A conversation with lifelong champion of Jewish education, dedicated volunteer, and devoted builder of Seattle’s Jewish community, Bea Nahon

What did you know about Sam Israel and the Foundation before you joined the board?

I never had the privilege or opportunity to meet Sam, but I certainly heard about him and his commitment to Jewish education. I knew about that through my involvement at the Jewish Day School, where people in leadership had mentioned Sam and how important he was to Jewish philanthropy, particularly with regard to education. Jewish education has always been something I’ve been deeply committed to, and it energizes me. Knowing there was this significant philanthropist with a lifelong commitment to Jewish education was inspirational, even though I never had the chance to meet him in person.

Did you have an impression of the Samis Foundation board before you were asked to become a trustee?

Because I had been treasurer at the Jewish Day School, and my husband, Bruce, later became president of the school, we certainly knew about Samis. It was deeply respected and valued – and I was so impressed with the work that Samis had always done. The word “iconic” comes to mind, because of the leadership that has always been on the Samis board, their continued legacy from Sam’s direction, and the tangible work it has done for the community.

Is there anything that surprised you to discover after becoming a trustee?

You join any board with certain expectations about what the experience is going to be like. After I accepted the nomination, I was paired up with Eli Genauer as my buddy for the onboarding process. I remember asking him, “Okay, I’ve said yes, now what is it that’s going to keep me up at two o’clock in the morning? What didn’t they tell me?” He was so thoughtful, and he said, “Well, how about the fact that we own a lot of real estate in Pioneer Square? That might be something you’ll want to think about.”

What I found was an instant awareness of how thoughtful the board is about how we invest our money, so that we can continue to expand, and perpetuate our philanthropy, with emphasis on the outcome for our mission. That wasn’t really a surprise. There had been an impression that Samis was all about real estate in terms of its funding, and I’m really glad to see that we are evolving in that area.

Since joining, has there been a specific experience or event that’s been particularly meaningful for you?

Oh, yes. I’ve always loved being on the campuses of the schools, that’s always energizing. But it had been a long time since I stepped foot in a Jewish camp. Those days we, as trustees, spend going out on camp site visits are just so much fun! It’s serious work, because there’s a lot of serious effort involved in keeping camps going, keeping them strong, keeping the staff and kids safe. But the joy you see with those kids, the counselors and the staff is immeasurable. I just love going to camp!

Can you reflect a bit on your personal Jewish journey, and whether you see any through lines with Samis’ mission?

My Jewish journey has been fairly seamless. I grew up with a spirit of volunteerism as far back as I can remember, so the concept of tzedakah was just part of my life. Whether it was doing something for the JCC, or BBYO, or causes outside of the Jewish community, I was there. That’s how my Jewish journey began, and it really took shape in high school, when I became very involved in BBYO. Literally, BBYO was my life. It’s how I connected with people and how I learned about leadership, locally, regionally and nationally. It was an incredible part of my life, and it continued into college, where I was involved at Hillel and other organizations.

When you become a parent, you think a lot about the Jewish journey for your kids and what that looks like. Our kids went to the JCC Preschool, that was never even a question. But we had bought a home very close to a public school, so we thought, of course, our kids would go to public school. Then we discovered there wasn’t a full-day kindergarten at the time. Our oldest daughter had such a wonderful learning and Jewish experience at JCC Preschool that the idea of her going half day to public school, with one of us taking her to the JCC for the rest of the day, didn’t feel right. So we decided to try the Jewish Day School for kindergarten. There was no turning back. It was transformative for our daughters and transformative for us. Both of our daughters were JDS “lifers.”

So the journey has evolved. There isn’t one particular moment, but when I got a call from someone on the nominating committee asking if I’d be interested in joining the board of Samis, I thought, “Yes, how do I do that?” It’s been part of my journey, and I love what we do for Jewish learning and Jewish experience. I love every aspect of our mission.

Is there something within our philanthropy that resonates with you more than the rest?

That’s like asking someone who their favorite child is. You just don’t. Whatever I’m working on right now is what feels most important. It’s all vital, every bit of it.

Has your perspective on philanthropy changed since joining the board?

I don’t think it has changed so much as deepened. Learning more about the entities that are our beneficiaries, seeing the work they do and the challenges they experience, has made me even more steadfast about the importance of philanthropy. To the extent that we can create change through giving, large or small, it’s all important, and the extent to which we can endow things for the future is truly critical. Though I’ve been involved in the past with other organizations, like the synagogue and Hillel, that have endowments, the importance of endowing for the future via Samis has become even more pronounced for me.

Have you learned anything about the Jewish community that you didn’t know before?

I grew up in Portland, which had a somewhat involved Jewish community, but at that point, not nearly as involved as Seattle’s. In fact, knowing that Seattle and UW had a more active Jewish community is why I applied to the University of Washington as my first choice. That was important to me. Coming to Seattle, I quickly learned that we are a diverse community in terms of our levels of observance, our ages, our backgrounds, and where people come from. So now, on our Board, I think I’ve learned more about what I already knew since living here and I think that diversity makes the importance of our work that much more profound. Indeed, the Seattle Jewish community is absolutely a treasure.

What do you envision for Seattle’s Jewish community over the next 10 to 20 years?

I see the Seattle Jewish community evolving. I get deeply concerned when I hear about families leaving Seattle because of the cost of living here, because that impacts every community, and the Jewish community is certainly impacted. That worries me, and it’s part of why I love our day school affordability initiative. I hope it allows more families to continue to be involved in Jewish education. The reality is that the Seattle area is an incredibly expensive place to be, and the community is going to have to evolve with that.

Unfortunately, the world is a very challenging place to be Jewish right now. It’s a scary time. We need each other for strength, to resonate with one another, and to remind the world that we are incredibly good people, with a heritage that we are proud of, and that we should not be victims. My hope and vision for this community is that we remain strong in our Jewish values and that we resist and counter the threats of antisemitism, which are genuinely frightening.

And what do you envision for the future of the Foundation?

I see Samis continuing to move forward with its strength and its commitment to the mission that was set out for us by Sam Israel. I think we do an incredible job of being welcoming to new board members. It’s the best onboarding process of any board I have ever sat on, and I’ve sat on several, including non-Jewish and national boards. We have leadership perpetuation planning that is smart and so thoughtful, in terms of who we bring in, their backgrounds, perspectives and skill sets, and the careful, innovative thinking they bring to the table. We’re committed to doing good, and we bring in good people. Our staff and our leadership are incomparable. I am a thousand percent optimistic for the future of Samis.