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explains the mother of a now-adult daughter with Down syn- Shomer Shabbos Strictly confidential
drome. And this was where Marjorie Shulbank came in.
©WWW
A third-generation Jewish Baltimorean, Ms. Shulbank had
always been interested in the Orthodox community. She was Michael Milgraum, Ph.D.
soon to find herself playing a pivotal role in helping its chil- Licensed Psychologist
dren. “From about 1975 on, I was the Child Find person at the
Maryland State Department of Education,” she explains. “Part • Internet-related addictions
of my responsibilities was to proactively search for children with • Compulsive behavior
disabilities who needed services, as part of an affirmative obliga- • Emotional disorders
tion, which means that it’s not enough to wait for someone to • Family conflict
call you; you have to look for them.”
Extensive experience working with the
In the 1970s, services for children with disabilities in the Jewish community
frum community were very limited. Although Ms. Shulbank
would receive an occasional phone call, the stigma associated 3717 Decatur Ave., Suite 1
with disabilities meant that most Orthodox families were still Kensington, MD 20895
trying to hide in the woodwork. “No one wanted to admit they
had a child with a disability,” she says. “I kept talking to differ- (301) 980-3997 drmilgraum@gmail.com
ent people, saying, ‘We need to organize these families.’ The DrMMsolutions.com
response I got was ‘yeah, yeah,’ but no one wanted to take the
lead and act.” CHANA
Then, in 1990, the federal law on disabilities changed to in- Offers a Jewish community response
clude services for infants and toddlers. “Most states at the time to persons who experience abuse and
were only serving school-age children, and some states were other forms of interpersonal trauma.
servicing preschools. Only Maryland and five other states were
servicing infants and toddlers,” Ms. Shulbank explains. “Now • Community Awareness Programs
that it was the federal law, it was time to get things moving. I • Legal Advocacy
had been informally collecting names of parents, and I knew • Educational Workshops for all ages
someone had to give the families in need the information on • Trauma Therapy
what was available. My bosses in the Department of Ed support- • Supportive Counseling
ed me in doing this outreach. We kept saying, ‘We need to hold • Consultations for Institutions & Professionals
a meeting and make sure people understand what they can do
to help their kids.’” For more information about our programs, visit
chanabaltimore.org or call 410-234-0030.
What happened next was a watershed event for Baltimore’s
frum community.
“All of the sudden, in November 1992, it dawned on me that
I should be the one to organize this meeting,” Ms. Shulbank de-
clares. With typical forthrightness, she picked up the phone and
called Jewish Family Services, which directed her to Mr. Jerry
Kadden. Mr Kadden directed her to Rabbi Mendel Freedman,
then-principal of Bais Yaakov Elementary School.
Rabbi Freedman immediately agreed to host the meeting,
and Ms. Shulbank swung into action. “We printed posters and
hung them all along Reisterstown Road – in the library, in Gi-
ant, in the pediatricians’ offices. I called all the parents I knew
and ‘guilted’ them into attending. Everybody said, ‘This is a
wonderful thing you’re doing, but no one will come.’”
The meeting, however, was attended by 18 parents and two
Orthodox occupational therapists, which Ms. Shulbank felt was
a fantastic turnout. It was very intense, she recalls. “Except for
one parent, whom everyone seemed to know, no one else talked
to each other. No one even looked at each other.”
Yet a door had opened. “I was happy; I’d done my thing,” Ms.
Shulbank continues her story. “Then I got a phone call from a
woman named Shani Goodman, one of the two OTs who had
been at the meeting. Shani was from New York and worked in
a school in Baltimore City. She was horrified at how little there
u 410 358 8509 u 53
drome. And this was where Marjorie Shulbank came in.
©WWW
A third-generation Jewish Baltimorean, Ms. Shulbank had
always been interested in the Orthodox community. She was Michael Milgraum, Ph.D.
soon to find herself playing a pivotal role in helping its chil- Licensed Psychologist
dren. “From about 1975 on, I was the Child Find person at the
Maryland State Department of Education,” she explains. “Part • Internet-related addictions
of my responsibilities was to proactively search for children with • Compulsive behavior
disabilities who needed services, as part of an affirmative obliga- • Emotional disorders
tion, which means that it’s not enough to wait for someone to • Family conflict
call you; you have to look for them.”
Extensive experience working with the
In the 1970s, services for children with disabilities in the Jewish community
frum community were very limited. Although Ms. Shulbank
would receive an occasional phone call, the stigma associated 3717 Decatur Ave., Suite 1
with disabilities meant that most Orthodox families were still Kensington, MD 20895
trying to hide in the woodwork. “No one wanted to admit they
had a child with a disability,” she says. “I kept talking to differ- (301) 980-3997 drmilgraum@gmail.com
ent people, saying, ‘We need to organize these families.’ The DrMMsolutions.com
response I got was ‘yeah, yeah,’ but no one wanted to take the
lead and act.” CHANA
Then, in 1990, the federal law on disabilities changed to in- Offers a Jewish community response
clude services for infants and toddlers. “Most states at the time to persons who experience abuse and
were only serving school-age children, and some states were other forms of interpersonal trauma.
servicing preschools. Only Maryland and five other states were
servicing infants and toddlers,” Ms. Shulbank explains. “Now • Community Awareness Programs
that it was the federal law, it was time to get things moving. I • Legal Advocacy
had been informally collecting names of parents, and I knew • Educational Workshops for all ages
someone had to give the families in need the information on • Trauma Therapy
what was available. My bosses in the Department of Ed support- • Supportive Counseling
ed me in doing this outreach. We kept saying, ‘We need to hold • Consultations for Institutions & Professionals
a meeting and make sure people understand what they can do
to help their kids.’” For more information about our programs, visit
chanabaltimore.org or call 410-234-0030.
What happened next was a watershed event for Baltimore’s
frum community.
“All of the sudden, in November 1992, it dawned on me that
I should be the one to organize this meeting,” Ms. Shulbank de-
clares. With typical forthrightness, she picked up the phone and
called Jewish Family Services, which directed her to Mr. Jerry
Kadden. Mr Kadden directed her to Rabbi Mendel Freedman,
then-principal of Bais Yaakov Elementary School.
Rabbi Freedman immediately agreed to host the meeting,
and Ms. Shulbank swung into action. “We printed posters and
hung them all along Reisterstown Road – in the library, in Gi-
ant, in the pediatricians’ offices. I called all the parents I knew
and ‘guilted’ them into attending. Everybody said, ‘This is a
wonderful thing you’re doing, but no one will come.’”
The meeting, however, was attended by 18 parents and two
Orthodox occupational therapists, which Ms. Shulbank felt was
a fantastic turnout. It was very intense, she recalls. “Except for
one parent, whom everyone seemed to know, no one else talked
to each other. No one even looked at each other.”
Yet a door had opened. “I was happy; I’d done my thing,” Ms.
Shulbank continues her story. “Then I got a phone call from a
woman named Shani Goodman, one of the two OTs who had
been at the meeting. Shani was from New York and worked in
a school in Baltimore City. She was horrified at how little there
u 410 358 8509 u 53
