Nicole Talor has always been civically engaged and tried to do her part to advocate for and promote Israel.
The 26-year-old Pikesville native, who graduated from Krieger Schechter Day School and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, has served for the last two years as president of the Baltimore chapter of the Jewish National Fund Future (JNFuture). During that time, she has also sat on the board of the Baltimore region’s Young Leadership for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF).
While not consumed with such selfless efforts, Talor spends her days working as a budget assistant for the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Daughter to Eyal and Monica and sister to Jonathan, Talor — who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Israel — is the first American-born member of her immediate family.
What was your Jewish upbringing like?
I had a very traditional Jewish upbringing. My dad is Israeli, so I carry dual citizenship in the U.S. and Israel. Being very pro-Israel and in support of the Jewish homeland has always been very important to me. I was raised with very strong Jewish values, so I have always wanted to be involved wherever and however I could in helping make the Baltimore Jewish community even better than it already is.
Have you always been involved in leadership roles?
Not to the extent that I am now. I was a pre-professional ballerina before college, so I danced with Moscow Ballet for a few years, which is why I went to Beth Tfiloh because it allowed me to do that. But I have been teaching dance since I was 11 years old, so that definitely taught me about leadership at an early age.
What are the responsibilities of your day-to-day job at Johns Hopkins?
I process the money that comes into the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and make sure that it is allocated properly. The money is all for different research labs, so that everyone who needs their grants gets their grant money. We make sure that everyone is following protocol, ensuring that every lab is following its money that it receives. We also do some financial projections for the school.
How do you effectively balance your full-time job with the work you do with both JNFuture and FIDF?
Honestly, I feel like I have three full-time jobs, but I’m really happy with everything that I do. The work that I do with JNFuture, FIDF and my job at Johns Hopkins is what I’m really passionate about. I’m willing to give up whatever I can. It’s really great, because a lot of what I do being involved as a young leader allows me to get to know a lot of different people through networking and shared common interests. What’s really nice about JNFuture’s and FIDF’s Baltimore chapters is that we’re taken very seriously, so our input into the national chapter and what we want to do makes an impact, which is really exciting to me.
What goals have you set that you would like to achieve in the future?
In general, I definitely want to grow with JNFuture and FIDF. What’s really great with JNF is that we have different task forces that focus on a number of projects, which is something I want to pursue and get more involved with on the
national level. I’m actually going to a leadership summit this coming weekend. With FIDF, getting involved now is a great way for me to cement myself within the organization, grow and make connections. It’s great not only within the organization, but also outside of it because you’re making friends and connections in all different kinds of aspects.
beautiful article for a remarkable young women.