(PRESS RELEASE) The Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation will be honoring Mark Schonwetter with the Voice of Kindness Award at its virtual gala taking place on January 26, 2021 at 7:00pmET, to celebrate its one-year anniversary.
Mark Schonwetter is the former owner and retired President of Liebefarb, a wedding and engagement ring manufacturer based in New Jersey. Mark owned and ran Lieberfarb for over forty years. Both of his daughters, Ann S. Arnold and Isabella S. Fiske worked closely with him for many years. Currently, Ann S. Arnold is the CSO of BIG, who designs solutions for the myriad of merchandising and inventory management challenges facing retail jewelers and manufacturers. Isabella S. Fiske is the owner of ISF Jewels, a personal shopper and designer of jewelry based in Livingston, NJ.
After retiring from Lieberfarb in 2017, Mark has made it his mission to share his Holocaust survival story to people of all ages. With the onset of the pandemic, Mark quickly pivoted and now speaks to students and adults all over the country, as well as internationally, via zoom and Google Meets. He has been featured on such news programs such as the 3rd Hour of the Today Show and ABC Eyewitness News.
Through this journey, Mark and his daughters discovered one of the biggest obstacles that schools face with Holocaust Education is budget restraints. As a result, they established the Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation to raise funds to help aid schools in bringing these important lessons to students today. The foundation’s mission is to expand and support Holocaust Education for students in schools around the country and to provide funds necessary for educators to implement curriculum into their lesson plans. The objective is to teach students the lessons to be learned from the past and how they relate to today. Funds can be used to purchase educational materials, help subsidize field trips, speaker costs or host assemblies and programs.
Co-founders, Ann S. Arnold and Isabella S. Fiske have made teaching about the Holocaust their life’s mission. “Students being educated about the past can ensure they will make a change for a better future.” The following industry companies have already shown support for the foundation: The Shane Company, Novell Enterprises Inc., ISF Jewels, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, BIG, Day’s Jewelers, and Continental Buying Group. For more information, to become a sponsor or to register to attend the Gala at no charge visit here
Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success
After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone.
Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently.
The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.
