Mutual comfort and companionship as part of pet project: Elliott Hurwitz
Volunteer Elliott Hurwitz with Xena at the Baltimore Humane Society. (Photo by Heather M. Ross)When Elliott Hurwitz, 58, lost his mother, Mildred Hurwitz, he...
Talking synagogue life with Valerie Thaler
Valerie Thaler earned a Ph.D. in Jewish history from Yale University in 2008 and is now executive director of Congregation Beth Israel in Owings...
Saving lives at work and off hours: David Vitberg
Flashing lights, ear-splitting sirens, fire trucks, rescue ambulances. For David Vitberg, then a yeshivah boy in Setauket, N.Y., it was a teenage kid’s dream.
At...
Making decisions with care and vigilance: Government liaison Rabbi Ariel Sadwin
How does one go from learning in kollel to becoming a government liaison for the region’s Jewish community? “That was a leap,” said Rabbi...
Recalling service in Vietnam with Alan Rivkin
Alan Rivkin, 75, fought in an unpopular war in Vietnam. For decades, he wouldn’t speak of his service. Protesters in the antiwar movement spat...
More than 50 years of voluntarism and going strong: Lois Rosenfield
Lois Rosenfield, who led the Baltimore chapter of the American Jewish Committee for 40 years, is in all respects an icon, reflecting the indefatigable...
Reconstructionist Judaism in Maryland and beyond with Jackie Land
You could say that Jackie Land has been on the ground floor of change within the Reconstructionist movement of Judaism.
For one, it’s in her...
On mentoring and teaching, life and being … wise words from Carole Wilder
Carole Wilder, whose career spans 31 teaching middle-school students and 18 years as a volunteer advocate with youth in foster care, epitomizes the Torah...
Working with disabilities to offering inspiration on event planning: Sheri Gelvar
For 20 years, Sheri Gelvar counseled people with vision and hearing loss, finding it deeply satisfying to help clients with sensory disabilities make strides...
Getting involved with Kenny Friedman
If you are a longtime Baltimorean, maybe you belong to the Facebook group “Baltimore Synagogues: Then and Now” and have read Dr. Kenny Friedman’s...
