Eleven Baltimoreans will be inducted this spring into the Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame.
This year’s inductees include businessman and philanthropist Leonard J. Attman; the late businesswoman and civic activist Phyllis B. Brotman; David S. Cordish, chairman of The Cordish Companies; Judge Karen “Chaya” Friedman of the 8th Judicial Circuit for Baltimore City; the late Jerrold “Chuck” Hoffberger, a Baltimore businessman, sports aficionado, community activist and philanthropist; Linda A. Hurwitz, former chair of the board of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore and immediate past national campaign chair of the Jewish Federations of North America; the late Philip E. Klein, CEO and founder of the commercial real estate conglomerate Klein Enterprises; and LifeBridge Health President and CEO Neil M. Meltzer.
Also to be inducted are Dr. Paul A. Offit, the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology, professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Academy Award-nominated producer Marc Platt; and Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, who has served as spiritual leader of Pikesville’s Beth Tfiloh Congregation for more than four decades.
The induction ceremony will be held virtually on Thursday, May 13, at 7 p.m. The event will feature videos documenting the lives of the honorees. Approximately 300 local and national civic and business leaders are expected to attend.
Every other year, the Hall of Fame — which is hosted by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore — honors Jewish Baltimoreans who have made significant contributions to the local and global community in such fields as business, medicine, law, politics, science, education, sports, community service and the arts. The hall of fame was founded in 2008.
Besides celebrating the honorees, the event raises funds for financial assistance for children, teens and families to participate in such JCC programs as Early Childhood Education, abilities and inclusion programming, J Camps, JCC Maccabi and membership.
“These individuals spend years in service towards the betterment of the community, and we take immeasurable pride in recognizing their achievements,” event co-chair Morris L. “Maury” Garten said of the inductees.
Added co-chair Elise Rubenstein: “Together, their lives reflect the Jewish value of tikkun olam — repairing the world.”
Honoree nominations were collected from participants throughout the community. A selection committee met virtually for several months to discuss the nominations and voted in a series of blind ballots.
Past hall of fame inductees include the late Rabbi Samuel Rosenblatt of Beth Tfiloh, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson, the late local Jewish educator and spiritual leader Dr. Louis L. Kaplan, American Visionary Art Museum founder Rebecca A. Hoffberger and the late novelist Leon Uris.
For information about the ceremony, contact Esther Hyatt Greenberg, the JCC’s chief advancement officer, at 410-559-3545, or email: egreenberg@jcc.org
For information about the Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame, visit jcc.org/baltimore-jewish-hall-fame.
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