Did you know that 25 percent of New York City’s homeless people are employed? These people are trying to provide for themselves, but still need a helping hand. That’s why nearly every Friday for the past twelve years, between the hours of 5:00 to 8:15 a.m., Ira Riklis has been serving hot breakfasts and sack lunches at New York City’s Central Synagogue Caring Committee. The group began serving meals in 1983. That first year, they served 6,800 meals. Today, they’re serving in excess of 16,000 meals a year.
They’re the only “soup kitchen” in the area that serves meals at that time of the morning. Those morning hours were chosen to provide the working homeless and those looking for work a head start on their day. Those who come to them are often taking the first step in socialization and an entry into functioning society. That’s one reason Ira Riklis makes it a point to show up at those early hours. The group is staffed almost entirely by volunteers. There’s a need for these services in many, many cities and towns throughout the U.S. Maybe you can find a group near you and spare some time to give them a hand.
Here’s a profesional picture of Ira Ricklis, President of Sutherland Capital. Pictures of Ira Riklis are tough to come by, so please enjoy!
How would you feed yourself if you were old, poor, alone and homebound? In an ideal world, no one would have to face those circumstances. But Ira Riklis knows that many elderly people face that unpleasant reality every day. New York City alone is home to nearly 1.3 million senior citizens. And the fastest growing segment of this group is those people 85 and older. More than half of them are minorities, and nearly 20 percent have a household income of less than $10,000. Worse, many have limited mobility that makes it difficult or nearly impossible for them to leave their homes.
Fortunately, there is a place they can turn for help. Citymeals-on-Wheels, formed in 1981, brings both wholesome meals and human contact to 18,000 of New York’s elderly shut-ins every day. Without this help, many of these people would go hungry as they sat alone at home. Touched by their plight, Ira Riklis has provided significant funding for the organization for several years. His support has placed him among the ranks of the group’s “Very Grand Patrons.” But as with all the wonderful organizations he supports, he feels not so “grand” as privileged to be able to join with other in such an important effort. And he encourages others to extend a helping hand to similar groups in their home towns.
www.citymeals.org/
After his sister showed Ira Riklis how to sidestep on his first skiing trip, it was finally time to actually try to ski. It had been hours since his family left home, another hour trying to get the ski bindings locked down and still another trying in vain to learn how to do the herringbone. And his feet had long since gone numb with cold.
Nowhere ready to ride a ski lift up a large slope or even a rope tow up a beginner’s slope, Ira Riklis used his newly mastered sidestep to edge up a small hill. Today, he could likely jump that hill without a second thought. Back then it seemed to him as if he’d scaled Mt. Denali. Maneuvering to point his skis downhill, he pushed off. At last he was skiing! Picking up speed he felt a sense of exhilaration. As he rushed downhill towards the base lodge, he realized he was hooked on this sport! Then came a new realization: he didn’t know how to stop!
God has chosen to bless Ira Riklis with many blessings. No one can say why, but he and his family are grateful for their wealth, health and freedom. While they know that they can never fully repay these blessing, they do strive to show their gratitude by giving back to those in need.
Over the years, they have had the privilege of being helping many, many fine organization through gifts of their time and money. Each year, they provide support to more than fifty organizations. They give large amounts to some, smaller amounts to others. And some receive a check for $18.00. Why such a seemingly odd amount? In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical equivalent. The numerical value of the Hebrew word Chai (which translates as Life in English) is eighteen. So for Ira Riklis’ family, it’s become a tradition to give in multiples of eighteen in recognition of the gift of Life.
Back on his first-ever skiing trip with his family, Ira Riklis realized that even after his hour-long struggle to get into his skis and close the bindings his problems had just begun. His father initially tried to teach me to use a herringbone method for walking in the skis. But skis forty-five years ago were much longer than those today, and young Ira was much shorter. The skis he was wearing were much too long for his stature (or lack thereof) at the time.
After another hour of frustrating struggle, Ira Riklis had gone all of three feet. Exhausted, he sat down in the snow and started to cry. Fortunately his sister was there to help. She took pity on him and taught him how to sidestep. To this day, he has yet to see anyone use the herringbone for simple movements around the slopes!
It’s clear that are many, many worthy causes, many things that could be done to make our world a better place. Ira Riklis knows that there are opportunities to make a difference everywhere we turn. And, blessed with wealth, he gives generously of his money and his self to more than fifty organizations. But even the wealthiest among us can do only so much, and sometimes regret that we can’t do more.
If you feel that way, Ira Riklis asks that you consider a parable told by his Rabbi. A man standing on a beach sees someone walking along the shoreline towards him. From time to time, the person reaches down to pick up something then throws it into the ocean. The person turns out to be a young boy engaged in picking up starfish and throwing them back into the sea. When the man asks him what he’s doing, the boy replies, “Saving the starfish. If they remain on the shore, they will die.” “But there are many starfish,” the man replies, “and you are just one boy. You’re not making any difference.” At that, the boy reaches down, picks up another starfish and tosses it to in the water before turning to the man to say: “I just made a difference to that starfish.” Even if you don’t have much to give, is there perhaps one “starfish” you could save?
Although he’s now an avid skier, Ira Riklis sometimes marvels that he ever stayed with the sport, considering his first experience. When he was nine or ten, his family headed up to Hunter Mountain for a day of skiing. Back then, skiing was considered an offshoot of hiking, a fact reflected in the equipment at the time. Ski boots were basically hiking boots, with two sets of laces: inner and outer. To secure the boots, the laces had to be tied super-tight, which made them quite painful to wear.
Once the lace were tied, one then had to close the bindings on the skis, something made more difficult by the fact that the closing mechanism was two or three feet in front of the toe of the boot, and the bindings were designed to hold the heel of the boot to the skis. At this point, Ira Riklis’ father decided that young Ira had to close the bindings himself. It took many failed attempts to accomplish the feat. An hour and much frustration later, he still had not left the staging area.
Ira Riklis has invested in many different businesses. According to this source, he has invested in an Internet-service provider, a hedge-fund consolidation company, a ladies-clothing designer and marketer, a ski-equipment rental chain, and various real estate partnerships with an emphasis on strip-shopping centers.
So Ira’s interest in skiing extends to his business life (or did). What about Diana Riklis? She uses her degree in education and has a firm belief in community giving and the well-being of children. They both support political and religious causes. She teaches and is a member of the board of the Ramaz School, a private school. She’s a member of the executive committee of the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York.
She is also an active member of the education and community-services affiliations-review committee of the UJA-Federation of New York. Also the United Jewish Appeal’s committee for early-childhood education, and most recently, the Rose Biller endowment-fund committee. She also sits on New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital Children’s Foundation board.
Ira Riklis and his wife are both active in many different business, educational, artistic, political and religious issues and causes.
First the parents. Ira D. Riklis W’76 WG’77 (meaning a bachelor’s and masters from Wharton school of business) and Ira’s wife Diana Rausnitz Riklis C’76 GEd’77 (master’s of Education). They are also alums of the University of Pennsylvania. Their family is quite dedicated to the school as you’ll see below. His daughters went to the school also.
Their daughter Jordana Leah Riklis, graduated from the School of Arts and Sciences in the Class of 2000, summa cum laude. She was also undergraduate Class secretary.
Talia Jill Riklis C’02, is pursuing a master’s degree in economics at Penn. She’s donated to political campaigns, like her father.
Meshulam Riklis immigrated from Turkey but he also had an interest in high ed. He got a mathematics at Ohio State University. Like his son Ira, he had an interest in film.