Meet Sharan Kushner

When Sharan Kushner learned she had been selected to receive The Associated’s Carole Sibel Outstanding Fundraising Achievement Award, the moment felt particularly meaningful. From her earliest days as a volunteer, Sharan admired Carole Sibel’s energy, charisma and natural gift for bringing people into the fold — qualities Sharan herself would go on to embody through decades of volunteering.

Over the years, Sharan took on numerous leadership roles within The Associated and other organizations in Jewish Baltimore, serving as co-chair of The Associated’s Young Women’s Leadership Council, vice president of Education for the Women’s Department, co-chair of Super Phone Day and president of Levindale Auxiliary.

Here are 10 things to know about this Baltimore native, mother of two daughters, Jenny and Jill, and grandmother of Madelyn and Jake Schloss.

A childhood rooted in tradition.

Growing up, her family was Orthodox and when she was young, they lived in Liberty Heights near Mondawmin, in an apartment above her father’s dental office, where they could walk to shul. Later, they moved to Strathmore, within walking distance of Beth Jacob, and eventually settled on Old Court Road, where they became members of Beth Tfiloh.

“I thought everyone was Orthodox,” she recalls. It wasn’t until she got older that she began meeting people from other Jewish backgrounds and denominations.

She met her husband at Camp Saginaw.

Following her junior year in college, Sharan worked at Camp Saginaw. One evening, her husband-to-be, Mel Kushner, a former counselor, decided to visit, showing up with a carload of Baltimore friends. While everyone was hanging out at canteen, one of Sharan’s friends walked up to her and said, ‘someone wants to meet you.’ That someone was Mel Kushner, then a dental student. They would get engaged the night he secured his residency.

Her Associated journey begins…

Her Associated journey began serendipitously. Someone invited her to a Tupperware party and an American Women’s ORT meeting—both scheduled for the same night. Since Sharan wasn’t a fan of Tupperware, she went to the Women’s ORT meeting. That would lead her to The Associated, and she became a member of its Women’s Leadership Council. “I felt like I belonged there. It just felt right. And of course, I was passionate about their mission.”

She feels strongly about supporting Israel.

Knowing that The Associated has always made a collective effort to support the people of Israel has always been critically important to her. Israel, she says, is the one place where Jews know they have a home. She co-chaired the first Women’s Mission to Israel with Carolee Getz and also went on an Associated Family Mission.

She once volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“When my daughters were 18 and 21, I signed up for a three-week volunteer program with the IDF. I was stationed at an Israeli Air Force training base, where we helped with everyday tasks so the soldiers could focus on their training. I spent most of my time cleaning kitchens and making a lot of salads. I loved every minute of it.”

Winning this Leadership Award is particularly meaningful because of her admiration of and connection to Carole Sibel.

When Sharan first became involved with the Women’s Division, they created and performed puppet shows about the history of The Associated and the Jewish community in Baltimore. They took the shows on the road to women’s groups who were not connected to The Associated.

Carole Sibel had asked Sharan to be the shows’ narrator. It was the perfect role as Sharan says with a laugh, “I couldn’t sing or dance.” And she adds, “I could never say no to Carole. She had such charisma. I wanted to follow her lead anywhere it took me!.”

What it means to give.

“Years ago, we performed our skit at Manhattan House for a group of older adults, many of whom were Russian immigrants. Afterwards, one woman approached me and asked if I could wait while she ran up to her apartment. A few minutes later, she returned with a large bag full of coins.

She told me she had been saving her pennies and nickels. She then handed them to me and said, ‘I want to be part of this too.’

It doesn’t matter what you give. Just giving back to the community and knowing you can make a difference is so powerful.”

15 years, thousands of movies

For 15 years, Sharan served on The William and Irene Weinberg Family Balitmore Jewish Film Festival Committee, helping to select movies to show for the event. During that period, she probably previewed more than __ films.

Some of her favorites: No Name Restaurant and Stella A Life.

Words of wisdom

“My piece of advice to others is to ‘Just try it. Give it a chance, whether it is a person or an organization. And then join something that speaks to you.’”