In Memoriam 1992-1997/Jeffrey Mondschein

JEFFREY MONDSCHEIN

1952—1996

We grieve at the passing of clearly loved Jeffrey Mondschein, who to the end proved himselfa dedicated servant of Bahai’u’llah.

His lifelong involvement in the teaching and administrative work, locally and nationally in the United States and at the international level, built up a continuous record of exemplary devotion to the Cause of God. With an unshakeable confidence and an indomitable will combined with a uniquely imaginative approach and a scintillating wit, he brought the ingenuity of his financial expertise to the service of the Bahá’í World Centre, particularly at critical phases of the most ambitious enterprise yet to be undertaken at the heart of the community. The enduring nature ofwhat he so nobly achieved has won out boundless gratitude.

Universal House ofjustice December 9, 1996

721513” of Ba/Jri’u’l/zi/y Reymlrd After z/Je Kim’é-iAqdax, pp. 198—99.

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a nurse educator, and Morton (Mort) Mondschein, a New York City attorney,

Jeff was born to Nancy (née Bowers),

on February 9, 1952. Nancy had become a Bahá’í as a teenager, shortly after her parents had embraced the Faith having learned of it in Westchester, Pennsylvania. Mort would become a Bahá’í late in his life, but he had been a lover of Baha’u’llah years before, driving his wife and sons, Rick and Jeff, to Green Acre each summer. The boys grew up firm in the Faith as third generation American Bahá’ís.

By the time Jeffwas in high school, the traits that defined him were already well developed: competitiveness, intellectual acuity, integrity, conscientiousness, and irascibility (at times), blended with an infectious wit. He was quicker than most but would always hold his tongue when becoming frustrated, and instead he would roll his eyes in a way so reminiscent of his father. Jeff excelled in school, academically, socially, and athletically. He played varsity baseball and basketball in high school and at Amherst College.

At Amherst, Jeff was studying to become a lawyer when he realized he was drawn to finance. When he let it be known that he was studying for a career in business, many well-meaning and prominent Bahá’ís tried to dissuade him from this course, saying that business concentrates on the materialistic nature of man and would not be a good career choice for a Bahá’í. At a time when there were few Bahá’í role models in this field, Jeff followed his instincts and his heart, gaining the expertise that allowed him to provide great service to the Faith.

After graduating from Amherst College in 1974, he spent a year working for the Amherst Athletic Department before going to New York University (NYU) to attend the Stern School of Business where he earned

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his Master of Business Administration degree in 1977.

He began his finance career in the treasury department of the Continental Group. A portion of his time was spent on assignment in Brussels. Four years later he became a foreign exchange corporate advisor at Wells Fargo Bank. Subsequently he held senior positions in foreign exchange at Merrill Lynch and at the Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company; at the latter he was vice president and foreign exchange manager. During his ten years as a foreign exchange corporate advisor, Jeff was often quoted as 21 market expert in the “7421/ Street journal, 7713 New York Times, and other publications. Jeff was also a shareholder and a director of Mottahedeh 8c Company,”' and his

Established in 1929 by Bahá’ís, Mildred Root and her husband Rafi Mottahedeh, the company

n. (4

designed and produced luxury porcelain and reproductions From the porcelain collections of

well-known museums.

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background in finance did not prevent him from commenting on design as a member of the self—proclaimed “Shadow Design Committee.”

Jeff drew upon his professional expertise to serve the Faith, first through years as a member of the Financial Advisory Committee to the treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. Then, in 1992, at the age of forty and mid-stream in his career, Jeff answered the call of the Universal House ofjustice to become the first chief financial officer (CFO) for the Bahá’í World Centre. He modernized the Department of Finance, updating systems and controls and developing managerial “best practices.” Jeff created policies and procedures for the functioning of the department that remained in place a decade after his passing. In addition he provided clear financial analyses to the House of Justice at a critical time in the Arc Project—the construction of buildings and development ofgatdens on Mount Carmel.

Jeff was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in September 1995. His fighting spirit was captured in a poem he wrote in February of1996:

Body and Soul

My health ravaged

My body attacked;

“Cancer” the dreaded.

God’s Love:

The Supreme Body,

The Friends,

My family;

My spirit feted.

Blood; knives, chemicals and radiation

inflicting material pain.

My spirit refocused, transcending

traveling in the realm of the Frequented Fane.

Fear, doubt, disillusionment

Try to cloud the future.

The Supreme Body’s “rest assured,”

Detachment and prayer lead one to mature.

Assuredly death comes

But not now!

Much, much later

Decidedly, life for now,

But to different drums I’ll cater.

Jefif was as active as he could be while fighting his “disease of the week,” as he would say. He worked when possible and could be found writing a speech for the annual Bahá’í Conference on Social and Economic Development in Orlando in December 1995, attending a Mottahecleh Board Meeting, and making a final trip to Green Acre in the summer of 1996. His spirit was undaunted, his primary concern being that he would not be there for his family. He finally succumbed on December 8, 1996.

Jeff is survived by his soul mate Pam (Mathers)—they were married on November 27, 1982, and by their two children, Sabrina and Jared, both of whom have grown into wonderful young adults. He is also survived by his older brother, Rick, and by his many friends around the world who cherish their memories ofhim. As succinctly put by one of his Amherst classmates “Jeff accomplished much in his all too short life.”

Grant delheim