Sarah Mersky, deputy director of the Baltimore Jewish Council (BJC), was honored last week with a spot in Maryland publication The Daily Record’s 2019 VIP List. The award went to 50 Maryland-based leaders under age 41 based on their professional accomplishments, community service and a commitment to inspiring change. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges that include business leaders and winners from past years.
A self-described “problem-solver” and the deputy director of the BJC, Mersky is involved in many initiatives in the Jewish community and beyond. One of her most memorable was her work with CHANA Baltimore to secure funding for a new safehouse for victims of elder abuse, which opened its doors in 2018. Mersky was later told by one of her colleagues that her work to secure that funding had saved lives.
Mersky graduated from The George Washington University, and received her law degree from University of Maryland’s Carey School of Law. She worked for a number of prominent political figures, including both the late Michael Busch, Maryland’s longest serving House speaker, and former vice president Joe Biden. Hired as the BJC’s director of government relations, at 29 she was promoted to be the BJC’s deputy director.
Mersky is known for her work in Annapolis advocating on behalf of the Jewish community, low-income Maryland residents and victims of abuse. She is also well-regarded for her lobbying efforts for funding from the Department of Homeland Security to increase the security of synagogues and persuading the Hogan administration to sign an executive order denying Maryland contacts to firms that boycott Israel.
“Sarah’s insight and leadership in helping to oversee community relations efforts are already showing in creative programming ideas,” said Howard Libit, the BJC’s executive director. “The agencies that we work with have trust that Sarah will provide realistic and thoughtful advice as to what is possible with respect to government relations.”
