JELF Announces Million-Dollar Endowment Fund

Judith Alembik, and her son, Gary, have partnered with Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF) to create the $1 million Judith and Aaron Alembik Endowment Fund, which was established to honor the late Aaron Alembik’s memory.

When it comes to improving the lives of young people through education, Gary Alembik has had a front row seat in a masterclass taught by his parents, Judith and the late Aaron Alembik. Aaron was a French-born Holocaust survivor who moved to Columbus, Ga., after the war. Aaron attended Georgetown University, where he lived at the Hillel house while working to pay tuition.

After graduating from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and earning his law degree from George Washington School of Law, Aaron practiced in Portsmouth, Va., before moving to Atlanta. There, he married Judith, worked as an associate at Arnall, Golden Gregory, and later founded his own firm specializing in commercial real estate. With Aaron’s encouragement, Judith pursued a law degree while raising their sons, Marc and Gary. After graduating, she joined Aaron in forming Alembik and Alembik, a firm specializing in family law and commercial real estate.

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Judith and Aaron firmly believed that a quality education was the cornerstone of a successful and fulfilling life. They devoted themselves to providing their children with the best education, helping them realize their fullest potential. Today, their son Marc is an OB/GYN in Northern Virginia, while Gary, an attorney, maintains a family law mediation and arbitration practice in Atlanta.

This generous endowment will enable JELF to bridge the gap between what the children of clergy need for school and what JELF is able to provide. “Today more than ever, rabbis and cantors are essential leaders of our Jewish communities,” explained Gary Alembik. “Through this initiative, we will honor the contributions of these clergy members by ensuring that JELF meets the soaring costs of education for their children. By partnering with one of the Southeast’s oldest continuous nonprofit organizations, this commitment will have an enduring impact on students for many generations to come.”

“We are grateful to the Alembik family for their confidence in JELF and are thrilled to be able to help the children of Jewish clergy through their generosity,” stated JELF CEO Jenna Shulman. “As the cost of education rises, JELF will continue exploring creative collaborations to help us meet an ever-increasing demand.”

For nearly 150 years, JELF and its predecessor organizations have been meeting critical needs of Jewish communities throughout Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia (excluding metro DC).

As JELF board chair Emily Sauerteig explains, “In 2024, the organization will provide $2.1 million in interest-free loans to Jewish students. However, as college costs rise, we are not able to keep up with current applicants’ demonstrated need, so fundraising remains a top priority.”

JELF’s next application window for student loans opens on Jan. 1, 2025. To learn more about JELF and this new endowment, please visit www.JELF.org/clergy.