Like so many others, Ari Abramson loved Baltimore but didn’t think it would be his home when he became a young professional and eventually, a family man. He graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2003 with plans of becoming an investment banker. Before he knew it, he was right back home, and 23 years later, he couldn’t be happier about it.

“My first job was here in Baltimore in 2003, and since then, my work experience has essentially been [working in] the skyline of Baltimore in finance and real estate,” he said.

Perhaps Abramson’s greatest accomplishments, however, don’t have to do with his 9-to-5 role. He started working with The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore in high school and began again upon his return. He joined the IMPACT young adult program, graduated from the Young Leadership Council, has gone on development missions to Israel, works in The Associated’s Real Estate Industry Group, established a real estate group that raises funds for the local community, and, if you can believe it, much more.

That’s why, earlier this month, Abramson was awarded The Associated’s 2026 Julius Rosenberg Leadership Award. The award is given to emerging leaders who have helped garner significant donations and dedicated time to The Associated, something Abramson has been committed to doing since he was young.

For Abramson, the award personally meant a lot, but even more so, it served as a tangible representation of what his family is dedicated to for his own children.

“One of the biggest honors of that was being acknowledged in front of my children,” he said. “We have a 12-year-old and 14-year-old, and I really imparted to them that this is what Mom and I do. This is core to our family values, to give, to lead, and to be humble and to understand how contributions work.”

Abramson’s own parents taught him this. The Chizuk Amuno Congregation member said despite his busy life as a full-time professional and father of two, he makes time to work for the Jewish community largely because of the examples his mom and dad set.

When Abramson’s parents moved to Baltimore in 1977, they didn’t know anyone in the city, but knew that they wanted to help make it better. One of the first things they did was send a contribution to The Associated.

“The president at the time called my father and said, ‘Thank you for your contribution, who are you and why are you contributing?’” Abramson said. “He replied, ‘We want to be a part of this community in Baltimore. This is what we do.’ Knowing that and growing up in a household where my parents were involved in community, it kind of shaped the way we view that, and I think it’s important in our culture and our religion to be advocates and supportive.”

The announcement of the award caught Abramson by surprise. He said that a good friend of his at The Associated, who works to campaign for funds, called him, and he assumed it was going to be about increasing his annual gift or something of the like. Instead, she had great news.

“She told me that a vote took place internally, and that I was the recipient of the 2026 award,” Abramson said.

It was an extra special conversation, because Abramson learned that he was following in the footsteps of someone close to him: the head of his realty company won the award in 2007.

“The amount of outreach, phone calls and emails that I received from past award winners acknowledging my commitment and contributions … it was overwhelming to hear folks talk about [me] and to be recognized, and it was incredibly humbling,” Abramson said.

While the night was a special one, Abramson said his perspective is positioned toward the future. From here, he and his family will continue to build out the programs they have helped work on thus far, as well continuing to further Associated programs and agencies and Chizuk Amuno.

The Stevenson resident said the honor and what it means is just another example of what his kids should aim for in their own lives.

“Between my day job and being a father and a husband and a community advocate and volunteer, that comes with a balance. At times, I might miss a baseball game, I might miss a special occasion on a weeknight, and it was nice for them to see, in part, where I am if I’m not home, and to understand,” Abramson said. “We want to raise humble kids. There’s a lot of influences today, and it’s nice to impart a grounded philosophy on life. It’s nice to build that foundation and kind of impart our family values and our children, and I think they saw that through action and acknowledgement in a broader setting.”

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com