Remembering Richard L. Wexler

Richard L. Wexler helmed one of the finest hours in Jewish history–the mass exodus of Jews from the former Soviet Union.

A champion for the liberation of Soviet Jewry and a transformative leader in the American Jewish community, Wexler died after a battle with cancer on Oct. 19. He was 80.

Before the rescue of Soviet Jewry, Wexler would meet with Refuseniks in Moscow, where he was at times pursued by the KGB.

Then in the 1980s and 90s, Wexler and fellow American Jewish leaders implemented Operation Exodus–the unprecedented effort by federations to rescue and resettle more than a million Soviet Jews to Israel, the United States, and elsewhere.

“We American Jews grabbed history and changed its course,” said Wexler, a Chicago native. “It was our chance to impact the Jewish future.”

As Chairman of UJA’s Operation Exodus Campaign, he closed a record-breaking five-year special campaign at $901 million. He also chaired the Council of Jewish Federation’s Task Force on Soviet Jewry Advocacy and the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.

In addition to Soviet Jewry, wherever Jews around the world needed help, Wexler was there to help them, whether they were in Cuba, Austria, Ethiopia, or Israel. A passionate advocate for Israel, he would travel there frequently–sometimes as often as once a month–and met with prime ministers from Begin to Netanyahu.

For his lifetime of contributions, he received the Julius Rosenwald Memorial Award–the Chicago Federation’s highest honor–in 2001.

“Richard was a man who couldn’t sit still,” recalled Dr. Steven B. Nasatir, JUF’s Executive Vice Chairman. “He was brilliant, inspiring–he made us all proud. His leadership in some of the great events in Jewish life was real.”

Wexler’s was married to the love of his life, Roberta “Bobbi” Wexler, for 59 years. The couple settled in Highland Park and had two sons, a daughter, and eight grandchildren. A real estate attorney, Wexler was a senior partner at the law firm of Lord, Bissell and Brook.

Despite his busy legal career, he took on many JUF leadership positions: In addition to his terms as president and as board chair, he chaired JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council, and many of its key fundraising committees. All told, he served on the JUF board for more than 30 years.

Wexler helped change the very structure of national Jewish organizations. Starting in 1988, he held leadership positions at three of the largest national organizations serving the Jewish community. First, he served as vice president of the Council of Jewish Federations–the national network of local Federations. Then, in 1996, Wexler became chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, the lead fundraising entity for overseas Jewish philanthropy. He also chaired the United Israel Appeal, which linked the American Jewish community with Israel.

In 1999, seeking to make fundraising more efficient, Wexler led the charge to unite these three major Jewish philanthropic bodies under one umbrella. The new entity was called the United Jewish Communities– today known as Jewish Federations of North America.

Wexler ultimately expressed frustration that the merged organization, hampered by growing numbers of federations investing less in national and international projects, never fulfilled early hopes to raise significantly more funds.

No matter where he stood on Jewish communal issues, Wexler always had the best interest of the Jewish people in mind. “He has literally dedicated [his] life to the service of the Jewish people,” said the late Fred Bondy, then JUF Board Chair, in conferring the Rosenwald Award on Wexler. “He is simply unparalleled in his ability to articulate the needs of the Jewish people, [but] perhaps most powerful of all is the eloquence of Richard’s example.”

Richard Wexler is survived by his wife Roberta “Bobbi” (nee Siegel), his children Deborah (Jonathan) Sokobin, Joshua Wexler, and Jonathan (Amie) Wexler, and his grandchildren Benjy, Ezra and Lily Sokobin and Hanna, Jackson, Tucker, Fern and Talia Wexler. Memorials can be made to JUF; Richard and Roberta are members of JUF’s Silver Circle. Interment was at Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery; arrangements were made by Chicago Jewish Funerals.