Florence Melton's Legacy of Giving
Florence Zacks Melton has died at the age of 95. A past Columbus Jewish Foundation honoree, Florence Melton was an inventor, business woman, Jewish education activist, and philanthropist. Her accomplishments and leadership style were incomparable. We were honored to partner with her in developing paths to Jewish self-discovery, and mourn her loss.
Florence Melton passionately believed that Jewish education and Jewish literacy must be a community norm. In the mid-1980’s Florence worked with the Federation, Foundation and area synagogues on “Discovery,” an interdenominational effort that connected Jewish youth to their family and community roots through field trips, culminating in subsidized travel to Israel.
She later established the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. The Mini-School first opened in 1980 at three North American pilot sites, including one in Columbus that was funded through her donor-advised fund at the Foundation and a Columbus Jewish Foundation grant. Florence conceptualized the school after realizing that most American Jewish adults receive only minimal religious education as children and lack Jewish knowledge. There are now 62 Mini-Schools at sites throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. Attended weekly by some 5,500 students, it is the world’s largest pluralistic adult Jewish education network, and is widely credited as the inspiration for many other long-term adult Jewish learning programs.
During the past decade, Florence challenged the Foundation to make Jewish education a cornerstone of its grants program, and was instrumental in establishment of the Foundation’s Community Endowment Fund for Jewish Education & Literacy. She subsequently partnered with the Foundation in launching the Florence Melton CommuniTeens program, which offers trans-denominational, intellectually stimulating learning environments for Jewish teens. Other Foundation collaborations with Florence included “Hebrew Chocolate” a linguistic method to teach Hebrew to adults; annual programming for Wexner Heritage Village residents in memory of her son Barry Zacks; and the Coalition on Alternatives in Jewish Education.
Born in Philadelphia, Florence, husband Aaron Zacks, and partner Harry Streim established the R.G. Barry Corporation in 1947. She pioneered new products and innovations, including removable shoulder pads and the first use of foam latex in footwear, later to be known as Angel Treads and Dearfoam slippers. Following the death of Aaron Zacks in 1965, Florence married Columbus industrialist and international philanthropist, Samuel M. Melton. She used his philanthropic ties to bring the Hebrew University and others on board with her ideas.
Most of Florence’s educational undertakings were initially met with skepticism. But rejection did not faze her. She listed perseverance as one of her most closely held values. "What do you do when everyone else says it won't work?" she would ask. "You have to say, 'I'm sorry, but I believe it will.' Then you put your money and time and energy into it to make it come to fruition." The list of Jewish and secular organizations that Florence supported is long, and includes the Columbus Jewish Federation and Congregation Tifereth Israel.
Florence noted in her 1996 inscription in the Columbus Jewish Foundation’s Endowment Book of Life that …
”my primary and ongoing focus is and has been and will continue to be on quality Jewish Education and Literacy for all…I am proud that the Columbus Jewish Foundation has established a Community Endowment Fund for Jewish Education and Literacy whose primary focus is to assure forever funds for the unique and unusual needs beyond Federation allocation for all people in the Jewish community for generations to come….It is my hope that my commitment together with others …will assure the future of quality Jewish Life…”
Florence was a grandmother of six and great-grandmother of 10. We are honored to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from Florence Melton, of blessed memory, and extend sincere condolences to the family, including son Gordon and daughter in law, Carol Sue.
At the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Columbus Jewish Foundation, Florence Melton CommuniTeen Fund, 1175 College Avenue, Columbus Ohio 43209, or the Florence Melton Adult Mini School, 601 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 2A, Northbrook, Illinois, 60062.
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