Jewish National Fund-USA is a proud supporter of this program, which integrates young Israelis with disabilities into the Israel Defense Forces and then subsequently helps integrate them into Israeli life post-army service.
For more information or to register for the event, visit the JNF website.
