ADL Regional Board Member David Hauptman shares how his desire to become involved in Denver’s Jewish community and his passion to share the lesson of “Never Again” has led to a decades-long relationship with the Anti-Defamation League.
How did you first become involved in ADL? How are you involved now?
In 1981 I was relatively new to Denver and as it happened, my cousin’s husband – who was an ADL staff member in New York – went on a retreat to Israel where he met then-Mountain States Regional Director Saul Rosenthal. Saul invited my cousin to come to Denver to speak with board members, and while he was in Denver, I complained to him that I was having trouble getting involved in the Jewish community. He must have told Saul, because Saul then contacted me to invite me to an executive committee meeting at Larry Atler’s house after which I was invited to become an ADL volunteer. I joined the Partners (now Sturm Fellows Leadership) Program, kept volunteering, and joined the Board in 1991. I’m still on the Board, I’m a member of the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue, the development committee and the education committee. I actually got involved with the education committee because of the interest of a young ADL leader, Janice Carroll, who’s an educator and whom I mentored. I chaired the Governor’s Holocaust Remembrance Program three times, and now I serve as a liaison from ADL to the Center for Judaic Studies’ Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver and to the Colorado Holocaust Educators group. I can’t complain about not being involved anymore!
What do you do in your professional life?
I’m a retired broadcaster. I worked as a sales manager for Channels 4 and 9 in Denver for just under 30 years combined. When I was with Channel 4, I became a quasi liaison for ADL as a promotor for what was at the time A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Campaign which Channel 4 co-sponsored. I’ve been pulled out of retirement recently to work as a business manager for an advertising/marketing startup firm.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a sports anchor. I loved hockey and football, and I played soccer.
Where were you born? From where do your ancestors hail?
I was born in Jersey City, NJ. My ancestors hail from Brest-Litovsk, Poland, Moscow and Siberia.
What’s your favorite holiday?
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. For me it means a new beginning with penance and good food.
What’s your favorite food?
Pizza and Chinese food.
What are you reading right now?
I’m reading the book Year Zero: A History of 1945 by Ian Buruma. It was assigned reading for a class I’m taking about World War II with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The book is mostly about the aftereffects of the war, but an undercurrent concerns the remarkable story of the author’s father who was seized by the Nazis during the occupation of Holland and spent much of the war as a slave laborer. The class itself has been fascinating, as only about 20% of the participants, most of whom are in their 60s through 80s, are Jewish. It’s the last generation who lived through the war, but the non-Jewish students have no concept about the Holocaust. Seeing this, I arranged for Holocaust Survivor Jack Wellner to speak to the class. Hearing first-hand accounts like Jack’s is the only way to ensure that our plight is not forgotten.
What’s a special place you have visited?
Machu Pichu, Peru. While on that trip, my wife and I were exploring an ancient fortress and ran into ADL Board Member and National Commissioner Marv Levy and his wife Bebe; we had no idea they’d be there. The site is fascinating; no one could conquer it, including the Spaniards. It’s the same as it was hundreds of years ago.
What teacher or class stands out to you the most in your education and why?
The teachers I had when I took Jewish education classes at CAJE (The Colorado Agency for Jewish Education) and with the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School program. I found the educators knowledgeable and inspirational.
What are you passionate about personally? What can’t you stop talking about?
The message of “Never Again.” I was a three-time co-chair of the Governor’s Holocaust Remembrance Program, and Holocaust education is a passion of mine.
Where can we find you when you’re not working?
Playing golf, taking classes, consulting and volunteering. In addition to ADL, I volunteer at Jewish Family Service and I’m on the Chrohn’s and Colitis Foundation Board.
If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
I’m actually scheduled to teach a class about Advertising and Media for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute next Fall.
Tell me a story that immediately pops into your mind that was a defining or significant moment for you.
That would be the way I got involved in ADL to begin with. I went to a Partners in Leadership meeting (the precursor to Sturm Fellows) at former National Chair Barry and Gay Curtiss-Lusher’s house. There was a session to learn about Project Pride facilitated by local educator, psychologist and émigré David Kazzaz. I was captivated by the mission and never looked back. Another significant moment for me was in 1965 when Sandy Koufax refused to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers on Kol Nidre. He was such a great player that nobody gave him any grief for that decision.
Why do you choose to make a financial investment in ADL?
To fight bigotry and racism against all. Our programs are the best at making good on that promise. The Governor’s Holocaust Remembrance Program and Confronting Anti-Semitism (now Words to Action) fight against anti-Semitism, ADL fought for comprehensive hate crimes legislation and was successful in that fight with the Matthew Shepherd James Byrd Hate Crimes Legislation, and the No Place For Hate® Initiative ensures that students in schools are educated with tools to fight bias and bullying. Our advocacy makes a real difference, such as when we assisted the varsity basketball team at Denver Jewish Day School (then Rocky Mountain Hebrew Academy) when the Colorado High School Athletic Association refused to change the date of their playoff game so the players didn’t have to travel on Shabbat.
Complete this sentence: For me, the ADL is …
…living proof of an organization not forgetting its mission. The board and staff live it daily; it’s not just lip service. It’s why after 34 years I’m still involved, sitting at meetings with my friend Marvin Levy.