A Personal Visit Finds Bob Lappin Philosophical

It was with some trepidation that I walked into the Robert I. Lappin Foun­dation office on December 16, anxious to offer support to anyone who was there. I had hoped to see Bob Lappin and was pleased to be invited up to his office. Having spent the past half-week worrying about the impact of the Madoff scandal on him, his staff and the Jewish world in general, I did not know what to expect.
First, he looked wonderful. He did not appear to be a man in mourning.
“I am energized,”he said. “I have a lot of work to do to salvage these programs. I haven’t thrown in the towel yet and I am deeply touched and gratified by the outpouring of response from the community.”
He added that an anonymous donor had offered $100 K toward the ’09 trip, so perhaps it will not be a total loss.
I did ask him about Bernard Madoff, the now disgraced financier, and Mr. Lappin responded, “I am not spending time being angry at Madoff.” He had sat down with Madoff twice in the 17 years during which they had done business together and Mr. Lappin frequently saw Madoff on the beach in Florida. However, Mr. Lappin never had any reason to suspect him of any wrongdoing.
I saw in Mr. Lappin a man who looked 10 years younger than his age determined to overcome what had to be the biggest setback of his life.
All I can say is. “YOU GO MAN! You, who have suffered the greatest financial loss, are giving our community hope.”
Barbara Schneider is the publisher of the Jewish Journal.

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