Liz Minkin-Friedman and her twin brother William (Will) Minkin share more than just a birthday. They both have important leadership roles in the Baltimore Jewish community, chairing organizations in The Associated network.
The siblings have very different day jobs. Minkin-Friedman is a lifelong Jewish communal professional, and Minkin works as a partner in the Peter G. Angelos law firm.
But both have a strong work ethic and a commitment to engagement with the Baltimore Jewish community, something they learned from their parents.
Minkin said he remembers a time as a child when his father got a call from an Orthodox rabbi in New York, and his father made a contribution to the rabbi, which initially left Minkin confused.
“I remember asking him, ‘It’s not your rabbi; you’re not Orthodox. Why would you contribute money to some random rabbi that called you?’ And he said, ‘I thought it was important to support this organization.’ So, subconsciously, I suppose those types of lessons translated to both of us, recognizing the importance of supporting our community and doing what you can, whether it’s financially or giving up your time and your skills,” Minkin said.
Outside of their professional work, the twins both volunteer, with Minkin-Friedman serving as chair of the board at Pearlstone and Minkin serving on the board of The Network.
For Minkin, his ties to Jewish communal service began over 20 years ago.
“My connection to The Associated really began when I met my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time. [She] was involved. She went through the leadership program and encouraged me to do it as well. And so, probably when I was 25 or 26, I went through The Associated Young Leadership program,” Minkin said.
As part of the program, Minkin was assigned to observe the board of the JCC, and he was asked to become part of the board afterwards. He stayed for 11 years before becoming the chair in 2012.
Minkin later moved to the board of The Associated and then the Macks Jewish Connection Network, which was recently rebranded into The Network.
For Minkin-Friedman, joining The Associated aligned with her career.
“I was getting my master’s in social work and getting my master’s in Jewish studies, in Jewish communal service,” said Minkin-Friedman.
The program Minkin-Friedman studied in was a dual program, which she said was part of only five or six around the country.
“To me, [chair of Pearlstone] seems very natural and organic, because I care deeply about the community, and I understand the machinations and the need for governance, and I understand why we need to have this lay-[professional] relationship,” said Minkin-Friedman.
The social worker said she believes in investing in the Jewish community in order for it to grow.
“My accountant will say, ‘You do not diversify.’ Where I put my money and time is very aligned,” added Minkin-Friedman. “I doubled down on this belief that we need to invest in ourselves as Jews and as the community.”
Minkin-Freidman said she is a Jewish communal professional and a lay leader, and she holds the lay-professional relationship sacred.
She’s been heavily involved in the community in both of those aspects, leading initiatives at Hillel, Moving Traditons, Krieger Schechter Day School, The Associated, and The Soul Center as a professional and was one of the founders of Na’aleh, Chair of the Baltimore Walk for the Alzheimer’s Association and was Chair of the Darrell Friedman Institute for Jewish professionals among others as a lay leader.
Despite both serving as chairs of organizations within The Associated, the twins said they rarely discuss work with each other. When they’re together, it’s all about family. Both siblings want to show their kids the importance of being connected to the Jewish community and supporting it.
Minkin said that, as generations have passed, Jews being connected to the Jewish community has become less of a given, and he wants to underscore that staying engaged with the community can be helpful.
“It’s important for me to show the example of how serving our community is important, but also it can be beneficial. I enjoy it. I enjoy the opportunity to get involved in the community, and am not going to do it to benefit myself in any way,” Minkin said. “The truth is that I’ve made a lot of friends. I’ve made some connections. I don’t think necessarily professionally, but there are people that certainly get involved in the community, and it ultimately results in benefiting them professionally, by expanding their network of people.”
Minkin-Friedman added that loneliness has also been a big issue across society, especially in the past several years, and that people are looking for a sense of belonging. She added that getting involved is a great way to gain some of that connection and belonging.
“One of the reasons, I would say, for promoting getting involved is that you meet so many people who care, who feel passionate about the work that you’d like. You meet like-minded people who are concerned about the same issues. So, I think marrying passion with purpose makes people feel less lonely,” Minkin-Friedman said.
