Even after stepping down as president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore in early 2013 after 18 years on the job, Louis M. “Buddy” Sapolsky wanted to make a difference in the world.
So he worked during his “retirement” as a consultant for various community organizations around Baltimore City, such as the Bethel Empowerment and Wellness Center and the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training.
“How do you help struggling communities lift themselves up by their bootstraps?” Sapolsky said in a Jmore profile in 2017. “It comes down to people who want to help others.”
Sapolsky was one of those people.
A Pikesville resident, Sapolsky died on Saturday, Sept. 3. He was 77.
“We are sad to share that Louis ‘Buddy’ Sapolsky … passed away on Saturday, September 3 after battling significant health issues over the few past months,” the JCC posted in a statement on social media. “Buddy was considered a consummate community leader, friend, and a mentor and supervisor to many Jewish communal professionals both in Baltimore and nationally. Buddy was a community partner and will be missed by many throughout Baltimore and nationwide. …
“We will always be reminded of Buddy’s kindness, warmth, and inclusive spirit as we enter the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC and drive through the Sapolsky Circle.”
In another post, Sapolsky’s successor, Barak Hermann, called him “a gifted mentor, supervisor, community leader, bridge builder and legendary leader in the JCC Movement. I have always been honored to follow Buddy’s leadership of the JCC and receive his generous guidance about Baltimore … I am grateful for his friendship the past decade. Buddy’s memory will always be a blessing for countless people and communities especially Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and St Louis.”
A Pittsburgh native, Sapolsky came to the Baltimore JCC in 1995 from the St. Louis Jewish Community Center, where he served as associate executive director for a dozen years.
Sapolsky received his bachelor of arts and master of social work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. During his four-decade career in the organized Jewish community — which began as a counselor at an overnight Jewish summer camp — he worked in a variety of capacities at JCCs in his hometown, Miami, St. Louis and Baltimore.
Sapolsky was the recipient of the Fred A. Goldstein Memorial Service Award for Outstanding Professional Leadership and Service to the Jewish Community of St. Louis. He also was awarded the Daniel Thurz Distinguished Jewish Communal Professional Service Award from the Darrell D. Friedman Institute for Professional Development in Baltimore.
In addition, he was presented the Florence G. Heller Professional Award at the Jewish Community Center Association’s biennial conference in New Orleans in 2012.
“He has provided the JCC field with a shining example of what a professional leader can and should be, and richly deserves this honor,” the JCCA said in a statement at that time.
During his time at the Baltimore JCC, Sapolsky was known for his affable and welcoming manner, affinity for getting to know members and staff personally, sense of compassion, and philosophy of finding consensus and partnering with different agencies and groups.
During his tenure, the JCC upgraded its Owings Mills and Park Heights facilities, as well as hosted the 50th anniversary communal celebration of Israel’s founding, the Jerusalem 3000 festival and the JCC Maccabi Games and Arts Fest.
On a more controversial note, the Owings Mills JCC in 2009 opened its outdoor campus on Shabbat, to the strong objections of traditional segments of the community, during the Sapolsky era.
Also during his tenure, Sapolsky helped grow the Baltimore JCC from 8,000 to 17,000 members, and he is credited with making the center more professional, vibrant and sustainable.
Upon Sapolsky’s retirement, the roundabout at the Owings Mills JCC was renamed “Sapolsky Circle.”
In a video at a farewell gathering for Sapolsky, Esther Greenberg, the JCC’s chief advancement officer, said, “I always enjoyed working with Buddy. He’s a kind person. He inspires you.”
Barak Hermann said in the video that some colleagues in the JCC field thought “I was nuts” when taking over the helm at the Baltimore JCC, since Sapolsky was considered a beloved figure in Baltimore.
“But I said, ‘Knowing Buddy as I do, I’m sure he’s that confident and that good that I can only imagine what the team around him looks like,'” Hermann said.
At the same gathering, Sapolsky told the JCC staff, “It takes a village, and I’ve always felt that the key to any success at the JCC is its staff. It’s been a great ride. We’ve argued together, been to retreats together, solved problems together, we’ve done lots and lots of things together, just like families do. I’m so proud to be part of this staff.”
In an interview with Jmore in 2017, Sapolsky said he was determined to remain productive after retiring from the JCC. He said he particularly enjoyed working with such civic leaders as Bishop Frank M. Reid III of the Bethel A.M.E. Church in the West Baltimore neighborhood of Upton.
“It was time to relax a bit, but I set goals for myself so that I wouldn’t get bored,” he said. “What has been a wonderful benefit for me is I got to meet some amazing people who I would have never met before. I learned a whole lot about poverty and homelessness, and experienced the resiliency of a community that wants to make things better for themselves. … It’s heartwarming work.”
Buddy Sapolsky is survived by his children, Craig (Stephanie), Jamie (the late Bryant) and Lauren (partner Hilario Ponce); his grandsons, Brandon and Jack; and his brother, Dan. He was predeceased by his parents , Betty and Norman Sapolsky.
Sapolsky is also survived by his longtime partner, Nancy Silverman Boguslaw, and to Alissa and Michael Boguslaw.
The funeral for Sapolsky will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at noon at Beth El Congregation, 8101 Park Heights Ave. in Pikesville. Interment will be at Beth El Memorial Park at 8900 Liberty Rd. in Randallstown.
Contributions in his memory may be sent to Buddy Sapolsky Jewish Community Center Endowed Fund for Professional Excellence, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills, Maryland 21117, and the Bethel Outreach Center, Inc. c/o Neil Demchick, Treasurer, 1241 Berans Rd., Owings Mills, Maryland 21117.
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