The finale of Ignite YP’s Staenberg Speaker Series featured the series’ namesake, Michael Staenberg. Staenberg spoke on Wednesday night about his philanthropic journey and his goal of “Building Beyond Bricks.”
“I’ve learned that successful development transcends mere brick and mortar,” said Staenberg. “It’s about fostering a cohesive community through collaboration and collective efforts towards achieving a common goal.”
During the evening Staenberg told a story about where his sense and belief in Tzedakah originated.
“Growing up in Omaha, I was a big Cornhusker fan and was saving up for a red jacket to show my support of the team,” remembered Staenberg. “The jacket was $10.00. I worked for .$25 an hour and eventually saved up $10.00. That’s when I learned an important lesson.”
Staenberg’s father sat him down at a table. He had 10 $1.00 bills. He made a pile of 5 bills, another pile of 3 bills, and a third pile with 2 bills. He pushed the pile of 5 bills in front of 10-year-old Staenberg and told him it was his money. He then pushed the pile of 3 bills to himself, payment for his feeding, sheltering and supporting the young man.
For the third pile, of two bills, the elder Staenberg reminded his son that Torah calls for Jews to donate a tenth of their annual income to tzedakah in fulfillment of the third tithe for the poor, and held up one bill.
The young Staenberg asked his father, “Why then there were two bills in the pile?”
“We are not 10-percent people,” his father responded.
What is the Staenberg Speaker Series?
The Staenberg Speaker Series is the networking division of Ignite, which was launched in September of 2023 to offer young Jewish professionals and graduate students an opportunity to learn from some of St. Louis’ finest Jewish executives.
“We’ve crafted each event to be the ultimate Jewish networking experience with an incredible speaker, awesome career mentors who are deeply connected with their Judaism and always topped off with incredible food,” said Shani Roberts, director of Ignite YP.
The goal of the series is to leverage the strong local resources available from successful Jewish professionals within our community and provide networking and mentorship opportunities for young professionals trying to jump-start their careers.
“We felt continuous events over a six-month series would be a great way to really foster long-term networking and mentorship opportunities,” said Roberts.
Stay tuned to see what comes in year two of Ignite YP’s Staenberg Speaker Series Staenberg Speaker Series.
