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“I remember as a child lining up at Cross Country Elementary with my Jewish classmates to take the bus to Beth El Religious School … or walking to the Park Heights JCC after school to learn how to sew. All my friends were Jewish, and […]

Although Linda, mother of four and grandmother of six, did not grow up here, involvement in the Jewish community was a priority from the moment she made Baltimore her home. As a development professional in the Jewish community for more than 25 years, Linda’s latest […]

Why Did You Decide to Become a Community Connector? I decided to be a Connector because community building is crucial for building movements towards social justice. Being a part of this network has pushed me to think of creative ways to stay connected with my […]

I am a native Baltimorean, but I didn’t grow up in Pikesville or Randallstown, or the areas that most of you think of when my peers say they grew up in Baltimore. I am not really good at the high school Jewish geography game, because I was one of three Jews in my high school graduating class; I guarantee you that you did not know me in high school.

I was a Covid bride. I realize how trivial my struggles with a wedding were compared to the devastating and heartbreaking challenges others were facing from the impact of a global pandemic. I know that having to deal with a wedding during a pandemic is the best problem I could have had while others faced much heavier challenges.

Traditionally, enrollment committees evaluate student applicants, considering their grades, test scores, extracurricular activities and personal statement or essay, evaluating their readiness for higher education and their “fit” for the college or university community. But the pandemic froze so many of those activities and created unprecedented […]

Julie has lived her life as a transplant.  A true “nomad” as she likes to refer to herself, Julie was born in Camden, NJ But at the age of 2 ½, she moved to Vienna VA because of her father’s job at the Department of Defense. Since then, she’s […]

Growing up in the Owings Mills area, Erika Rief Hornstein left Baltimore after high school but returned for graduate school where she earned an MBA/MA in Design Leadership at Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business and the Maryland Institute College of Art. Today, she is […]

How am I teaching my children? Heidi Topaz and Melissa Goldmeier, Community Connectors for the Macks Center for Jewish Education (CJE), were asked about their Jewish identity, and how they are passing on these values to their children.  Melissa Goldmeier, Downtown Community Connector.   What does it mean to you to be proud of your Jewish identity?  […]

On January 26, at 5:00 in the evening, The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore with LifeBridge Health, convened a COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall. The virtual event, attended by hundreds of Baltimore community members, included a panel of medical leaders. Marc B. Terrill, president of The […]