When it comes to community service, there are those whose work is unavoidably done in the public eye. They spearhead causes, give interviews to press and become familiar faces around town.
And then there are people like Richard and Lisa Israel, this year’s grand marshals of the East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation’s Maritime Festival parade.
For many years, the Israels have, by choice, flown under the radar in their philanthropy and support of local causes.
“We do many things and give unconditionally,” said Lisa. “But we don’t look for attention. Yet we understand that by being in the public eye, you can teach others by example — teach them to donate not only money, but time.”
Volunteering both time and money while trying not to attract public attention is a double-edged sword, she says. For the Israels, the rewards they receive from volunteering and financially supporting causes close to their hearts are priceless.
“When you volunteer, you reach out and touch people in ways that you can’t by donating money,” says Lisa.
For Richard and Lisa Israel, being asked to serve as grand marshals for the Greenport Maritime Festival was, they say, an honor. They have been financial supporters of the museum for many years, beginning in 1989 when the late Merle Wiggin began the effort to raise funds to restore the ruined Long Beach Bar “Bug” Lighthouse.
Richard and his business partner, the late Herbert Mandel, stepped up and gave financial support towards the restoration of the lighthouse. After Mandel passed away Richard continued his support of the museum, donating money to help recreate the old blacksmith shop in Greenport that had been destroyed by a Nor’easter. The Israels have continued to donate toward the upkeep of the blacksmith shop, something they call a “living exhibit.”
“I’m a believer in keeping things from the past alive so that people can remember,” says Richard.
Although they were not born and raised in Greenport — Richard is from Nassau County and Lisa from Pennsylvania — the Israels have a long history with the area.
Since he was a child, Richard had spent summers in Greenport, boating with his family and developing a deep connection with the area. After meeting Richard in college, Lisa began joining him and his family for weekends on the East End.
The Israels moved to Greenport in 1986 when Richard changed jobs at the age of 30. By this time they were married and had two boys, Ike and Marcel; they eventually had a third son, Herbert. All three boys work with Richard in the family’s real estate business.
When their sons entered Greenport School, Lisa became president of the newly formed parent teachers association and served on the school’s board of education for 15 years. She continues to serve as a board member of Eastern Suffolk BOCES.
Both Lisa and Richard are members of the Greenport Rotary, Richard since 1987 and Lisa since 1992.
So just how is a grand marshal chosen?
It’s no easy task, according to East End Seaport Museum’s board chairwoman and co-chair of the Maritime Festival committee Arlene Klein.
“We start the process in March,” said Klein. “The entire EESM board brings names of appropriate people. And believe me, there are a lot of deserving folks. After discussing each potential, we pare it down to five or so. Then it gets really hard.”
The board goes through several more eliminations, more discussion, then takes a final vote.
As is the tradition, the grand marshals will ride along in the Maritime Festival parade and as an added bonus, they will be the stars of their own short movie thanks to filmmakers Tony Bettler and his wife Marla Milne. The idea for making a film about the grand marshals originated with festival chair Klein when she watched the parade several years ago and realized she knew nothing about the grand marshal. For the past three years Bettler and Milne have created a small feature for the museum.
The Israels enjoyed the filmmaking process and admired Bettler and Milne’s skills, they said.
“It was a lot of fun, but it made us realize we’ve been around for a while,” joked Richard.
The 28th annual Maritime Festival takes place in Greenport Village on Saturday, September 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The parade begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
