Rock On with Two Famous Baltimore Jews!

A blog post by historian and genealogist Deb Weiner.

So I’m going to cheat and use my latest “tweet” as the subject of my blog post (you are following our twitter account, aren't you?). Why think up two different topics for e-communicating when you can just do one. Besides, Jobi thinks it’s a great idea and she is under 40. (I’m pretty sure.)

Here it is: the Trivia Quiz. The first person to submit the correct answer will not win a prize but you will have a sense of satisfaction all the same.

Name two Baltimore Jews who are in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. That’s it!

Here’s a hint, it’s not:

Not Jewish!

and it’s not:

Not from Baltimore... also, not Jewish.

Nor is it:

Jewish, from Baltimore... not a rocker.

And finally it’s not

Not Jewish, but he did spend much of his childhood in Arbutus!

Here are two more helpful hints:

1. Not everyone in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame is a performer.
2. Some Jewish people have been known to change their names...

Let’s hear it! More hints on the way if no one gets them both.

The Beginning of a New Year

Ilene Dackman-Alon is the Program Director

Over the past month, the work week has been so sketchy with short work weeks due to the fall Jewish holidays. When I arrived at work last week, I had a feeling similar to when I was young during the first week of school. The first week of school was always so exciting filled with new friends, new opportunities and new beginnings. I guess I am feeling this way as I am excited about the JMM’s upcoming program calendar filled with something for everyone both young and old.

This Friday, 8 October, we will begin this season’s Tot Shabbat programs. Tot Shabbat programs are geared for downtown families with very young children. Young children, along with their parents, caregivers and grandparents were actively engaged in songs, stories and a challah snack all in connection with the Sabbath. This program is co-sponsored by the JMM and the JCC’s Beyond the Borders", a program which is funded by The Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education.

Later in October, the Druid Hill Park will be celebrating its 150^th year and the JMM will be sponsoring bus trips to the park - Druid Hill Park- Nostalgia and Beyond. Barry Kessler, former JMM curator will give a behind the scenes tour of Druid Hill Park as it is and as it was. Barry will speak about how the park served the Jewish community from the 1920’s until 1960 and what those memories means to the Jewish collective conscience; as well as talk about the new efforts to bring the park back to its former glory.

In connection wit the JMM’s newest exhibition, A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People, the JMM is proud to present programming that highlight interfaith dialog and study. This year’s Sadie B. Feldman Family Lecture will feature Father John Pawlikowski, professor of ethics and the director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at the Catholic Theological Union. Fr. Pawlikowski will deliver a lecture in commemoration of the 45^th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the historic declaration on the relationship of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions.

I am also eager and anxious to continue with weekly my visits to Patterson High School, a large Baltimore City Public School and continue to work on the JMM’s latest educational initiative, Student Immigration Stories. The SIS program is just one of the Museum’s many education programs and this one fulfills our mission – to teach about Baltimore’s history as a haven for immigrants and refugees in the past and present. The JMM has developed a wonderful relationship with this school and we are working specifically with Ms. Sally Franklin’s ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) class and Jennifer Zunikoff, a professional storyteller in the area. This particular initiative looks at contemporary immigration to Baltimore.

The students participating in the project are learning how to craft their personal immigration stories with the help of the storyteller. The power of the first-person narrative makes this program a compelling educational experience. With the help of facilitated questions, and the use of visualization and guided imagery, these techniques help the students formulate their personal stories as well as provide opportunities for the students to learn from their classmates.

The goal of the Student Immigration Stories program is to address the needs in schools whose student populations are rapidly diversifying due to an influx of immigrants from different countries. Many school administrators describe a general atmosphere of unease at schools where there is a large immigrant population and where the student body at large demonstrates a lack of tolerance or willingness to accept students from foreign countries. It is the hope this program will serve as a forum for students to gain understanding and acceptance of their fellow students.

The weekly visits are very powerful and it is a humbling experience to listen to the students describe their lives in their native countries. During our last session, Jennifer (the storyteller), asked the students these questions. “If you could bring one thing from your native country to Baltimore- what would it be? And if you could bring one thing from Baltimore back home to your native country what would it be? The students’ answers were amazing. Some of the students from Nepal said that they wanted to bring the lushness of the jungle and the majestic Mt. Everest to Baltimore. Some of the students from Central America said that they would bring our law enforcement system, Patterson High School along with their beloved teacher, Ms. Franklin back to their native countries of El Salvador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

The power of the first-person narrative makes this an especially compelling educational experience. I listen to these students in the class and I am blown away by the courage and strength of the students to share their intimate stories. Their stories allow me to be transported to different countries and places all over the world. Their personal stories allow me to find connections and a common ground with each of the students. It is the hope that the students in the schools will also find common ground and connections with these students who share their stories of immigration.

It’s going to be an exciting programming season at the JMM- LET THE PROGRAMS BEGIN!

Why We Volunteer

Ilene Cohen is our Volunteer Coordinator.

People volunteer for many reasons. As the Volunteer Coordinator at the Jewish Museum of Maryland it is my job to understand why, and to keep them motivated to do so.

In response to this question on our volunteer application, some of the most popular replies are “to give back to the Jewish community,” “to interact with others and develop friendships,” and “to make a difference.”

Some of the volunteers who truly make a difference, in the lives of our visitors, are our

docents. The docents are those who act as guides in our two historic synagogues and exhibit galleries.

Sometimes when leading an “Introduction to Judaism” tour to public school youngsters they might initially field questions like, “do all Jews have blue eyes?” By the end each tour they have built such a rapport with the students and are sorry to see them leave.

A number of groups send letters following their tours and I’d like to share some that we have received.

A youth fellowship group visiting from Israel noted: Our visit to the Jewish Museum of Maryland was very interesting, and the tour was a great way to start off our trip…the history of the Jewish community in Baltimore is instrumental in understanding the history of the Jewish community of the United States.

A third grader at the Talmudical Academy wrote: I appreciate your being such a good guide on our trip. He listed all of the things he liked that he saw, and finished with… I liked the part when you knew my father!

Another young visitor explained: My favorite part was when I got to learn about the Jewish hat (yarmulke), and the Bible (Torah scrolls), and the church (synagogue)…

Some include pictures on their notes, one such also said: …thank you for giving us an educational tour of the synagogue…I noticed that the Torah is very important to you…

Our very favorites are the ones that include: p.s. I can’t wait to come back!

MS 185 Center for Jewish Education Clippings Scrapbooks

Below is an excerpt from one of our most recent finding aids. The following collection documents, through newspaper articles, the story of Jewish Education in Baltimore during the middle years of the 20th century.

Graduates of Baltimore Talmud Torah, October 1938. JMM 2000.29.6

Center for Jewish Education Clippings Scrapbooks
1933-1972

MS 185

The Center for Jewish Education Scrapbook collection was donated to the Jewish Museum of Maryland in 2009 as accession 2009.048 by the Center for Jewish Education. The collection was processed by Jennifer Vess with the help of Rebecca Levitan and Dawn Shepherd in 2010.

Access to the collection is restricted. Copies of the materials have been made and are available for researchers; however, due to their fragile condition the originals are restricted for preservation purposes. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the Jewish Museum of Maryland before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library’s usual procedures.

Hymen Saye teaching at the Baltimore Talmud Torah, 1928. JMM 1991.7.12

HISTORICAL NOTE
The Board of Jewish Education was organized in 1921 as a central agency to coordinate the financial and educational administration of five Talmud Torahs. As Jewish educational needs changed and adapted, the Board changed with it. During the 1930s and 1940s Hebrew and Sunday Schools increased while Talmud Torahs declined. Because of this the Board of Jewish Education eventually had more of the former than the latter under affiliation. The number of affiliated schools varied over the years. The Board also began to involve more community service activities. The Board of Jewish Education is now known as the Center for Jewish Education.

Seder at the Southwest Talmud Torah, 1944. JMM 1991.36.8

SCOPE AND CONTENT
The Center for Jewish Education Scrapbook collection is comprised of nineteen scrapbooks of newspaper clippings pertaining to the activities of the Board of Jewish Education (later the Center for Jewish Education) and Baltimore Hebrew schools, Sunday schools, Talmud Torahs, and adult education programs. The clippings detail the activities of affiliated and unaffiliated schools, show advertisements for schools, list some course offerings, and report on activities in the community in which the Board or members of the Board took part. The collection also includes one scrapbook of materials related to the Parent Teacher Association. The collection is divided into five series: Series I. Board of Jewish Education School Clippings Scrapbooks, 1933-1972; Series II. Adult Education Scrapbooks, 1950-1956; Series III. Unaffiliated Schools Scrapbooks, 1952-1956; Series IV. PTA, 1951-1954 and Series V. Preservation Photocopies.

Page from the 1951, 1952 Hebrew Schools scrapbook

Welcome! Welcome!

This is my third day working as the Outreach Coordinator at the JMM so it’s about time that I introduce myself to the public via the blog. As my title implies, I will be getting to know the friends (and soon to be friends) of the JMM very well. With all of the great blog posts before me though, this is an intimidating place to start. So here I go…

Rachael is already hard at work!

My name is Rachael Binning and I’m the newest staff member at the JMM. I originally hail from Huntington Beach, CA, but now live on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. You may be wondering why I decided to relocate from sunny California to the East Coast. Well, the reason is because I was very determined to work at a highly regarded cultural institution like the Jewish Museum of Maryland. After gradating from college with a degree in History and Jewish Studies I worked at the Jewish Federation in Boston. A year later I moved about an hour south to Providence, RI where I received my MA degree in Public Humanities at Brown University. The program is designed to train students to be liaisons between higher education and the public. Now, it is essentially my goal to make the public as enthusiastic about the JMM and its mission as I am. I’m looking forward to bringing more people into the museum and expanding the museums reach outside of its physical walls.

I moved to DC, with my dog “Wednesday” in tow, about a month ago and am really enjoying my new neighborhood and my new life. When people are shocked to learn that I drive from DC to Baltimore for work my response is always “Hey, I’m a Californian. I can handle the commute.” In the end the drive is worth it because every day I get to look forward to learning more about the JMM and the community it serves.

Once Upon a Time...

Once Upon a Time 7.9.10

The Baltimore Jewish Times publishes unidentified photographs from the collection of Jewish Museum of Maryland each week. If you can identify anyone in these photos and more information about them, contact Jobi Zink, Senior Collections Manager and Registrar at 410.732.6400 x226 or jzink@jewishmuseummd.org.

Date run in Baltimore Jewish Times: 7/9/10

PastPerfect Accession #: 2008.043.016A

Status: Unidentified. Unidentified group of Zulver family members posing in a car

The 1845 Mikveh

About ten years ago the JMM called in archaeologists to investigate beneath the Lloyd Street Synagogue. Much to everyone’s surprise they uncovered the original mikveh complex used by the fledgling Baltimore Hebrew Congregation from 1845 until 1860. The excavation revealed one wall of the mivkeh house, the brick hearth used to heat water, and a corner of the actual mikveh itself.

Brick hearth and corner of 1845 mikveh, taken in 2002

Since then visitors have been able to peak over a railing into the open excavation and see all of these elements. Recently, however, we have been dealing with the effects of flooding in the lower level of the synagogue, which has changed the shape of the excavation. (See The Importance of Disaster Preparedness for the full story!)

Brick Hearth and Mikveh complex excavation, taken 2010

Today several of the JMM staff met with Maryland Historical Trust representatives as well as architectural and archaeology professionals to talk about the mikveh excavation, its preservation and its interpretation. The question we’ve all been discussing is how to maintain the excavation, preserve the historic features and allow visitors to see rather than just hear about or read about this important discovery.

The JMM had thought about installing a glass floor to allow greater access to the mikveh room and a view of the excavation. But with a glass floor we would still have to deal with the effects of the natural flow of underground water – the occasional flooding and erosion of the excavation.

During today’s meeting we discussed alternatives to the glass floor. Our current plan is to clean the excavation and document the site (with drawings and photographs) then dig further into the area where the mikveh corner was found to learn more about that feature. After the new investigations have been completed we would like to fill in the excavation to protect it from further erosion. With the excavation covered, we plan to reproduce it with enlarged photographs placed on the floor in their exact locations.

Our plans depend on a lot of variables, and everyone knows that plans can change, so keep reading the blog to follow our progress!