Pull Up A Chair

"Pull Up a Chair" is a podcast by The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, which tells stories of building and being part of a strong Jewish community.

In this episode, host Melissa Gerr talks to Inbal Neun, who was born in Ashkelon, Israel, but left as a toddler. Inbal is now the director of the Edward A. Myerberg Center and is making an impact on the lives of seniors.

Recently, she has found her life come full circle as several of the programs she is involved in have direct ties to the city of Ashkelon.

Howard and Ann Cornblatt both have fond memories of growing up in Baltimore, where family bonds and cultivating community were always a priority.

They share their stories from their childhood days on Bellevue Avenue and Laurel Avenue and how membership at the Edward A. Myerberg Center has provided a community they've grown to consider like a second family. 

After 30 years in the retail industry, Pam Solomon takes on a second career as a lead pre-K teacher at the Stoler Early Learning Center at the Rosenblum Owings Mills JCC.

In this episode, did you ever have a job that changed your life? Recently retired after working 23 years at the Weinberg Park Heights JCC print shop, Mark Newton remembers his first day of work.

For this church-going African American man, working at the JCC all those years became a whole new world for him and a chance to learn from a different culture and build family and a sense of community.

In this episode, a cultural exchange that starts in the classroom. Benjamin Snyder, a high school history teacher in Baltimore county, spent his summer teaching English to middle and elementary school-age students in Baltimore's partner city - Ashkelon, Israel.

"We focused a lot on what it's like to be a young person today. Middle school has changed quite a bit - even just the presence of technology in kids' lives."

Benjamin says that what he learned in the Israeli classroom, he has brought back to his Baltimore students as well.

Pull Up A Chair and learn more!

In this episode of Pull Up A Chair, we sit down with Linda Miller and her daughter Karen Singer. Back in the seventies and eighties, Linda volunteered with HIAS - Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society - to help the Soviet refugees settle in Baltimore. She and her family helped them rent apartments and start a new life. And to get a break from the city, they invited them to their farm in Pikesville.

Linda's volunteer work complimented her job as a social worker in Baltimore city schools where she was instrumental in launching the Project Fresh Start program, designed to provide assistance to eligible homeless families. Project FRESH Start still exists today in some form with Catholic Charities.

Linda kept busy working and volunteering - all while raising her family, together with her husband Howard, on a sheep farm in Pikesville.

Listen to learn more about life on the farm.

In this episode, finding true love at the J! Yes, it's possible. Sam and Deborah are proof, but it took a few laps at the JCC pool to get there. Hear how these two met. Spoiler alert - Deborah's mom played a small role.

Is it possible to teach empathy? The Klein family believes so. The Ralph and Shirley Klein Foundation has been supporting a special Holocaust program at The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland for nearly three decades. The Kleins were one of just a handful of Jewish families who made their home in Harford county in the 1960s. Michael Klein, the middle of three sons, shares stories of growing up there and his family’s commitment to closing the gap on holocaust education.

In this episode of Pull Up A Chair, we look at what connects us to community. For Baltimore transplant Jen Grossman, connection comes through service. Jen has been deeply involved in volunteering and served multiple years as chair of the Jewish Volunteer Connection, an agency of The Associated. But her arrival and Baltimore had a rocky start.

“Volunteering really gave me a vehicle to meet people that were either in the same life stage as I was or had the same interests.”

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Learn more about JVC:

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In this episode, we talk with Ira Malis and Abigail Malischostak, father and daughter. Ira is the current chairman of the investment management committee at The Associated. And Abigail is the partnerships manager at the Jewish Volunteer Connection.

In 2003, Ira and his wife, Shelly, started a donor advised fund with The Associated. They felt this would be a great and meaningful way to involve their children and grandchildren in their family's tradition of charitable giving. For those who are unfamiliar with donor advised funds, they offer you a way to support your favorite causes while also taking advantage of certain tax benefits.