Melinda Michel talks about why she joined Jmore‘s board of directors.
You might say Melinda Michel’s appointment to Maryland Jewish Media’s Jmore nonprofit initiative is a sort of homecoming for the New York native.
Michel began her career in the Jewish community as a journalist for a Baltimore-based Jewish news outlet. Since then, she has worked continuously in the Jewish community — first at Baltimore Hebrew University (now the Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University); then at The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, where she served in multiple roles.
Currently, Michel is assistant vice president, philanthropy marketing at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Her volunteer work includes positions at Beth El Congregation, focusing on marketing and supplemental Jewish education and the inclusion of children with learning differences in synagogue and Hebrew school settings.
We recently spoke with Michel about her new role on Jmore‘s nonprofit board.
How did you get involved?
Scott [Rifkin] wrote an editorial about the future of Jewish journalism. Having been a Jewish journalist for almost nine years, it’s something I look back on very fondly, and it sort of put me on a career path in the Jewish world. So it piqued my interest and I reached out to Marc Terrill, who I worked with for many years at The Associated and said, ‘This is intriguing to me. Please keep me in mind.’
I didn’t hear anything for a while and then, once they got started, he reached out.
Why do you think this is an important mission?
Helping the next generation connect to Jewish identity is really important. I was thinking about it just recently in the context of those two young people killed in D.C. I thought, it’s really hard to be Jewish. If we don’t help the next generation appreciate how beautiful it can be to be Jewish, I’m worried they’re going to be frightened away by all of these external forces that are making it so hard.
It wasn’t that way when I was growing up. We were just Jewish; we weren’t dealing with these things. We weren’t having that inner struggle that they may be dealing with about being frightened to be Jewish, feeling unsafe in non-Jewish spaces, struggling with embracing their Judaism at a time where it’s hard to do that sometimes.
What do you see as the Jewish community’s primary challenges today?
Creating a connection to Jewish experiences at all levels. … There needs to be this sort of connection to Jewish identity and also a connection to each other. The Associated has this great program — Partners Baltimore — which was a direct response to Oct. 7th. [It aims to] tap into people’s desire to connect to community. It’s a once a month learning experience for Jews throughout the community. Participants were intentionally paired with [partners of different branches of Judaism] so they could meet each other and learn together in a safe space. It focused on the teachings of Lord Jonathan Sacks, who’s brilliant and relatable no matter where you fall on the spectrum.
Why would you like to see the community continue to support Jmore as a nonprofit media company?
The only other example that I have in my head is the Baltimore Banner, which is a nonprofit. I guess they’ve been around now about three years. I don’t know how they’re doing in terms of their fundraising, but in terms of their journalism, they’re doing a fabulous job. I think quality journalism deserves our support, and it demands our support. I love Jmore and I’ve known Alan [Feiler, Jmore Editor-in-Chief] since 1990, when I started at the Baltimore Jewish Times. I was 23 years old so I’ve known Alan my entire adult life. I think Jmore provides a great service to the community.
It’s a beautiful publication. I read it whenever I see it at the JCC; I always grab the issue. I want to help ensure that it stays around in the community.
What skills do you bring to the table to help the initiative?
I was the head of marketing at The Associated for nine years and then the head of women’s philanthropy. There was a lot about reaching out to people who were not necessarily engaged with any part of the community and helping them find their place and helping them find an on ramp to the work that we were doing. I think the ability to engage with people, to do outreach is always important no matter what endeavor you put forth. I also believe very strongly in the benefits of professional mentorship. I’ve seen it personally for myself with mentors I’ve had and what a difference that’s made in my career. To be able to pay that forward and give back in that capacity is a good way to tap into the skills that I bring.
Where do you envision Jmore in a decade?
I would like to see them continue with the hybrid approach where the breaking news is occurring online. I think they do a great job staying current with that. And I love the print piece, and I hope they continue publishing that. I think the introduction of the podcast was great.
Maybe there are opportunities for other areas of interest and topics on podcasts. So I think that there is growth opportunity for Jmore in the marketplace.
Donate to Jmore and help support local Jewish journalism and strengthen community programming for the next generation.
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