Stacey Needle, assistant marketing director and media relations director at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore, grew up going to the JCC, but she never imagined that one day she would play an integral role in its everyday functions.
“My husband and I had actually moved away to Florida for a few years, and when we came back, I started to join Mommy and Me classes, taking them with my child, and that kind of led to me teaching Mommy and Me classes at the JCC for about 10 years,” she said.
Slowly but surely, the marketing professional became more involved at the JCC.
“Then, I left and did some marketing [elsewhere], and I actually was at The Associated doing marketing there for about eight years. And then this position opened up at the JCC in the marketing department, and I made my way back to the JCC,” she said. “It’s come full circle.”
Needle is a Baltimorean through and through, living in the house in Pikesville that she was raised in and wearing a Ravens or Orioles jersey every chance she gets. While she loved Florida, especially the weather, she missed the area she grew up in.
“We picked up and moved when we first got married. When we had our first child, we realized, ‘Oh, we’re kind of far away from everyone,’” she said. “My husband’s family is from New York, my family is from Baltimore as well as New York, so we just decided to move back to the community. And things just fell into place, so to speak.”
Since then, Needle, her husband Michael Schwartzberg and their two children have made the most of their return to Charm City. While the family does not belong to a synagogue, they have found a familiar community at Needle’s childhood shul, Beth El. The Conservative synagogue is more in line with how Needle was raised than how her family practices now, but the welcoming nature of Beth El is what matters most.
While Needle was brought up in a kosher household, attending services every week, Schwartzberg was raised with less strict Jewish practices. Together, they found the perfect mix for them and their children.
“We seemed a little bit more comfortable in some of the Reform services that we did attend in Florida. And when we came back, it was kind of the same thing. I grew up with Beth El, so I still have a loyalty to Beth El. My boys went to school and were bar mitzvahed at Beth El. Beth El is still Conservative, but in our minds, I think we’re a bit less religious than when I was growing up,” she said. “We kind of ended up merging together and basically became Reform.”
As for the job, Needle said that it is easy to work on behalf of an organization she feels so passionate about. She said she thrives on the media relations side of the organization, as she enjoys talking to people, advancing the message of the JCC and seeing positive coverage of the Jewish community.
“Anytime that we get some great, fantastic media coverage is a win for us. It’s always great when we have big events, like the block party, where I’ve successfully been able to get us on multiple local TV stations and newspapers. And any time that we can make the JCC be featured in a positive way, any time that we can feature Barak [Hermann, CEO of the JCC of Greater Baltimore] or any of our other staff and any time we can highlight the great things that the JCC does, it’s a win,” she said.
For Needle, a life of family, Judaism, Baltimore sports (especially if the teams are winning) and service to her community is what gets her excited for each new day. She said she doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.
“I strive to be committed to my community and to give back to them. It’s a bit different, though, because in marketing, you’re not a front-facing individual. But having the personal, one-on-one connections with people who come to the JCC can help spread its positive messages,” she said.
