From a judge, to a hospital system CEO, to a Hollywood producer, here are this year’s Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame honorees.
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Leonard J. Attman: The founder and chairman of the board of directors of the A&G Management Company, Attman created the Jewish National Fund’s Plant-A-Tree project, which plants a tree for each bar and bat mitzvah in Baltimore. Nearly 10,000 trees have been planted so far. (Courtesy of the Attman family)
Phyllis Brotman, z”l: Brotman was the founder of Image Dynamics, a public relations and marketing firm. She lobbied the Maryland legislature to establish Maryland Public Television. She also ran 176 political campaigns, including for Richard Nixon. She was one of the first women to become a member of The Center Club and was elected its first woman president in 2002. (Courtesy of the Brotman family)
David S. Cordish: Chairman of the development company, The Cordish Companies, Cordish served in both the Carter and Reagan administrations as head of the Urban Development Action Grant Program. (Courtesy of The Cordish Companies)
Judge Karen “Chaya” Friedman: Friedman, an associate judge on Maryland’s Circuit Court, is one of only a few Orthodox Jews who serve as judges in the United States, and the first Orthodox Jewish woman to do so in Maryland. She was appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by former President Barack Obama and also served as board chair of CHANA and co-chair of the Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel. (Courtesy of the Friedman family)
Jerold C. Hoffberger, z”l: Hoffberger, a World War II veteran, donated more than $10 million to charity, including to The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, Goucher College and the University of Maryland. He served as president of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds and the Jewish Agency and was instrumental in helping Soviet Jews emigrate to America in the 1970s. Hoffberger also put together a syndicate to purchase the St. Louis Browns, moving them to Baltimore, where they became known as the Orioles. (Courtesy of the Hoffberger family)
Linda A. Hurwitz: In addition to being a past chair of the board of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Hurwitz is a past National Campaign chair of The Jewish Federations of North America and a former president and past chair of National Women’s Philanthropy. She currently co-chairs Na’aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning. (Stuart Zolotorow)
Philip E. Klein, z”l: After founding the commercial real estate conglomerate, Klein Enterprises, where he also served as CEO, Klein developed more than 3 million square feet of commercial and residential properties, including the Greenspring Shopping Center. He served as a trustee for the International Council of Shopping Centers and as the director of the Maryland Real Estate Commission. (Courtesy of the Klein family)
Neil M. Meltzer: As CEO of LifeBridge Health, Meltzer stewarded his organization’s acquisition of Carroll Hospital and Grace Medical Center. He serves on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Committee, Notre Dame of Maryland University and the Hippodrome Foundation, and was also one of 15 national workforce health care champions appointed by Obama. (Courtesy of LifeBridge Health)
Dr. Paul A. Offit: A pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases and vaccines, Offit is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He has been a member of the Center for Disease Ccontrol and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and has assisted the Food and Drug Administration in reviewing data for coronavirus vaccines. (Courtesy of the Offit family)
Marc Platt: A Hollywood producer, Platt’s projects have included “La La Land,” “Bridge of Spies” and “Mary Poppins.” He has netted 41 Oscar nominations, 36 Tony nominations and 48 Emmy nominations. (Joseph Viles/FOX)
Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg: Wohlberg has been the spiritual leader of Beth Tfiloh Congregation for 43 years and has led his synagogue through unprecedented growth in programming and membership. He also serves as the dean of the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School; on the board of directors of Bar Ilan University and the Institute of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies; and is president of the Haron Dahan Foundation. (Courtesy of Beth Tfiloh Congregation)

