Program to be held during Shabbat services, luncheon on April 11
Congregation Brith Shalom Men’s Club will present its annual “Man of the Year” award to Eric Lipman at the Men’s Club Shabbat on Saturday morning, April 11. Services begin at 9:30 a.m. at the synagogue, 4610 Bellaire Blvd. A Kiddush lunch will be served afterward, and all are welcome.
The product of a “mixed” marriage between a Litvak and a Galitzianer, Lipman was born in Queens, N.Y., the eldest child of Mitchell Lipman and Ernestina Kallus Lipman. He was raised in a secular household, although the family had a membership at Hillcrest Jewish Center.
Living in Flushing, Queens, he attended nearby public schools. After the family moved to Flower Hill in Manhasset, N.Y., he attended and graduated from Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washinton, N.Y. He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and graduated cum laude in 1975 with majors in anthropology and history.
After graduation, Lipman worked for the Philadelphia County Board of Assistance for two years. Facing burnout, he returned to Penn to study geology and then graduate school at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he received his Master of Science in 1982.
Prior to the petroleum industry’s layoffs in 1986, Lipman worked with Exxon in the Gulf Coast Division of its Exploration Department and Houston Petroleum.
In mid-1985, Lipman was introduced to Deborah Rabson Fee at a JCC singles event. The two married in June 1986 at Congregation Emanu El, and Lipman also became stepfather to then-10-year-old David Fee. The couple later welcomed a daughter, Michelle.
For a time, Lipman sold insurance with Prudential, until Debbie showed him an employment ad for Israel Bonds in the Jewish Herald-Voice.
Lipman had a successful career representing Israel Bonds for the next 32 years until he retired at the end of 2019. Although based in Houston, he would travel throughout Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico on behalf of Israel Bonds.
After marriage, Eric became involved with the Men’s Club at Congregation Brith Shalom where Debbie’s family had been members since 1955. He soon became responsible for an annual blood drive, which included a bagel nosh. So fond of the bagel noshes, Lipman expanded the number of blood drives to as many as five in a year. He continues to this day as the blood drive chair.
Debbie and Eric are longtime volunteers at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. They also just concluded three years on the board of AARP Chapter 50, which meets at Bayland Park.
Attending and hosting, havurahs, taking classes at Brith Shalom, participating in senior activities at the Fonteno Senior Center and the YES Group at Congregation Beth Yeshurun, the couple also enjoys travel. At Brith Shalom, Lipman is adjusting to his new role as a synagogue elder.
To attend the Men’s Club Shabbat and honor Lipman, call Brith Shalom at 713-667-9201 or go to brithshalom.org/event/shabbat-morning-services-shabbat-honoring-men39s-club1.html.