Jacob Appelbaum, 34, loves inspiring Jewish children.
After growing up in Pikesville, Appelbaum attended Yeshiva University and majored in sociology. He has taught for the last seven years at Ohr Chadash Academy. This year, Applebaum will teach sixth grade at Yeshivas Toras Simcha.
He currently lives in Pikesville and attends Ahavas Chaim.
What do you like about being a teacher?
I like having the opportunity to really shape the way that kids can think, and guide them into healthy ways of thinking. When things are frustrating or something is upsetting, you can really help shape a healthy view of how to deal with those things. That’s what I get the most enjoyment out of is being able to see those successes when you see that they can be resilient and deal with those things that come their way. I also like educating in general and giving over knowledge that they can use in a practical way. I think the connection is very important.
When you were in college studying sociology, did you know that you wanted to be a teacher?
I didn’t really have it in mind. It happened somewhat by accident, actually. My sister had been working at the school and told me that there was an opening at the school for a third-grade assistant teacher. I had never really taught before, and I wasn’t sure at that time that it would be a long-lasting thing. But here I am, seven years later.
What are you looking forward to about teaching middle school, specifically?
This is going to be my first time teaching middle school. At the old school I taught at, there were always middle schoolers around. I think it’s an exciting opportunity to teach in a more sophisticated way than elementary, where obviously it’s going to be a higher-level curriculum rather than more basic things.
Outside of teaching, do you do any volunteer work?
I volunteer at the genizah (a depository for sacred Hebrew books that are no longer usable) at Agudath Israel of Baltimore. Things which have the name of God on them, or three words from a pasuk from the Torah cannot be disposed of in a normal way. There’s a special way that we bury them. There’s a bin that books go into, so siddurim and chumashim and other things like that. Then there’s another bin where the papers go into. If someone wrote up a D’var Torah, they would put it into the paper bin. I put it into a trash bag, and it’s put into the basement of the shul, and then once a year all the bags go to a cemetery and are buried. Sometimes very interesting papers come in or 100-year-old prayer books. Many things from different shuls come in that you don’t necessarily come across every day. Very random things end up in the paper bin when people aren’t careful. A whole list of things such as batteries, Lego pieces and mail accidentally end up in the paper bin. That also makes it somewhat entertaining, though it does make the job harder.
What’s something that someone would be surprised to learn about you?
I read interesting articles [about] Baltimore’s Jewish history. That’s one of my favorite things to do. I read a lot, and I collect antique Jewish books.
What do you want to share with people interested in volunteering?
I think if there’s one message I’d like to put out, it’s that there are a lot of volunteer opportunities that are fun, but also helpful that can help bring the community together. I encourage people to look for those opportunities because I think it’s really good to connect with people. I also think [volunteer work] can enrich someone’s life who [might be] a little down.
