Giving time
Marc and Ellen Kelman give of their money and time
By Salvatore Caputo
F For Marc and Ellen Kelman, philanthropy is a two-sided coin.

“I think we both agree that we want to be philanthropic, but the other side of the coin is that we put our time where
our money is, as well,” said Marc. “We’re both very actively involved.”
The Phoenix residents both attribute their philanthropic bent to their parents. Marc, a commercial real estate investor, was raised
in a Conservative home in Cleveland. His parents moved to the Valley in 1973, and he followed after graduating college in 1975.

“Both my parents, of blessed mem-
ory, set the example for us growing up
and we just picked up the mantle,” he
said. “Both my parents were involved
in the communities in Cleveland. They
were involved in the communities here
in Phoenix.”
Together, he and his father were hon-
ored in December 2007 with the Jewish
National Fund’s Tree of Life Award.

Already president of JNF’s Arizona
region at that time, Marc ascended to
the national board that year and served
as the vice president of JNF’s national
campaign from 2010 to 2013.

Ellen grew up in the Valley, a mem-
ber of Reform Congregation Beth
Israel. “I’m pretty much a native,” she
said. Her family moved here from Chi-
cago when she was about 18 months
old, and she remembers when the
Valley Jewish community encompassed
just three synagogues. “My view is that
you have to leave a mark on this world
to make it better than it was when you
found it,” she said. “That’s the giving-
back part. From a philanthropic point
of view, no matter what organization
or cause you support, we feel you must
invest as much time and money as you
possibly can. Be fully committed.”
They met in the Valley after college
and were active together in the Federa-
tion’s Young Leadership beginning in
the late 1970s and chaired the program.

Both won the Federation’s Young Lead-
ership Award. Their resume of involve-
ment since then is long and varied. Marc
has served on the boards of the Federa-
tion, the Valley of the Sun Jewish Com-
munity Center and Hillel. Ellen served
18 BEST OF JEWISH PHOENIX 2017
on the Federation’s
allocations commit-
tee, annual campaign,
Women’s Philanthropy
board and Social
Services Task Force;
was a board member
and president of the
Solomon Schechter
Day School; and has
presented programs
and seminars for Jewish
Family & Children’s
Service and served
on the Jewish Crisis
Response Team.

Their current philan-
thropic focus is threefold, Marc said:
JNF, Jewish Arizonans on Campus and
Stepping Stones of Hope. Still serv-
ing on JNF’s national board, he is vice
president of Blueprint Negev and heads
I think we both agree
that we want to be phil-
anthropic, but the other
side of the coin is that
we put our time where
our money is, as well.”
JNF’s water task force. Ellen also serves
with him on a JNF task force on hous-
ing in Israel. “I just believe that it’s so
important for the Jewish people to have
a homeland, because without a home-
Photo courtesy of JAC
land, our survival is at risk,” Marc said.

That dovetails with the couple’s
involvement in JAC (they established
the Kelman Family Scholarship Fund for
JAC), he said, because he feels “we’ve
got to keep people Jewish” and JAC’s
educational efforts support that goal.

Ellen, a clinical psychologist in pri-
vate practice, is vice president and
director of adult programs in a volun-
teer capacity for Stepping Stones of
Hope, a Phoenix-based nondenomi-
national nonprofit that “helps children
and their families who are grieving,”
she said. She has been involved with it
since 1999, leading about a half-dozen
weekend retreats a year that gather
whole families dealing with grief.

The Kelmans see their example play-
ing out in their adult children, Scott
and Stephanie, who both live out of
state and are heavily involved in JNFu-
ture, JNF’s young leadership group.

L’dor v’dor.





Photo by Ken Brown Photography