When Marilyn Zvili started working at the Gordon Center in the mid 1990s, the world was very different. Today, she is an operations assistant, but back then she was a front desk receptionist. She laughed as she recalled what that post was like in 1995.
“It was new to me, because I knew how to type, but we used electric typewriters — so that was a little crazy. Then we started going to [a] desktop, so I was on the cusp of analog and digital. I was right in the middle,” Zvili said. “I had to take classes, but one day after another after another, [eventually] I just became an integral part of the Gordon Center.”
For Zvili, it’s more than a place of work.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s my baby.”
At the Gordon Center, a venue in Owings Mills for music, performance, comedy and more, there is always something interesting going on. Zvili isn’t on stage performing, but what she does as the operations assistant is essential to making sure the shows go smoothly.
She works in a variety of roles, which means that there are often new obstacles popping up. And while so many people have come in and gone in the 30 years she’s been part of the team, Zvili is still here.
“There’s been a lot of change I’ve been through. I’m on my fourth supervisor since I’ve been here, and third director of tech. Everybody adds new things, so I wear a lot of hats. I do a lot of different things, but it’s mostly front-of-house stuff,” Zvili said. “I take care of ticketing, the box office, rental contracts, [staff and talent] getting paid … there’s just so much stuff.”
Zvili said her job is one that she’s enjoyed doing for three decades because of the nature of the Gordon Center. It’s a wonderful place, she said, and she feels passionate about helping it reach her full potential every day.
“It’s special. It’s grown so much since I started, and I just love it. It brings people together from different backgrounds and interests and areas, and people can really connect and feel a part of a bigger community. There’s a lot of people who live in the Owings Mills, Reisterstown, Pikesville area, and they’ve never even heard of the Gordon Center — that just boggles my mind,” Zvili said. “But as we’re growing and having more and more eclectic performances, we get more people.”
One of the most rewarding experiences for Zvili is when one of those attendees who previously didn’t know the Gordon Center comes to a show and sees the magic in person.
“Everybody’s so impressed when they walk in the door. So, when I talk to somebody who’s never been here before, I always try to get back to them and say, ‘what do you think?’ and they just love it,” Zvili said.
Zvili was born in Pittsburgh, but she and her family moved to Charm City when she was just 6 years old. She loves this community — one of two special places to her and her loved ones. Zvili and her husband, who’s Israeli, met in Israel.
Zvili said she has been to Israel between 10 to 12 times, and all of her children have been on Birthright trips. She loves the country, and it breaks her heart that she hasn’t been able to travel to the Jewish homeland and the place she met the love of her life since war broke out in 2023.
Despite constant conflict, Zvili can’t wait to go back, and said she doesn’t expect much to have changed. She said she is constantly enthralled by the endurance of the Israeli spirit. Zvili remembers one instance when she visited family on a kibbutz, and uninvited neighbors suddenly popped up and insisted on putting on a spread of food for them. To her, this exemplifies Israeli culture.
“That’s just the way Israeli people are, and that’s what I love. They’re so kind and fun and that’s just the way they have to live. They can’t be moping around and angry all the time because of what’s happened,” Zvili said. “They live.”
With the Gordon Center offices being at the JCC, it means that Zvili gets to see her grandchildren often, as they attend a number of activities and camps at the J. It’s a constant reminder of how wonderful her life is in Baltimore, she said.
“They always say, ‘Hi, Bubbe!’” she said.
Last summer, Zvili’s then-4-year-old granddaughter would come to her office, with Zvili walking her down to her camp. When Zvili opened the door, she turned into more than just her granddaughter’s bubbe.
“All the kids would say, ‘Hi, Bubbe,’” she said with a laugh.
Her older grandchildren come to her office when they have scavenger hunts at the J, or when they need a crayon. She gets to watch them perform theater shows, too.
“It’s just so much fun having them there,” Zvili said.
