PEOPLE

613 Seconds

Sponsored By

Sam Rosenblatt Mortgage Planner I NMLS# 75844 (410) 375-4447 Sam@TheRosenblattGroup.com www.TheRosenblattGroup.com

State Lic: DE: MLO-75844; NJ: 75844; NC: I-109203; MD: 237; FL: LO31872; PA: 28407; VA: MLO-6487VA; DC: MLO75844 | Corp Lic: DE: 010825; NJ: 3113; NC: L-143680; MD: 12423; FL: MLD241; PA: 22177; VA: MC-5196; DC: MLB3113; www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org l Equal Housing Lender l Corp NMLS #3113

With Topher Russo Mid Atlantic Region Vice President of FACTS Management

Your father, Mr. Edward Russo, although a Christian, was a great supporter of Jewish organizations. How did he first get involved?

My father sold life insurance to countless members of Baltimore’s Jewish community in the 1950’s, 1960’s,and1970’s. He was very trusted and respected. Word spread and he was referred from one Jewish client to another.

He was friends with a number of Rabbis, especially Rabbi Patashnik, one of the founders of the Talmudical Academy. It was through Rabbi Patashnik that my father first donated to Jewish causes. They were great friends.

The Jewish Times featured my father on its front cover in May of 1978 as “Man of the Year.” This was in recognition of his philanthropy and in particular, for the scholarship fund he set up at TA in memory of my

mother, Martha Jane French Russo, after she had passed from cancer.

Rabbi Patashnik selflessly counseled and supported my mother and father for years during her illness.

About 1985 my father met Rabbi Flamm of Torah Institute. I was in my mid-twenties then and was a teacher. RabbiFlammand I bonded over the school connection. When I became a school head in the 1990’s, RabbiFlammand I often called each other about work challenges or just to say hello. We had deep affection and respect for each other. As my own family’s prosperity grew I began to give to TI in honor of my father.

You, like your father, also support Jewish causes. How does it feel to follow in his footsteps?

I feel honored to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I feel grateful that the Almighty has blessed us so that we can give “tzedakah” and give to such a great and important cause as Jewish schools. I feel great joy meeting and being with Jewish school leaders. Their love for my dad, their high intelligence, their unflagging kindnesses to me andtheir love for what they do is truly inspiring. I feel at home in the Jewish community. We share the same values of family, faith and community.

What are some things about the Jewish community you admire?

The high intelligence, the kindness, and the faith. Judaism is like what the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “a voice crying out in the wilderness.” I think Judaism (and my faith) isdifferent from other religions because of the focus on the individual to have a special relationship and connection with the Almighty. This prayer experience also can give one a “glow” that even others can sense,as in the days of Moses and the tent, a glow filled with growth, wisdom, and joy and as my faith adds, “all good things”. To me, that is different.

As the Mid-Atlantic Regional VP of FACTS, you’ve had many interactions with Jewish schools. What’s your impression of them?

As I said before - highly intelligent, always kind, enthusiastic for their schools and their faith, and joy-filled. I also like the sense of humor. Whether it’s Mel Brooks or some business manager at a local Jewish school, the humor is plentiful and rich.

Any closing thoughts?

Thank you for your time. Baltimore has a great Jewish community and should be very proud.

RubyLaskerDesigns

2516 Quarry Lake Drive (410) 486-Wine