As the new director of inclusion and abilities at the JCC of Greater Baltimore, Rachel Turniansky strongly believes that families need a place where they can feel their child is safe, nurtured and having their needs met.
Turniansky worked for the Center for Jewish Education for over 20 years as director of disability and inclusion services. There, she spent time working on advocacy campaigns and addressing concerns in various school environments, but she said she never felt like she had enough time to meet the specific needs of the students and teachers.
“I was spending very little time visiting any Jewish preschool that would contact me if they had a concern about a student, and it was really challenging, because I was not part of the school,” the Baltimore resident explained. “I didn’t know the students at all. I would come in and observe and give some tips and tricks that were very general.”
While the work still is not easy, Turniansky said in her new position, which includes supporting the Stoler Early Learning Center, she is able to understand the culture of the school more and develop relationships with the teachers and students. “In general, addressing behavior or developmental needs is a lot more effective when there’s somebody that’s a full-fledged component of the school doing that role,” she said.
In 2022, when the Jewish Volunteer Connection joined The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, the Center for Jewish Connections got a rebrand and became the Jewish Connection Network, and the Center for Jewish Education got restructured. Turniansky’s position was moved to the Jewish Connection Network, but in the summer of 2025, it was eliminated. However by September, Turniansky had found her way to the JCC.
“The JCC is such a pivotal component in the Jewish community. I mean, it really is the Jewish Community Center,” she said. “Making sure that the services and the support and just the community that the JCC offers is as accessible and inclusive and welcoming to every member of the community is really vital.”
She said that for a lot of families, the JCC is their first and sometimes only connection to the Jewish world.
“It’s definitely a big job. I’m supporting the entire early childhood center,” she said.
For Turniansky, giving every family a meaningful connection to the Jewish community is important.
“I worked with a lot of families that really have felt very excluded from the Jewish community because their child has disabilities, and it can be very painful, and it can be a point where families just choose to leave the Jewish community completely because they don’t feel that their membership in the Jewish community is valued,” she said.
Turniansky added that she encourages families to reach out to the JCC if they feel that they don’t have a place in the Jewish community. “Be in touch with us, whether it’s because of a disability or other type of challenge. The JCC is committed to helping everybody find their place in the Jewish community.”
Outside of work, Turniansky attends Suburban Orthodox Toras Chaim and is an active supporter of JPride Baltimore, where she used to serve on the board.
