JCC Announces This Year’s Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame Inductees

February 12, 2025 JMORE Staff

Among this year's Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame inductees is Janet B. Kurland, who worked for more than four decades at Jewish Community Services. Kurland passed away last December at age 94. (File photo by David Stuck)

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore recently announced this year’s inductees into the Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame.

The honorees include Ralph Brunn, former head of the Baltimore Spice Co. (and son of Gustav Brunn, the Bavarian-born creator of Old Bay Seasoning); the late Ralph and Shirley Klein, philanthropists and owners of Klein’s Family Markets; community leader and activist Marcy K. Kolodny; the late Janet B. Kurland, who worked at Jewish Community Services for more than four decades, serving in multiple gerontological services roles for the agency; Marc B. Terrill, former president of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore (and host of Jmore’s “Marc My Word” podcast); the late philanthropists Marvin and Jane Schapiro; former Baltimore City Councilwoman Rochelle “Rikki’ Spector; businessman and philanthropist Leonard “Boogie” Weinglass; and the late Rabbi Joel H. Zaiman, who led Pikesville’s Chizuk Amuno Congregation from 1980 to 2003.

Also among this year’s inductees are the early female Jewish members of the Maryland State Bar Association from 1920 to 1929.

Established in 2007, the hall of fame honors local Jews who made significant contributions in such fields as business, law, education, community service, science, the arts and medicine.

This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Wednesday evening, May 7, at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue in Owings Mills.

Former Associated President Marc B. Terrill

Held biennially, the ceremony raises funds for financial assistance for children, teens and families to participate in JCC programming including early childhood education, abilities and inclusion programming, J Camps, JCC Maccabi and membership.

Past Hall of Fame inductees include international Jewish community leader Shoshana S. Cardin, “Exodus” author Leon Uris, Zionist leader and Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold, local historian and author Gilbert Sandler, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson and recently retired Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin.

For information, visit jcc.org/baltimore-jewish-hall-of-fame/.