Put together an engaging speaker, a fascinating personal story, and a career centered on issues of life and death, justice and recompense, and you have an event with clear audience appeal. For twenty-one years, the JCC Forum has been known for attracting speakers of national and international import to the Carole and Marcus Weinstein Jewish Community Center in Henrico County, and the JCC Forum on February 8 continued the tradition. In “An Evening with Kenneth Feinberg: What is Life Worth?” Mr. Feinberg—the administrator of compensatory funds raised after the tragedies of 9/11; the shootings at Virginia Tech and Newtowne, Connecticut; the BP oil spill; and other mass catastrophes—offered fascinating stories from his experiences. Before a large audience representing a wide range of ages, demographics, and faiths, he also offered insights he had gained along the way.
Feinberg reflected on how Americans respond to such unique events and offered his conclusions about what this response reveals about us as a collective society. From the taxpayer-funded 9/11 fund to the individually-generated Boston Marathon bombing “One Fund,” victim compensation funds have been a uniquely American way of offering assistance to victims and their families after tragedies of national impact. As the “go-to” expert on determining how to allocate such funds, Mr. Feinberg has been at the center of what he called a “striking charitable impulse of the American people, who come to the rescue of their fellow citizens over and over again.” For him, the generosity and collective sympathy and empathy of those in the U.S. demonstrates the “communitarian ethic of this country” and our belief that we rise or fall together, as a people.
He also reflected on how his background and upbringing contributed to his own desire to help in these situations. As a youth in the late fifties and early sixties, he gained his still-held belief that government stands for something positive. He credited President Kennedy and other leaders of the time for fostering a belief in the importance of public service. He also described how the tenants of his Jewish faith supported his calling to this unique work. Judaism, he noted, is a religion that comforts those suffering loss through collective grief. Through his faith, he often saw the entire community coming to the aid of someone in need through the traditions of “shiva,” which ensure that victims don’t mourn alone.
Forum audience members had the opportunity to question Mr. Feinberg in a session moderated by Sam Tarry, Chairman of the Produces and Consumer Litigation Department for McGuireWoods LLP. When asked about how this work has changed him, Feinberg acknowledged becoming more fatalistic. Through one-on-one conversations with hundreds of bereaved family members, the impermanence of life and unexpectedness of death resonated, and has remained, with him. Today, he relayed, he makes plans no more than a few days to two weeks ahead of time. But along with fatalism, Mr. Feinberg gained empathy and the ability to be a better listener though his administration of these victim funds. He realized over time that the personal testimonials he received after each event were therapeutic for family members and a way for them to feel that they could honor and solidify the memories of their loved ones. When asked about what he has received from these challenging situations, Mr. Feinberg acknowledged finding gratification in the “signals that the people he helped have made a life and (that he) has done some good.”
The JCC Forum remains a signature event of the Weinstein JCC’s annual Patrons of the Arts (POA) series, which offers community events focused on visual and performing arts, speakers, books and films from September through May. “An Evening with Kenneth Feinberg” presented a fitting highlight of the 2013-2014 Patrons of the Arts season, as it reflected the Weinstein JCC’s goal to promote the welfare of the Jewish community and the community as a whole. This event, like its speaker and the program that brought him to the Center this past Saturday night, gave members of our diverse Richmond community the opportunity to come together to reflect on the values that inspire our collective generosity, concern for justice, and desire to offer comfort to our fellow citizens after tragedy strikes.
By Kim Bridges
