When David Cobb put on his tallit at his bar mitzvah last December, the soft woolen fibers did more than just envelop his body. They embraced his soul and formally welcomed him into a community that he had only discovered as an adult.
Now Cobb, 49, is continuing what he described as his “transformational” journey as the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s new chief operating officer.
“I’d like people to know that I don’t come here haphazardly,” he said last week after marking his first month at MJF. “I was born to Jewish parents, but I was raised a Catholic. Even so, there was always a sense of Judaism underlying what was going on in our home.
“After I married my wife, Naomi, I became part of a loving Jewish family that included my step-children Elias and Sonya, and my curiosity about Judaism grew. When we decided to adopt our young daughter, Ariella, from China, I knew we would be raising her Jewish, and I wanted to be consistent for her and for myself about what it means to have a Jewish household and to live a Jewish life.
“I had become involved in my synagogue, Congregation Sinai, where I am now treasurer, and I began to study. We also traveled to Israel, and then I studied some more, with the support and guidance of Rabbi David Cohen and Cantor Ruth Berman Harris.
“And last December, when I felt the beautifully guttural sounds of the chet coming out of my mouth, the sense of connection to my ancestors astonished me. I realized that Judaism had always been part of my soul. I just never knew it.”
Cobb believes that his new position at MJF “is a bit beshert,” and that he’s fortunate to be able to continue his personal journey through it. As a senior consultant for ten years with the Hunter Business Group, he said he’s “received tremendous training in how organizations work and what makes them healthy, and to be able to bring that knowledge to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation along with my new passion for Judaism is a wonderful connection.”
‘Right to exist’
As chief operating officer, a role newly created at MJF by restructuring an unfilled position, Cobb said he is responsible for the federation’s operations and staff development, and for helping to build a communal vision based on inclusivity and trust.
“What’s critically important to me,” he explained, “is that no organization take itself for granted. Every day we have to demonstrate our right to exist by adding value to the community as defined by the community.
“What I mean by that is that there’s a set of needs in the community that is held by various constituent groups: agencies that provide services, people who receive services, agencies who distribute communal money; donors who contribute it; and volunteers who donate their time.
“We at the federation must be able to deliver value to each of these groups based on their needs, and to do that, we have to understand and deeply respect those needs. We can’t do that by sitting in our offices — we have to have ongoing contact with the various groups and constantly have a process that is inclusive to all of them.
“Most of all, we have to look hard for the solution that supports, and transcends, what may appear to be these groups’ contrasting needs. And to do that, we have to make sure that the highly talented and committed MJF staff have the appropriate skills, training and abilities.”
Cobb is singularly suited to this challenge because he’s “worked with a myriad of corporate and not-for-profit organizations,” said federation president Judy Segall Guten. “He brings strong strategic planning and organizational development experience, a keen understanding of human resource training and development, and outstanding relationship-building skills to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
“David will enable the federation to strengthen its role in community building by expanding staff development and enhancing partnerships with the volunteers. In particular, his presence will free up Rick [Richard H.] Meyer, our chief executive officer, to focus on our strategic future — to look out at our community’s future needs and develop the resources we will need to meet them.”
In expressing his support of Guten’s comments, Meyer added that he is also “pleased that Cobb’s appointment will help me and other members of our professional and lay leadership to focus more attention on developing greater financial resources, which make everything we do possible.”
Cobb agrees with Guten that “these are exciting times for the federation,” and for himself.
“I bring my many skills to this position,” he said, “but I also bring a belief in who I am. I am just beginning to understand my connection to Judaism, through learning Torah and studying. But I have found my familial piece, being part of a bigger community. I love saying I’m a Jew. And I love going home at night and feeling good about what I do.”
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