Like many Baltimoreans, Eran Fleisher grew up watching football. Every Sunday in the fall, Fleisher bled purple and black.
The now 21-year-old Ravens fan lives in Pikesville, where he also grew up. He is a current member of Beth Tfiloh Congregation and a graduate of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School. Fleisher is a current junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he is majoring in physiology and neurobiology. After college, Fleisher hopes to go to medical school.
In addition to his studies, Fleisher volunteers at Northwest Hospital and works in the Haag Lab at the University of Maryland. This lab is part of a bigger lab at UMD called Palace of Worm Sex.
What do you do at Northwest Hospital?
There’s two main things that I do there.
I visit patients. Some days I literally just go around to different floors in the hospital and talk to some patients. I have to explain how I’m not a doctor so don’t ask for any medical advice, but I’m just there to have conversation with them because sometimes they don’t speak to a lot of people because they’re in bed all day. So, I try and keep them company.
I also work in the pre-anesthesia department. There, I go through patients’ medical history who are going to go through an operation. I see if they have any underlying issues that the anesthesia unit may want to note. I’ve definitely learned a lot from them.
What do you do in your lab at UMD?
We actually work on kilo fish. These fish are born as hermaphrodites, so they have both female and male reproductive organs. If you put one in a tank, a month later you can have 10 different ones in the tank. The other cool thing is they can change genders. They can lose the female reproductive parts and just be males. My job is to find out what gene or what chromosome is responsible for them being able to do this miraculous change.
How has attending two very Jewish schools impacted you?
I know some people say BT was like a bubble. In some ways it was, but in other ways, I feel like it did prepare me for college and the coursework. It sometimes maybe felt overwhelming at BT, but compared to college, it prepared me very well for a lot of different course loads. When it comes to Judaism, because of the Hillel here, it feels like I’m at Jewish college basically. I feel like I’m at Yeshiva University sometimes.
Outside of school and these work opportunities, what are some things you do for fun?
I’m actually a big gymgoer. My roommate and I, along with some other friends, go to the gym every day. We’re there for two hours a day sometimes because my friend’s a power lifter, so I have to keep up with him. So, I love going to the gym. This past semester I played flag football.
I just like playing sports on the side. I think because I have a lot of college work, I try to balance it out.
Do you follow the Ravens at all?
Oh my goodness, don’t even. Sadly, I do. I was very sad [when they lost]. I went to bed in tears. I’ve always followed the Ravens. My dad and I, even my sisters, have loved watching the games. I used to always watch with my family, and ever since coming to UMD, I’ve watched with my friends. Sometimes we go to the bar; sometimes we go to friend’s houses. I thought we’d go [to] the Super Bowl and go all the way. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. All I know is that I’m rooting for the 49ers.
