Los Angeles, CA – The widow of the billionaire philanthropist Roland Arnall testified today that her husband did not seek special honors for the millions of dollars in charitable donations he made during their marriage, including having buildings named after him.
“He said he didn’t want any name recognition,” Dawn Arnall told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mary Ann Murphy. “He said that wasn’t the point of making contributions.”
The non-jury trial before Murphy has pitted the testimony of Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, president of Chabad of California Inc., against the wealthy widow, who served as a co-chair of the 2004 Republican National Convention.
Chabad provides educational and social services under Jewish auspices.
Cunin previously testified Roland Arnall made verbal promises to him in 2004 and 2008 to donate at least $18 million to Chabad for the building of what was to be called the Arnall Family Center or the Arnall Family Hall.
However, according to Dawn Arnall, her husband never mentioned making such a pledge among the many they made as a couple to both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations.
She said their largest single contribution was a $10 million to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which her husband co-founded.
Dawn Arnall said the alleged $18 million promise to Chabad made no sense because it was far more than their largest single pledge.
Dawn Arnall also said her husband was accustomed to getting financial requests from Cunin.
“He said that every time he met with Rabbi Cunin he asked him for money,” she testified.
She said the donations she and her husband made followed Jewish tradition and were usually made in denominations of 18.
Roland Arnall made his fortune by helping to create Orange County-based Ameriquest Mortgage in 1979 and later became embroiled in problems associated with the subprime market.
Roland Arnall was ambassador to the Netherlands under President George W. Bush from March 2006 to March 2008, leaving the post to take care of his son Daniel Arnall, who was diagnosed with cancer, Dawn Arnall said.
However, the billionaire himself died two years ago of cancer at age 68.
Westwood-based Chabad is seeking $17.5 million, which the organization claims is the balance due on the $18 million pledge after three payments of $180,000 were previously made by Roland Arnall.
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15 Responses
Search for “Ameriquest” on the Internet, the mortgage funding company founded and operated by Roland Arnall, and then ponder whether Rabbi Cunin was knowingly soliciting treife gelt.
I am very disappointed with Chabad, which has repeatedly resorted to Arkaos (secular courts) in their disputes with fellow Jews — contrary to clearly stated Halachah, which requires a Beis Din for litigation among Jews or, preferably, a committee of Rabonim for mediation.
A person of that stature would have done the correct paperwork for a pledge if he intended to make it binding – as opposed to having discussed the possibility of someday donating the money. If it doesn’t have a written agreement, Chabad shouldn’t have sued.
Does she have a beard?
This is the Rabbi Cunin who, at a gathering for the Kedoshei Mumbay, openly said that “everybody will come to recognize that the Rebbe runs the world (af”l)”. In that case why did he go to court? He should have gone to the Rebbe’s kever and leave the rest to him!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfvqmCANF-c
There was a very wealthy man who would receive the late Lakewood Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Shneur Kotler Zt’l, each year when he visited his city. Despite his immense wealth, the man limited his donation to $500 saying that he really is not pro Torah study but would not turn a Rabbi down completely.
One year Rav Kotler arrived for his appointment and was met by the man’s lawyer. “My boss signed your check and had not yet filled in an amount when he fell dead of a suden heart attack. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars in this account and the State will take most of it. Take my advice and fill in the check for half a million dollars!”
Rav Shneur told his gabbai to write in $500 as they would usually receive and went on his way leaving an astounded lawyer with his mouth open.
Such was the way of a true Gadol. How sad to hear of the lawsuit in California and the chilul Hashem it is causing as the age-old stereotype of money-grubing Jews is reinforced through the behaviour of the Chabad rabbi.
To #2 (Avraham)
I think that Dawn is not Jewish.
Remember Melvin Earl Dummar who claimed to have saved Howard Hughes in a Nevada desert in 1967 and that the tycoon willed him $156 million as a result. A Las Vegas jury ruled that the will was a forgery. Any living witnesses to testify for the Rabbi?
Imanonov,
In the same way that you say a shliach is the baal habayis of his moisad, but ultimately of course the Aibishter is running everything – so too about the Rebbe and the velt. It’s a figure of speech and unwise to throw around like that – but perhaps excusable given the emotional state of affairs at the time. If you know anything at all about Rabbi Cunin, you would know no one is a greater oved Hashem, ohaiv Hashem and yiras shomayim than this chosid. He gives completely of himself for Hashem. That is undoubtedly the intention here. That money belongs to kedusha, not in the hands of the shiksa.
Sorry, Moshiachnow, the rest of the “velt” does NOT use the expression that the Rebbe runs the world– and no emotional state is an excuse for pure apikorsis.
As for R. Cunin’s good intentions– money doesn’t belong to yiddin just because otherwise it will be left with a goy– otherwise you’d be suing bazillions of intermarrieds all over the world when their money is left to goyish children. Stolen money is not allowed to be used for tzedaka, or chesed, or anything else, so if this wasn’t legitimately giving to R. Cunin then no matter how good the cause is it’s assur.
#2
Are you aware of the many disputes right now in secular courts here and in Israel among Yeshivos, Shuls and Chassidic dynasties.
devorahle, you speak like a chochama and a true Bas Yisroel. Thank you for making what should seem a dovor poshut to even an am ha’aretz so abundantly clear, and in such an articulate manner on top of it all.
#6 – I hate to nitpick on great musar (or Hasidic) stories, but once a person is dead, it is theft to cash their check (there is a provisions for checks that are in process at the time of death). The account belongs to the heirs (or technically the “estate” as it is called under American law). The lawyer and the rav would have been guilty of theft, and the bank would refuse to pay the check, and if they did, the executor would be obligated to demand repayment. Also, anyone with a big estate, and who already has a lawyer, is highly likely to have written a will. And lastly, the state only gets the money if you have neither a will nor heirs (typically including at least first or second cousins).
But if you didn’t go to law school, it’s a great story.
Devorahle, well said. In addition, what about Roland Arnall’s two children from his first wife Sally; aren’t they entitled to their yerusha? And do we know that Dawn wasn’t m’gayer k’halacha? And what about the millions Arnall promised me?
moshiachnow:
“In the same way that you say a shliach is the baal habayis of his moisad, but ultimately of course the Aibishter is running everything – so too about the Rebbe and the velt.”
Aha. So you’re telling me that Hashem put the Rebbe in charge of the world?
“That money belongs to kedusha, not in the hands of the shiksa.”
That money belongs to whoever rightfully owns it.