Where What When

What does it mean to be Associated?

Are You ASSOCIATED?

"Talmudical Academy is Associated. Are you?" "Congregation Shomrei Emunah is Associated. Are you?" "Weinberg Park is Associated. Are you?"

The signs are everywhere. They punctuate the landscape throughout the Northwest corridor - white background, burgundy, olive, teal or orange script. But what do they mean? What does it mean to be Associated?

Ask Dr. Michael Elman. He has been on The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore's board of directors for several years. He chaired the Baltimore-Ashkelon Partnership committee, worked with Hillel, and currently sits on the board of the Center for Jewish Education. Dr. Elman said being Associated means working on behalf of klal Yisrael. "We all want to give tzedakah. We know we need to help Jews in the Former Soviet Union. But how are we going to find them? The Associated does it for you. Through the Joint Distribution Committee and other organizations, they are feeding the poor people of klal Yisrael. Giving to The Associated is the most effective way of giving tzedaka properly."

Yet it's more than good will that has spawned Dr. Elman's involvement. He said he personally benefits from the federation - as does the entire Orthodox community. "I don't think the frum community understands the tremendous benefit every one of us gets out of the Associated," he said.

Dr. Elman cited examples of these services, ranging from The Associated's million dollars per year in day school funding - about 80 percent of which goes to Orthodox schools - and its social and psychiatric services through Jewish Community Services, Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc. (CHAI), and the Jewish Community Center.

Education Association

Take day schools: The Associated was instrumental in striking a $16 million deal with the Weinberg Foundation in 2006 to help fund scholarships for day school students. The Weinberg Foundation committed $10 million for day school tuition over five years, beginning in 2007, matched by a $1 million grant in each of those years from The Associated, which raises the money from private donors. The establishment of the partnership increased the annual level of support for day schools from a little over $3 million per year to over $6 million per year.

Dean Laurence (Larry) Katz, who has been involved with The Associated since the late 1960s, said this money is instrumental for ensuring the quality of our day school programs. Since Orthodox children will definitely attend Jewish schools, without the scholarship fund, schools would be forced to reduce programming in order to meet the constituents' needs.

In 2009, The Associated took a step further in aiding day school students by granting $100,000 to Shemesh, a new program that evolved from the Weinberg Academy and whose mission is to offer support and resources for children with learning differences in our local Jewish day schools.

Shemesh, which currently partners with TA, Bais Yaakov, and Yeshivat Rambam, as well as offering services to all Jewish day schools in Baltimore, provides professional development and support to special and general educators so they can work successfully with a wide variety of learning styles and issues.

Shemesh Program Director Fayge Friedman explained that in many situations this assistance means students can successfully be educated in the Jewish day school setting with their siblings, neighbors, and friends.

"In the Orthodox community, as well as in the greater Jewish community, the currency is learning and academic achievement," said Mrs. Friedman. "A child who is left out of that feels left out of his or her community."

Healthy Association

When it comes to dealing with mental health, "some people in the Orthodox community feel more comfortable with folks who are Orthodox," said Dr. Ruth Klein, director of mental health and competence at Jewish Community Services.

The agency, which receives 50 percent of its budget from The Associated Annual Campaign, offers economic sufficiency programming, community outreach, and mental health services, as well as working with people with disabilities and special needs. Dr. Klein said a substantial number of its clients at its Park Heights facility are members of the Orthodox community.

She explained that certain issues Orthodox clients grapple with are unique to our community. For example, a mother agonizing over her unmarried 20-year-old daughter is something non-frum - and certainly non-Jewish - individuals might not understand. JCS has a number of Orthodox therapists on staff, and for those who are not Orthodox, a rabbi is on staff to offer them suggestions and counsel. Of course, through "osmosis and supervision," said Dr. Klein, the non-frum therapists gain a sensitivity and knowledge base. And there is always informal consultation among staff and those therapists.

Currently, JCS is partnering with the Orthodox Union, the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt, and a number of local rabbis to facilitate a morning-long conference on eating disorders targeted primarily at the Orthodox Jewish community.

"We are here for you. We are sensitive to your needs. We have people who understand the particular issues," said Dr. Klein.

Elaine Witman, director of the Shofar Coalition, nearly echoed Dr. Klein's sentiments. Her organization, which provides a variety of services to people who have experienced trauma, works with around 120 clients per year, roughly 80 percent of whom are observant. In fact, in 2009, Shofar launched two group therapy programs targeted specifically to Orthodox women, run by Pam Weissman, LCSW-C. The organization is considering opening an additional group for Orthodox men this year. Ms. Witman explained that secular Jews often feel comfortable seeking secular resources to deal with the long-term effects past traumatic experiences are having on their lives. Orthodox people generally feel more comfortable going to a Jewish person.

Aside from its therapy groups, Shofar offers individual - including pro-bono - counseling, as well as workshops for rabbis and educators who are often the first to spot the signs of an abused congregant or student. Shofar is now working in partnership with CHANA, the Counseling Helpline and Network for Abused Women, under The Associated umbrella. In 2009, CHANA saw a slight increase in clients from the Orthodox community; about 30 percent of CHANA's clients in 2009 were observant, as opposed to the 25 percent in previous years.

CHANA, said Director Nancy Aiken, works with our community rabbis to bridge communication and offer the most effective answers to struggling women. Among Dr. Aiken's closest contacts, she said, are Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Rabbi Shmuel Silber, and Rabbi Shragi Neuberger. She used to work closely with Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb.

"Rabbi Neuberger and I share a relationship based on common values, and sometimes share a frustration in certain situations where we wish we could better help the client. Sometimes we help the client in different ways, but we share the same goal," Dr. Aiken said. She and her staff have been known, for example, to attend hearings at the bais din to offer Orthodox clients support. "The rabbis and I need to have a coordinated effort so that the woman does not have to choose between her religion and her safety. The rabbis cannot make her safe, and they know that," said Dr. Aiken. "I cannot tell her halachically what to do, and I know that."

Associated at Home

CHAI is a household name in the Baltimore community. The Associated agency has been supporting the Northwest community for more than 20 years through homebuyer grants and loans, foreclosure prevention programs, and senior living initiatives - from developing and operating Weinberg Senior Apartment buildings to home repair and modification services, among other ways.

"The mission of CHAI is to develop and support thriving stable communities in neighborhoods with a substantial Jewish population. The Jewish neighborhood is the client. The Jewish residents of Northwest Baltimore are essentially Orthodox," said CHAI Executive Director Ken Gelula.

In addition to the more well-known projects of the organization, CHAI works to secure public investment in our community, which has resulted in millions of dollars in public infrastructure improvements, such as installation of speed bumps and improved street lighting. In addition, CHAI was the catalyst behind the Fallstaff community playground.

"The Associated and CHAI have been very committed to this area, and that has something to do with the ability of our synagogues and other organizations to stay and grow here," said Mr. Gelula.

Yehuda Neuberger is a successful entrepreneur and a committed Jew. The grandson of the late Rabbi Herman Neuberger, Mr. Neuberger said he learned from his grandfather the importance of making the Orthodox voice heard by The Associated. "Many of the areas that it addresses assist the Orthodox community, and it is not only appropriate but beneficial to give proper input to The Associated," he said. "There is unity in Baltimore, especially compared to other communities, and The Associated has a lot to do with that. The Associated is an ideal forum for people of all segments of the community to come together for an ideal purpose."

Said Michael Elman, "Today, we must build on the shoulders of Rabbi Herman Neuberger, Mrs. Hannah Storch, and Larry Katz. Every member of our community should extend gratitude to The Associated and contribute. In the words of Rabbi Neuberger, `You have to be at the table when they divide the pie, if you want to have a piece.'"

SIDEBAR

Did you know. that all CHAI assisted living facilities are certified kosher and have Shabbat elevators?

Did you know. that 31 percent of CHANA's clientele are Orthodox?

Did you know. that more than 10 percent of residents in JCS's alternative living units for people with special needs consider themselves Orthodox?

Did you know. that 25 percent of Shofar Coalition's therapy groups are geared to Orthodox women?

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Article List - February 2010