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Young Jews And Philanthropy
iNSIDER speaks to six young Jewish community members about their thoughts on where they like to put their philanthropy dollars.
By Elinor Spokes
This fall, Jack Wertheimer, the Joseph and Martha Mendelson professor of American Jewish history at The Jewish Theological Seminary, along with a team of researchers, released a study under the auspices of The AVI CHAI Foundation. “It’s Not Your Grandparents’ Jewish Community,” looked at women and men between the ages of 22 and 40 who serve as leaders of Jewish programs.
As part of that study, they found that in terms of philanthropy, these leaders supported a host of causes, not all Jewish in nature. Some were engaged in mainstream Jewish organizations, such as AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), Friends of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), and their local Federations. Meanwhile, others identified more progressive social causes, such as environmentalism and social justice, as important for their dollars.
In a separate article, Mr.Wertheimer wrote for Commentary magazine last March (“The High Cost of Jewish Living”), he noted a growing trend among Jewish philanthropic and organizational circles to channel more money towards non-sectarian causes.
So, how does that translate locally?
Receiving a multitude of solicitations on a nearly daily basis in the mail or by phone, many young Jews in our community make very deliberate and decisive choices as to which organizations will receive their discretionary dollars. It is the causes that most tug at their heartstrings, and organizations that will make the most impact with their hard-earned dollars, that win their support. Often, it is something that touches their families personally, including health issues, quality of life and children’s schools.
Here’s a look at a cross-section of them.
Debbie Greenberg
The Park School is top on the list of charities supported by Owings Mills resident Debbie Greenberg. With three children enrolled there, she says that she and her husband Ned believe that they should support the school because there are many things that are not supported by tuition.
The ALS Foundation is also very close to Greenberg’s heart, as her mother died of the disease in 2004. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Greenberg admits that participating in their fund- raisers is too upsetting for her so that she supports the foundation monetarily.
When someone passes away, she also donates to a designated charity if there is one. If there is not, she plants a tree in Israel in their memory. “Although I have never been to Israel, buying and planting trees there sounds so nice,” she says.
“We know every year we will give to Park, ALS and our synagogue, Beth El, and other than that, I respond to solicitations from a variety of sources. I like to give back to places where we have a direct connection,” she says.
They also donate to Molly’s Hope, a charity founded by a good friend, Amy Schunick, which provides financial assistance to pet owners who need help in paying for their pet’s life-saving surgery.
Amy Schunick
Amy Schunick, founder of Molly’s Hope, always had a soft spot for animals. It was in 2005 when the family dog, Molly, was hit by a car and required costly surgery to survive, that she realized there was a need to begin some kind of support for families who could not afford such expensive procedures and faced no other choice but to anesthetize their beloved pets.
“I heard about a family whose Weimaraner was also hit by a car and they had to put the dog down because they could not afford the surgery; it broke my heart,” she recalls.
In 2006, Schunick and her husband threw a Cinco De Mayo party for their fortieth birthdays and asked that their friends make donations to Molly’s Hope to get the charity off the ground. Created with a mission to preserve the special bond between owners and their pets, the charity does not discriminate and helps all animals. In fact, it helped a family whose guinea pig needed to have its leg amputated due to a cancerous growth.
Molly’s Hope is run by a board of volunteers and they evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis. They pay for necessary medical procedures for families who meet certain financial requirements. Since its inception, the organization has helped 40 dogs, cats, turtles and guinea pigs, among other pets in Maryland and the surrounding states.
“We have had several people give back to the charity after being helped, which is truly gratifying,” notes Schunick, a Reisterstown resident. Over the past year or so she has noticed an upswing in calls and inquiries which she attributes to the downturn in the economy.
Schunick’s daughters, ages 11 and 13, have also actively helped to raise money for the organization, participating in fundraisers and running information booths at various area pet expos, such as DogFest. Molly’s plight also has taught her daughters a valuable lesson in the acceptance of pets and people living with differences.
“Despite having lost both of her eyes due to her accident, Molly was still our loving, sweet dog. There are so many dogs who are alive now because of her,” she says.
Heidi Moylan
Baltimore City resident Heidi Moylan admits that she does not have one philanthropic passion. Having a personal connection to a charity is paramount in her decision to give support and she often gives in memory or in honor of someone, as she feels it is a very appropriate way of recognizing them.
She cites giving to Hospice of the Chesapeake as such an example, where her grandmother was cared for in her final days. She also gives to the London Town Public House and Gardens in Edgewater where her mother works as a volunteer, educating the public about the Anne Arundel County historic site.
She is also a member of the Jewish Women’s Giving Foundation and gives annually to the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.
As city residents, she and her husband Dan, are supporters of the zoo, WYPR, the B & O Railroad Museum, their children’s schools, Roland Park Elementary and Middle School, and their synagogue, Beth Am. She remarks that she and her husband talk to their sons, ages 6 and 9, about the importance of giving tzedakah and they sometimes give in response to an incident or conversation. “I like to give to charities where I know some of the people who will be the beneficiaries, often organizations which deal with health issues or issues of quality of life,” she says.
Harel Turkel
Growing up in Pikesville, Harel Turkel was cognizant of the Associated and its impact on the community. After college, he got involved with the organization initially for social and networking reasons, but he quickly became a member of the Young Leadership Council which led him to myriad opportunities, which included missions to both Israel and Odessa.
It was on those trips that he observed firsthand where his dollars were making a difference. “My trip to Odessa was the pinnacl of my experience as I had the opportunity to learn and travel with experts in the field,” he recalls.
AIPAC has also been the beneficiary of Turkel’s charitable dollars. With many family members in Israel, Turkel sees this cause as critical. Not only does he give, but he has also attended the annual AIPAC conference in Washington, D.C. for the past three years.
Additionally, Turkel supports about a dozen or so health-related causes ranging from breast cancer to leukemia and multiple sclerosis. But his primary passions are the Associated and AIPAC. “I have gotten many friends involved too,” he notes. “I tell them for their own growth, what you give you get back tenfold.”
Liz Minkin Friedman
Liz Minkin Friedman of Pikesville zealously speaks about the choices she has made with her charitable dollars, which she focuses on Jewish causes, women’s issues and health-related causes. As a runner, she often participates in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, raising money for breast cancer research, as well as other health-related charitable races. In the past two to three years, she says that she grown tired of receiving so many solicitations, so she has striven to become more strategic in her giving.
Coming from a very philanthropic family, Minkin Friedman feels compelled to give back to the community. More recently, due to the economic downturn, her feelings have intensified in that respect.
“If I am suffering, I need to make the stretch (to give a bit more) because times are tough and we are so fortunate in so many ways,” she says. She notes that she and her husband Keith emphasize this feeling to their three children by incorporating a discussion of Jewish values and tzedakah in many conversations. They discuss the obligation of the community to take care of its own members. “Tzedakah is a constant conversation in our household,” she adds. “My husband and I have a very value-laden parenting style.”
As an example, Minkin Friedman once overheard her son reply to the question, “What does your mother do for a living?” by saying she made blankets for the homeless, which, at the time, was partially true. A social worker by profession and a group leader for “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girls’ Thing,” she had helped a group of girls develop “Project Cozy,” making and providing fleece blankets for the homeless.
In addition to giving to the Associated, she recently joined the Jewish Women’s Giving Foundation, which gives money to causes benefitting women and girls both within and outside of the Jewish community. Recognizing the increased needs for scholarships and financial aid, she and her husband also give to their children’s schools.
“Our generation is very health-oriented because of their parents, children, and their personal experiences, so I think more of our money will go towards those causes,” she says.
Andrew Horowitz
Personally impacted by the disease ALS, the ALS Foundation has become a passion of Andrew Horowitz, whose father-in-law died of the disease in 2004. He and his wife Heather, who married a year later, donated a percentage of their wedding gift money to the foundation.
These Pikesville residents have been very impressed by the work of the foundation in research towards finding a cure and developing assistive technologies to help people living with the disease. “We don’t want other families to go through what we went through and we hope we can help other families weather this disease,” he says.
Another of Horowitz’s philanthropic passions has become the Associated, in which he has held several leadership roles. Currently, he is the co-chair of IMPACT 365, the goal of which is to motivate 22-45 year old Jewish community members to pledge $1 a day, totaling a $365 donation for the year.
An avid sports fan himself, Horowitz has also become very involved with Sports Boosters of Maryland, a non-profit organization dedicated to making a difference in the community by supporting children’s sports programs. He has contributed monetarily and also helped organize programs which donated athletic shoes to underprivileged children who earned good grades in school, and helped organize a Christmas party for the children as well.
Horowitz says with fervor, “I want to be a good role model for my family. Everyone needs to step up in their own way because there is always someone who has a greater need than you. There is a lot to be thankful for and if I can donate my money and time to make someone’s life better, that is a part of being Jewish.”
Amy Schunick started Molly's Hope to help families who meet certain financial requirements pay for costly medical procedures for their pets.
Two areas of philanthropic interest for Heidi Moylan are health and quality of life.
A sports fan, Andrew Horowitz is involved is Sports Boosters of Maryland, which supports children's sports programs. It's one of several charities to which he gives.
