Gary Olschansky, co-chair of The Associated’s Insight Israel Forum, has been involved in the Baltimore Jewish community for many years. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Gary made Baltimore his home more than 30 years ago and gained a community through The Associated.
We sat down with this real estate guru to talk about his volunteer work, his passion for history, architecture and The Forum’s priorities for the coming year.
After college I moved to Baltimore to start my career and I came across The Associated’s Young leadership program. The Young leadership program was just starting when I participated in it, so it was cool to be one of the pioneers of the program. As I started to get more involved in The Associated, I met a lot of great people – one being Marc Terrill, who became one of my great friends.
I would like to find more people like me who are curious about Israel. I want to expand my knowledge on how we can be better partners with our friends overseas. I think we have a great opportunity with the Insight Israel Forum to highlight all of the amazing parts of Israel that we may not always get to see.
I have always thought that my time spent while not working was 100% meant for my family. I realized that ultimately helping my community be a better place will help my kids live in a better world and leading by example is very important to me.
I have only been to Israel once. While I would not call it a religious experience, it was certainly an eye-opener. Living under constant threat from other countries, organizations and even those who live across the street appeared to bring a certain clarity to deciding what is important and what is unimportant in everyday life.
Try to understand the facts before you act. Not everything in life is what it appears to be at first glance.
Apparently, a great uncle of mine was a gun-slinging sheriff in San Antonio, Texas back in the early 1900s after emigrating from Russia.
Israel has one of, if not the most, deepest-rooted history in the world. Although I have only been to Israel once, I was completely enamored with all the different structures from so many different eras in history. However, I think what was most special about Israel is the connectivity with people. There is such a sense of belonging, especially as a Jew being in Israel that the feeling is hard to even articulate without visiting for yourself.
One property that sticks out to me was years ago, I sold a Silk Mill in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The architecture was so spectacular – it was an 1890s enormous brick industrial building. It is always such a thrill for me to see all the of history in the different buildings and imagine what life was once like during that era.
Gary Olschansky is co-chair of The Associated’s Insight Israel Forum along with Tammy Heyman and Doni Greenwald.
Recognizing that Israel is complex, conflicting and sometimes polarizing, the Forum was established to engage our leadership and community in dialogue, education and connection with Israel.
The Associated is a home for everyone in the Baltimore Jewish community. We offer several email lists to help people find a community, engage with their peers and support Jewish journeys around the world.
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The Associated is a home for everyone in the Baltimore Jewish community. We offer several email lists to help people find a community, engage with their peers and support Jewish journeys around the world.
Join Our Mailing List