In 1986, Eileen Perlson, then 73 and a long-retired secretary, visited the Milwaukee Jewish Day School and sat in on a Judaic studies class.
“I was dumbfounded by those eight- and nine-year olds,” she told The Chronicle for an article published Sept. 17, 1999. “They fired questions right back at [the teacher] with such thought that I almost fell off my chair.”
She made more visits, and “soon, I fell in love with the school and everything in it,” she said. Moreover, she developed particular affection for the kindergarten class: “The kindergarten is the base of the school,” she said, and besides, “The little kids are so smart. You can’t get anything past them.”
She promised then to leave a bequest to the school. She died on Feb. 11 at age 85, and this fund is now being established.
Perlson’s trustee and personal representative Bert Bilsky, associate executive vice president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and former executive director of the JCF, said the starting amount of this fund is around $800,000 — which represents her entire estate’s net worth.
“She was thrilled she could do this,” Bilsky said in an interview March 3. Bilsky had worked with her for many years on this and other matters, and “She was very focused on leaving this money for the school,” he said.
In an email, Brian King, MJDS head of school, wrote: “Eileen Perlson, after whom our kindergarten is named, had been a fixture of our kindergarten program for many years. Whether by attending kindergarten events, spending a couple of hours in the classroom, or giving generously to the program, Eileen made a lasting impact on MJDS. Her generosity continues to help MJDS provide the highest quality kindergarten program for our students. The children will miss her; our staff will miss her; our community will miss her.”
And David P. Lowe, MJDS president, said in a telephone interview March 24 that Perlson’s gift “is going to assure excellence and innovation in our kindergarten program for years to come… We’re just thrilled to have this huge injection of support into our program, and we’re very grateful for Eileen Perlson’s passion and vision to support our school.”
According to information Perlson wrote in her Book of Life story, Perlson was a native Milwaukeean who graduated from North Division High School. She was one of nine children.
“She grew up very poor. Everything she had, she worked for,” said Bilsky. She was also “very independent-minded and very tough,” he added.
MJDS was not her only philanthropic interest. She also donated funds to renovate the hospice at St. Joseph’s Hospital in memory of one of her sisters, Lillian Heffernan. She also helped Congregation Anshe Lebowitz purchase a Torah scroll, and donated a yad (pointer for Torah reading) to the Jewish Museum Milwaukee.
She also enjoyed music, especially jazz; and had an extensive record collection.
But MJDS became her passion to the point that “it gave her a sense of meaning for her life,” said Bilsky. In addition to this fund for the kindergarten, Perlson funded special science programs, sold more than 200 boxes of fruit and nuts each year, and volunteered to help with administration.
Moreover, according to the 1999 Chronicle article, Perlson stepped in to buy needed individual items for the school — a ceiling fan for the teachers’ lounge, two microwave ovens, even a cello for a music student from the former Soviet Union.
Indeed, as Perlson told The Chronicle in 1999, “I can’t do enough for MJDS. The whole place is my family.”
All her siblings pre-deceased her. She is survived by nieces, nephews, and friends.
Goodman-Bensman Whitefish Bay Funeral Home handled arrangements. A graveside service was held at Anshai Lebowitz Cemetery on Feb. 15.
Leon Cohen
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