Charles H. Goodman, towering corporate and Jewish leader

Charles H. Goodman was a mover and shaker at the pinnacle of the corporate world who used his influence and acumen to help rescue the persecuted, lift the destitute out of poverty, and strengthen the Jewish community.  

In the process, Goodman helped build a nation and rebuild the lives of more than a million people. 

Goodman, known to many as “Corky,” died on Dec. 16 at age 90.

 He was part of the leadership at Henry Crown and Company, the Chicago-based investment firm with interests in some of the most recognizable names in banking, defense, professional sports, leisure, real estate, and more.  Goodman also served on the boards of General Dynamics and Alltel Corporation. 

At the same time, he was a central figure in the Jewish community, both locally and nationally, and in the growth and development of the State of Israel. 

“Corky Goodman truly was one of the giants of this community,” said JUF Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Steven B. Nasatir. “He was a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes about his love for the Jewish people. 

“Throughout his life, he helped set our community’s course and was instrumental in making certain we were able to stay true to it,” Nasatir added. “He had impeccable judgment and no ego; he wanted no accolades. Corky was all about determining what needed to be done-and then doing it.” 

In Chicago, Goodman was deeply involved with JUF, serving on the board for more than three decades, chairing the 1983 Annual Campaign and serving as president from 1983 to 1985. In 1993, he received the organization’s highest honor, the Julius Rosenwald Award, for his service and commitment to the community.  

Six years later, he accepted the chairmanship of JUF’s Centennial Campaign, which raised more than $1 billion under his leadership for a perpetual endowment to serve the needs of the Jewish community. He described it as “an opportunity for our generation to leave a legacy of service and commitment and concern about the Jewish people – here and abroad.” 

Among his wide range of national roles, he was president of the National Council of Jewish Federations as well as a longtime trustee at Brandeis University and board member of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. 

Internationally, he was a decades-long member of the Jewish Agency for Israel board, which he chaired from 1995 to 1999, and of the executive committee of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. 

Whether stateside or abroad, Goodman said the most important thing he had been involved in was the resettlement in Israel of a million Jews from the former Soviet Union and, later, thousands more from Ethiopia. 

Those worldwide efforts created an “opportunity for people who were threatened or unable to find a decent life where they were to prosper in a fine and growing economy,” he said. At the same time, it provided “fabulous growth for the State of Israel” and contributed to the Jewish people. 

When he headed the Council for Jewish Federations, North American Federations agreed to guarantee more than $1 billion in loans to the incoming immigrants. 

“I take great pride not in what we did,” he said, “but in what the Federations came together to do. You could see it each time there was an emergency in Israel. The Federations here in the United States and abroad came together and delivered very, very substantial funds … that have helped the Israelis get through difficult periods.” 

Goodman’s involvement with Israel was far-reaching. He and his family provided support to literally all of its colleges and universities, with Hebrew University, where he long served as Chairman of the Board, most notable among them. They also helped fund nearly every hospital and medical center.  

Both through deed and word, Goodman conveyed a message that success in business was not an end unto itself. 

“Corky Goodman’s incredible impact on Chicago, world Jewry, and Israel will be felt far into the future,” Nasatir said. 

Goodman was married to prominent public relations executive Margie Korshak and, previously, to the late Suzanne Crown Goodman, and also is survived by children Richard (Kitz), Barbara Manilow, and Leonard.

Joel Schatz is a freelance writer living in the northern suburbs of Chicago.