The Coopermans held leadership positions at a number of Jewish organizations including Temple Emanuel (as congregational President and Sisterhood President respectively), Israel Bonds (Chairman and Women’s Division Leader) and society members of Mount Sinai Hospital. In Israel, Sidney and Lorraine were founders of Boystown Jerusalem and Sidney was Chairman of the American Committee for the
Beersheva Foundation. They also donated a classroom at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev in memory of Lorraine’s parents. “Both my parents were leaders in their own way. My father, Sidney, was a force of nature. He was always up on the podium. He was charming, a great conversationalist and very successful at raising money. He
Sidney with Yitzchak Rabin
put his heart and soul into everything he did and he always followed through on whatever he was asked to do. My mother was the perfect lady, a lady of class; ‘Sweet Lorraine’ was her nickname. She was quieter in her presence and didn’t need the recognition, yet held leadership positions in the organizations that mattered most to her; she was a leader in her own right,” remembers Diane. After Sidney’s passing, Diane began to realize the extent of her father’s charitable support. “When I started going through his papers, I saw so many copies of checks written out to so many Jewish organizations, some of which I had never even heard of. If my father was asked to contribute to a Jewish organization,
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